Yummy duck- Four Seasons at Bayswater

My friend visited me and it was a great excuse to head to the Four Seasons at Bayswater. Ehhh...no. Not the Four Seasons Hotel, but this Four Seasons Restaurant is not short in terms of fame; for people from Singapore, HongKong and Malaysia (I am sure China and Indonesia as well, looking at the crowd) have heard of the yummy duck!

That was the my first meal in London (in Nov 2005) and it impressed me! I did not feel the pinch at all to pay more than 5£ per person for just a plate of duck rice. I fell in love at the first bite, and understood why well-traveled foodies like my aunt and cousin recommend it so highly.

My first thought:
Was it a DUCK?

Then I took a second look. Yes it is a duck! It was too fat and juicy, and you could tell from the skin that it is not a chicken! It was not a goose either, because the leg was small. How did they make it so sweet, succulent and removed the duckish "odour" which make badly made versions of roast duck inedible?

The skin was roasted until it is quite thin, and yet you still find a juicy layer of fat underneath. Yes, again, no duck odour in the lard. Instead there was a nice aroma about it... really smelled good, and I just did not know what went in to make it so perfect. All this was done without overcooking the duck. Woah... Heavens!

Verdict? Fantastic! Better than what I sampled in Hong Kong!

And yet on the 2nd day of Chinese new year, it let me down!! I brought my friend there and we were unimpressed. Something was missing. The aroma? The meat was juicy and tender, not just not quite like the first one. I thought it was my increased expectation, but my friend also agreed that "standard dropped". Is it all the rumours about a different chef etc? I don't know. I only hope that it was because the chef did not work on CNY, and let the apprentice did the work.

Anyway, it was still good. Greedy me asked for two helpings of the chili oil. :)
Chili oil beats chili sauce. I am all for Hong Kong and Sze Chuan style chili oil now.

P/S July 2006:

We went back again several times, and it has been consistently better than the CNY episodes. It impressed our foodie friends. This place is famous for THE DUCK, so don't go and order other stuff and then wonder what is so special. Order THE DUCK, which you can request for wonton noodles instead of rice to go with at no extra charge. However, it still taste best with RICE!!!

Tel no: 020-72294320
84, queensway, London w2 3rl (a short walk from South Kensington Gardens/Hyde Park, very near queensway/bayswater tube)

You might want to call to book places (although they dont really allow). Or be prepared to queue at dinner times. My advice? Go during lunch! The duck is freshly roasted then!!! and no Q