27 Palace — Restaurant in Port Macquarie

"The Wait Was Worth It – A Tale of Love, Duck, and Destiny"

I came for a quick takeaway. I stayed for a novella.

Told 20 minutes on the phone. Waited over 50. Even the delivery drivers were tapping out like, “Yeah nah, someone else’ll grab this one.” Meanwhile, I was busy crafting a whole backstory for the lone warrior running the place — an older Aussie bloke shuffling between tables and the kitchen like a man on a mission. I swear he was the waiter, the chef, the dishwasher, and possibly the reincarnation of Confucius.

The restaurant was only a third full, but the vibe? Full chaos. Apologies were flying like spring rolls at a buffet. Clearly, the man needed a waitstaff. Or a clone.

But then… the food arrived. And suddenly, I understood.

You see, this wasn’t just a Chinese restaurant. This was the final chapter in a love story that began on the Yangtze River. Picture it: a retired Aussie gent on a Chinese junk, stopping in a riverside village. He orders duck. It’s crispy. It’s plump. It’s divine. He meets the chef. She proposes. He says yes. She moves to Australia. They open a restaurant. Boom.

Now he’s doing it all — cooking, serving, storytelling — while she probably whispers sage advice from the kitchen or the couch. And the duck? Still lucky. Still legendary.

So yes, the wait was long. But so is the journey from the Yangtze to your takeaway box. And trust me — it’s worth every minute.

P.S. I don’t know the owner. If I did, this would be a...

This place was just amazing all the other Chinese restaurants are not good but this one was the best in the whole area of Port Macquarie I would say go here it right next to coles not something you see everywhere but it was such a welcoming feeling friendly staff even though they were busy they went out of there way to help you as the best as they could the person that was on front counter very lovely person very nice customer service the food yum fried rice so nice 10/10 and the satay sticks they are so good I recommend them and the spring rolls they were just beautiful nice and cashew beef lots of veggies and cashews it was mouth watering and the service was fast for bringing out food it was so quick I say this is the best restaurant better then the other ones so if you’re looking for Chinese go here it’s worth your money the food is steaming hot...

Heard all the great reviews so Ordered just the basics to give them a try. Fried rice, small container of sweet-and-sour sauce, short soup, plain omelette. Omelette was very nice, short soup as well, my only complaint was the Fried Rice was the worst I have had, it was so bland, They forgot to add the sweet-and-sour sauce so had to drive back to get it but compensated us by giving a bag of prawn chips, which they didn’t have to do and was very much appreciated. Staff were very nice, premises very clean. Waiting time zero, was ready...