Xiang Duck Banqiao Xianmin Boulevard — Restaurant in New Taipei

I chanced upon this restaurant during my stay in Hilton. I walked past it a few times and found the rating is amazing so I gave myself a high expectations on it. It turned out to be an disappoinment.

First of all, it was not a super hot day but the aircon was so strong that the dishes arrived got cold in less than a minute. Hence, most dishes were like cold dishes. I don't have problem with low ambient temperature, but it the dishes got cold so easily, there should some measures to make sure they are kept warm. Secondly, the skills to slice thr duck need to be improved. The first 4 pieces of duck skin carried excessive fat below so it taste soggy. They are supposed to be crispy!! The rest of duck should be sliced into different portions according to the amount of skin. Thirdly, the portion of the pancakes is petite. At least you should make sure guests have enough to go with the duck slices. Finally, all other dishes didn't surprise me. The shrimp with egg white dish tasted ok on the first bite but was too thick to sallow down, and I didn't even want to take a second bite. I felt cheated by the reviews of the restaurant. Later I realized that they gave guest a free rice ball or something if the guest gives a 5 star comment....

Walked-in for an early lunch on Sunday, and we were lucky to get a table. By 1115 (they open at 1100), the place was already full. To make things fast, we went for the Double Combo Meal. Just had to make a choice for each category. The mushroom and gluten cold appetiser was average. My favourite was the golden tofu pot. The tofu was so smooth and silky, and I loved the rich gravy with aroma of seafood. The stir-fried radish sticks with scallop sauce were good too, but too much carbs. The meal came with half a duck, and the tastiest part of the skin was served with white sugar. Surprisingly, it does bring out the flavour. The rest was carved and served with pancake skin. Each pancake skin came on a individual sheet of plastic so no messy peeling especially when it gets cold. The accompanying passionfruit sauce is also very interesting. Steamed egg with roe is also very smooth, but by that time we were already stuffed. A little too much food. Finally, the duck carcass was cooked in a peppery soup with rice vermicelli (an additional NTD150). The smoked plum drink is nice, but too sweet in my opinion. English...

Visited this restaurant just after arriving. Ordered a half duck set meal, which comes with the nice skin for wrapping the skin, and a main (we got a porridge) for the meat. We added 2 milk tea, stir fried cabbage and a banana pancake roll for dessert.

The duck skin with sugar, as well as the sauces for the duck meat roll were a total delight! The skin’s taste was enhanced with the sugar, while the passion fruit and mala spice were refreshing against a slightly oily tinge of the duck skin.

The stir fried vegetables had a wok hey, extremely crunchy and just the right balance of saltiness. The porridge was really large, and you don’t need to add any more condiments. Grains were all gone and transformed into a nice consistency.

The portions were larger than expected for 2, so I had the dessert for take out. The pancake was a nice thickness and banana pieces were large too. There’s a nice chocolate dip that goes along.

I’ll definitely recommend this shop if you really like roast duck. It’s a nice way to sample...