Duck in Heaven Thirroul — Restaurant in Wollongong City Council

I'm confused.

I’d call it a perfect rating on Google Reviews and glowing recommendations across media & socials. I was expecting it to be amazing but unfortunately it was quite the opposite.

I’m leaving a review because it was suggested to us by the staff as we were leaving.

I dined with my partner and son for dinner. We had the Oriental Tower of Dumplings, Salt & Pepper Flathead, Pork Fried Rice and Peking Duck for Two.

Our drinks were served quickly but after that it was a long wait for the dumplings to arrive first. The Scallop & Prawn Dumplings were chewy and very doughy. The Xiao Long Bao were dry and had no soup in them, unless they were meant to be something else. The Duck Gyoza were nice but not as crunchy on the bottom as I would have liked. The apple ones were ok but were really small. The rolls (were they Duck Spring rolls?) were ok as well.

After being asked if we were waiting on anything else we reminded the staff that yes, we’re still waiting on our other meals and had to repeat our order. What came out next was the one highlight of the night which was the Salt & Pepper Flathead. It smelt really really good when it arrived. It tasted great as well. The fish was light & tender and the coating hot and crispy.

Another long wait later the Peking Duck arrived. We ordered the crispy option over the meaty but mostly the skin was soft and the portions ranged from very small to too big. It was only luke-warm. I thought the flavour was good though and the duck itself was tender and juicy.

ANOTHER long wait later we had to remind the staff that we were still waiting on another meal. After now adding the meal to our order (after the third time) our Pork Fried Rice came surprisingly quick. The serving was quite was small but it was nice and the pork in it was good too.

And just lastly, the decor was dark and cold with even the windows being open on a cold, raining windy night and no heating could be felt. I noticed that a lot of customers were still wearing their winter coats/jumpers and beanies.

For a restaurant serving only a dozen or so small tables such a simple menu, costing almost $200 for three people, I was expecting it be on point and would have been happy if it had been. Sadly for me, Duck In Heaven was a massive...

AVOID:

Let’s start with the service. We sat at the bar and were served by a bartender with a ponytail. He was patronizing, sarcastic, and downright rude. No less than 5 times he physically moved my belongings (phone, drink glass etc) a couple of inches over “This is my service area, I need to make drinks here.” I was the only one singled out — my friend to my left and the man seated to the right both had more space than me nor were their items touched. Why seat me there at all? Instead I got less room than everyone else and somehow it was my problem all night.

When we ordered wine, he dropped 2 glasses. We told him only one of us is having wine and he came back with “I have to serve the rest of the restaurant too, not just you.” Sarcasm seemed to be the house specialty.

We each had a scallop ($8). I know seafood well, and these were frozen scallops — not fresh. They weren’t attached to the shell, the texture was off, and for the price, it was a joke. We ended up spending $177 between the two of us. For that kind of money, you expect quality food and respectful service. Instead, the food was average at best, and the service was genuinely unpleasant.

If you enjoy being talked down to while eating overpriced, average food, this is the spot. Otherwise, do yourself a favour and eat literally anywhere else.

EDIT 20th Sept

After leaving my original review, the owner replied in a way that was astonishingly rude and dismissive. Instead of taking feedback on board, the reply accused us of being cheap, suggested we should ‘go elsewhere,’. Clearly we had the money and was happy to spend it but not at a venue with such putrid and arrogant staff members and so it seems deluded owner. The audacity of them to misrepresented my words as racial profiling when I was simply identifying which staff member I was referring to hoping perhaps its helpful for future training purposes.

RE the scallops? You can claim they are fresh but we both know you are lying.

Reading a response like that, it’s no surprise the service felt sarcastic, passive-aggressive, and snide from the outset. It really gives the impression of a toxic work culture that trickles down to the staff. I trust this restaurant will not be in operation for...

Hold onto your beaks people, have I got the dinner recommendation for you. Duck In Heaven on a Saturday night exudes the same kind of excitement as a bustling Sydney restaurant. The experience was nothing short of hospitality excellence. Sat at the bar we had an excellent vantage of the entire restaurant. It was packed, yet felt spacious and cozy at the same time. The bartenders (who hold 40 years of experience between them) made possibly the best, coldest martini this side of the Illawarra as well as their insanely good hibiscus iced tea - which was delightful. We also had some very balanced classics (peep the chilli margie) which are made effortlessly and perfectly, on request. Oh, and if you love a good marg - you must try the ‘Jade Margarita’ ;)

The food … oh dear lord the food! I’m salivating just thinking about how flavourful and yummy all the dishes were. The first entree we had was the san choi bao. The fried mint and tangy marinade and juicy meat with the crunch of the iceberg lettuce live rent free in my mind. We also tried the cucumber salad which was very more-ish. Thankfully the serve was generous which allowed plenty of grazing while contemplating the impressively curated wine offerings - we opted for a Clare Valley Riesling which was light and fresh. As for dumplings, the xiao long bao (soupy boys) are a must try and the prawn har gaw will leave you pondering how they fit so much prawn inside such delicate casing. The char siu charcoal bao was possibly my favourite thing (ok second favourite to the lobster spring rolls).

We didn’t have the duck pancakes this time round, but I’ve had the pleasure and it is the signature dish at Duck In for a major reason; It’s phenomenal!

We ended the evening with a shot of delightful yuzu limoncello which brought new life to this hangry gal.

So, in summary: if you find yourself, in a large automobile, on your way to the Illawarra, with your beautiful wife, kids, friends, girlfriend, lover etc…. Park yourself at the Duck and order a martini, a wine and a Peking duck. You may ask yourself “how did I get here?” And proceed...