30% off Duck & Noodle in London Bayswater, set duck benchmark

Did you know that Duck & Noodle on London’s food-friendly stretch of Queensway in Bayswater are Halal?

Did you also know that the husband and wife team behind the popular Malay restaurant Bonda Kitchen in Paddington, which we rated 4/5 last year, are now behind this brand?

Immediately after having taken over ownership, they discarded with the alcohol, before replacing the entire menu with a far more comprehensive dining experience encompassing both Chinese and Malaysian cuisine.

And, of course, what separates them from the rest is the ready availability of high quality duck procured directly from Silver-Hill Farm in Ireland.

The 57-cover venue itself is a clean (5-star hygiene), spacious, and simply decorated one, with limited seating outside for an additional half dozen.

Virgin Mojito – Lemon, fresh mint & lime, £5.20; Pink Lady – Rose, lychee & lime, £5.50; Homemade Teh Tarik (Ice), £3.30

While the pair of mocktails themselves were flavourful enough, the Teh Tarik iced tea lacked any real depth.

As for the Virgin Mojito, then this offered a decent kick courtesy of the balance achieved between the mint and sweet lemonade. The pieces of sweet lychee in the Pink Lady were complimented well by the fresh lime (even the blocks of ice contained a raspberry, which was a nice touch of detail).

Pandan Chicken – Marinated chicken Pandan leaf, with a sweet chilli dipping sauce, £5.20

This is how you want to open up your culinary account at any restaurant: Tender and springy chicken encased in crispy-cum-crunchy batter, with a hint of turmeric, and accompanied by a homemade sweet chilli sauce, which was very good (the pandan leaves were more a decorative touch than anything else).

Spicy Chicken & Vegetable Dumplings – Chicken dumplings served in a chilli oil, chopped spring onions, £6.00

These Spicy Chicken and Vegetable Dumplings definitely took us back to our time at Bonda Kitchen and their delicious dim sums and dumplings.

This was just as good, with the delicate pastry steamed and saturated to a tee, and containing uber-succulent pieces of poultry, before being covered in a piquant vinegar sauce with perhaps a touch of heat too.

Peking Duck (Half) – Halal duck served with Chinese pancakes, spring onions, cucumber and hoisin sauce, £23.00

Known for their quality, Silver-Hill Farm in Ireland is the main supplier of duck to those few restaurants that offer Halal.

having enjoyed one a few weeks ago at Hong Kong Restaurant in Islington, this one was just as good, if not better, thanks to Duck & Noodle’s meticulous preparatory method.

It should be noted that these lot roast theirs in a traditional Chinese ‘Bullet Oven’, which ensures that the duck turns out boasting a glossily golden skin while being crisped to perfection, as it did in this case.

More importantly, it also managed to achieve what every duck afficionado knows is the most important thing, and that’s a moist interior.

In the case of this tender and juicy Peking version, Duck & Noodle’s sets the benchmark for the best executed duck we’ve ever had.

And though the tangy hoisin glaze had good consistency, the only shortcoming here was that the pancakes could and should have been warmed through to ensure greater softness.

Nevertheless, a fantastic dish and one of the highlights of not just this review, but of the year.

Traditional Chinese Roast (Half), £16.50

In fact, so good was the Peking that we couldn’t leave without trying another half-portion of their Traditional Chinese Roast.

Although not as dear as its counterpart, and while both were extraordinarily good in their own respect, if you do have to go with a choice between the two, it would unequivocally be the Peking on account of that beautifully textured skin.

Spectacular Seabass – with sambal chilli (spicy), £22.80

A full seabass as visually compelling as this was always going to make a spectacular entrance.

And the euphoria was only amplified after tucking in, with the herbacious, crispy-battered skin easily giving away to the moist and delicate flesh beneath. The mildly spicy, relatively coarse sambal chilli paste guaranteed both an additional textural profile, as well as a touch of acidity.

Roasted Duck Noodle Soup, £10.50

What could more satisfyingly soothing than a soup driven by the deep umami flavour extricated from a duck that’s been roasted in the aforementioned Chinese bullet oven?

An utterly buttery broth containing ultra tender chunks of saturated duck meat (skin n’all), texturally offset by the crunchy pak chao and diced spring onions. Delightful!

Lobster Tail – Lobster tail, egg noodle with ginger and spring onion, £32.00

This was an exercise in balancing the flavours in order to allow the star of the plate – tender lobster in the shell – to shine for all it’s worth.

And shine it did too, with the fragrant, semi-viscous sauce starting with the ginger before giving way to some very mellow heat that lingers pleasantly. The thin noodles are gorgeously saturated, with plenty of veggies for company. Really nice.

Kung Pao (Chicken) – Chilli peppered Sichuan flavour, using dried Sichuan peppers, £9.50

Chinese cuisine is renowned for striking that perfect balance between the five basic tastes.

In the case of this classic Kung Pao, the syrupy sauce enveloping these tender nuggets of chicken did exactly that, with the sweet adjudged precisely against the chilli heat of the Sichuan peppers.

Egg Tofu & Chicken – Homemade egg tofu in a gravy with minced chicken & vegetables, £9.50

Oh yes! We’ve had tofu before of course; but these were as close to melt-in-the-mouth as we’ve encountered.

There was so much to be admire here, not least of all the execution of the Egg Tofu, which, while being utterly soft on the inside, was fried so deftly so as to achieve a light and crispy exterior.

This contrasted superbly against the silky smooth onion gravy it was served in, which wasn’t just elevated by the addition of a spattering of chicken mince, but also had a discernible sour undertone. Lov-e-ly!

Classic Fried Rice (King Prawn) – stir fried favourite with eggs, spring onions & peas, £9.90

Despite this being slightly underseasoned, the rice and king prawns were executed well, with the former being served nicely steamed, and the latter retaining that much needed bite, but without erring on the rubbery.

Salted Egg Flavour Stir Fry – Chicken wings, £9.50

While we appreciated the delicately crunchy texture of the wings, we did, however, differ on the taste. Although one side found the egg-salted flavour somewhat peculiar and underwhelming, the other enjoyed its subtle umami-earthiness.

Pak Choi (Garlic), £8.50

A delightful plate of crunchy, saturated stems of Pak Choi, with the unmistakable aroma of the garlic meandering through.