For those readers outside of Australia, Beverly Hills zip code 2209 in Sydney is really not very similar to Beverly Hills 90210 in L.A. I recall reading a tongue in cheek comparison of the two suburbs and whilst 90210 is glamourville, 2209 in Sydney is a down home suburb largely absent of Porsches, celebrities and multi million dollar Mansions. It was in an odd way funny that we were going here for my father’s birthday, on January 1st, as I had just finished the Tori Spelling autobiography sTORI Telling which was a surprisingly entertaining read, her father of course producing 90210 and she starring in it. Don’t judge me. My next book is Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, I promise.
A bit of history…
The 3 types of Peking Duck on offer
I wanted to visit here after reading about Belle’s visit in which she talked about the Mantou buns with sweetened condensed milk and Beijing or Peking Duck. As the name suggests, their specialty is Peking Duck and they have 3 different versions which vary according to the accompaniments that you order priced from $58, $68 to $78.
Mr Cleaver
There’s a man in chef’s whites wielding a cleaver straddling the space between the two rooms and he continually slices the skin and meat off the duck. And we mean continuously as the restaurant is full by 7pm and it seems that everyone wants their duck.
Complimentary peanuts
Green pumpkin water $4
Unlike many Chinese restaurants, tea is charged separately starting at $4.50 per pot so we opt to go for a big jug of apple juice as the weather outside is hot. I am also intrigued by the Green Pumpkin Water drink on the menu so I order this in the hopes of having a Harry Potter moment but it appears that something was lost in the translation and this is Winter Melon juice. Not quite as exciting as a Green Pumpkin juice. It’s an unusual tasting drink, very sweet much like an Iced tea rather than a fruit or vegetable juice.
Ducks wings $3.80
Served cold, this serve is a generous 11 wings, cooked in a slightly herbal tasting sauce. Only my husband seems to take to these although I can imagine these would be nice in a clear broth to help balance out the herbal taste and to warm them up.
Fried slices pork belly and vegetables with a spicy sauce $16.80
We were confused when we saw this dish as I expected something a bit different but the fried slices pork belly and vegetables with a spicy sauce were quite delicious, the sauce quite spicy with a black bean taste to them. However we find that there is not a great deal of meat in this dish – what ultra thinly sliced pork belly there is is savoured and vegetables make up a large proportion of the dish, including the not particularly nice green part of the leek. I don’t think it’s a great sign that they use this part as it’s usually discarded or used to flavour soups, not as a stir fry ingredient. The amount of them leftover attests to how everyone else at the table found it.
Griddled bean curd sticks with pork and vegetable hot pot $16.80
We find the same situation with the griddled bean curd sticks with pork and vegetables. The dish is about 50% onion and only a small amount of pork and slightly more bean curd sticks. A disappointment as the flavours are good and it’s just a pity that they pad it out with cheaper ingredients.
Steamed Golden bread with Sweetened condensed milk $10 for 6 buns
If there’s one thing I firmly believe in, it’s the power of sweetened condensed milk. It’s my Windex. There’s nothing that can’t be solved by it. World wars and peaces treaties could be brokered with the stuff. So when I see Mantou buns with sweetened condensed milk, it’s an obvious order. The steamed buns (the white ones) are pillowy soft and collapse under each bite, the golden ones are deliciously airy, crispy and light.
Plate of skin only
Plate of meat only
Despite the fact that the restaurant is called Peking Duck restaurant, the dish is called Beijing Duck on the wall poster ($68). What we get is three plates of the duck: skin only; meat only and a dish of meat with skin on the edge. We also receive the condiments: some hoi sin sauce, cucumber and shredded shallots, a generous serve of hot pancakes plus some more unusual accompaniments like garlic sauce, strawberry jam and white sugar. We try variations on the pancakes-the strawberry jam and white sugar is just plain weird and wrong for my taste buds and of course the best tasting one is the pancakes with a small amount of meat but a lot of skin, cucumber, shallot and hoi sin. The meat only plate is left untouched by most so we mix it up with the spicy sauce from the pork belly dish and voila, it finally has enough meat in it!
Plate of meat and skin
Condiments including strawberry jam and white sugar, hoi sin sauce, spring onion, cucumber and garlic sauce
Duck soup
The second course is the slightly milky broth cooked with the bones and some meat from the duck. It’s not particularly flavoursome, bordering on bland so I leave this in anticipation of the upcoming dessert.
Fried crispy milk $18.80 for 8 pieces
The best dish surprisingly is the dessert. Something that we ordered mainly for curiousity value and because the waiter wasn’t able to convey what was in it turns out to be 8 deep fried logs of a wobbly creme brulee custard coated with the crunchiest batter and accompanied with sweetened condensed milk. Yes my eyes light up again at the sight of sweetened condensed milk. The logs are light and crispy and light golden fried, with a soft perfect creme brulee custard center and dipped into the milk, I think I’ve been transported to heaven. We have to ask for more milk of course as the serve provided is tiny.
Service throughout the night is largely absent and absent minded – we have to ask for more bowls for the soup and requests for things have to be repeated several times. They’re also not very subtle about wanting our table and present us with the bill mid-dessert.
Peking Duck Restaurant
493 King Georges Road Beverly Hills NSW
Tel: +61 (02) 9570 5131
Open Monday to Thursday 17:30-22:00
Friday 17:30-22:30
Saturday and Sunday 11:00-14:00; 17:30-22:30
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39 Comments | Add your own
OOh i love fried milk. I had it for the first time a few months ago and thought the concept was a bit strange, but it was delicious!
I heard Kimmy was going to star in Beverly Hills 2099
I agree sweetened condensed milk is beautiful!
A pity about some of the dishes
Sounds like most of the dishes were a let down! Atleast the dessert was good right ?
I remember having peking duck in Beijing, and despite taking an hour to find the supposedly best peking duck place in Beijing it didn’t taste much different to what we have here in Sydney!
The desserts sound great. I love condensed milk. My mum used to buy it in tubes to take camping. It was perfect for squeezing into your mouth, although we weren’t supposed to do that.
Beverly Hills 2209.. hehe.. almost as glamorous as the Windsor is here. I’m a little confused about this place.. are cold duck wings normal? And the buns with condensed milk looks pretty much like the dessert, except it’s served in the middle of the meal? And strawberry jam??
What do you mean it’s not LA. Those palm trees are enough to convince me I’m on Rodeo Drive
I’ve been enduring a craving for Peking Duck recently, and omg the fried milk and the milk buns and the condensed milk. All so good! Mr Carver is so smiley too!
I just love your close-up photos of the duck – so juicy and crispy. The skin is definitely the best bit, so it’s not surprising the meat often gets left behind.
And Bev Hills 2209 IS glamorous – I went to school there, though the bottle-green uniforms still make me cringe !
Been there before, didn’t really find the hoi-sin sauce that nice. Service wasn’t that good too, a bit slow and had to wait ages for the duck to arrive.
Don’t really think the Peking Duck was worth the value of $58. The quality at Kensington Peking Rst is much better. And at amazing price for $40 (2 courses)!!!
I think i would gladly suffer belly ache for that fried milk!
Thank you!
I went out for teppenyaki last night and the service was abysmal also. I think because of holidays people are eating out more, and the wait and cook staff get run off their feet a bit.
Having Teppan Kangaroo was worth it,and the Mt Fuji volcano too.
You should try duck tongue…it’s so very good!
fried milk? wow…never heard of that…but it sounds sinfully delicious
I’ve never had peking duck. Looks neat!
fried milk??? omyogsh i want to try that one day!
i love pork belly
and lol about the pumpkin juice. i bought pumpkin beer in hopes of having a harry potter moment. didn’t work out too well
I’m going to hold your package ransom until you send me some of those mantou!
I love Peking Duck! Enough to make it at home (sometimes lol), but I quite love the show of someone someone carving it up for me when we’re out:D
I love the look of the red glazed duck – yum!!
Hi Susan-I agree, a strange concept but delicious indeed!
Hi Cappucino-LOL I guess Kim from Kath and Kim would be pretty good for it! Sweetened condensed milk is soo good
Hi Howard-Yes a few of them were but the dessert was awesome I have to say! I’ve heard the same about Peking Duck in China too
Hi Arwen-I currently have a tube of it from which I take the occasional “swig” on. Terrible I know but oh so hard to resist!
Hi Y-Yes I know, not quite the same is it?
I don’t know if the cold duck wings are normal. I thought perhaps I wasn’t au fait with real Beijing cuisine or something. It is an unusual menu for the most part!
Hi Helen-I think the Palm trees and the names are the main and only things in common! Mr Cleaver was surprised at first but really got into it-what a ham!
Hi belle-Yes that was a nice memory, duck skin! OK yes I believe you !
Hi Livein-I agree about the service, it was lacking and absent minded except for one waiter on the whole floor. I thought it was an interesting way or serving Peking Duck and I’m glad that I went although I don’tknow if I’d go back.
Hi Maria-Mine too, I’m craving some now!
Hi tara-Yes perhaps that was it but I wish they’d put on more staff. It can’t be fun for the staff either. Your meal sounds fascinating! :O
Hi Sharon- Haha I don’t know if I could do that yet as it looks too tongue-like!
Hi Alexandra-Imagine a yummy creme brulee coated in a crispy, crunchy batter and dipped in sweetened condensed milk. So good!
Hi Blond Duck-Wow, really? It’s fantastic, if you get the chance I really recommend it
Hi Madison-It’s so good, if you see it on a menu I would definitely recommend ordering it (but sharing, it’s very moreish but not exactly healthy
).Oh no, it’s such a disappointment isn’t it!
Hi Kathy-Haha sure!
The fried ones might not be too good though 
Hi Miss Honey-Oh wow, you make it at home? Kudos to you! That’s amazing
Hi Cakelaw-It’s so appetising isn’t it! I get hungry just looking at the pics
Oh wow look at that duck skin glisten! Yuummm haha fatty goodness ^^!
I love sweetened condensed milk too and could just drink/eat it out of the tubes XD
i’m sorry, fried milk? i knew you could fry some funky things, but i never considered milk. all i can say is AWESOME.
Ooh condensed milk…it’s liquid gold! I love eating it straight out of the can with a spoon!
My partner absolutely adores Mantou more than anything. We order Mantou and condensed milk without fail everywhere
I haven’t try the peking duck menu, but is that duck used is actually just common roast duck bought in chinese BBQ accompanied with sauce and pancake, rite?
I tried the Pepe Peking Duck, bought in David Jones. The breast one is really soft and tender. As I never tried Peking Duck menu before, I’m wondering whcih one is close to original Peking Duck?
Yum! Peking duck has to be one of my favourite foods ever. We just went to Silks in Melbourne recently and theirs is delicious- it would want to be at $9.50 a piece!
Hi FFichiban-Haha yes there’s nothing more welcoming that the glistening skin is there! Definitely, I think out of the tubes is de rigeur
Hi grace-I know, we said the same. We had the hardest time trying to figure out what it would be like so we just ordered it
Hi Karen-Haha some foods aren’t meant to be eaten by the spoonful but it just can’t be helped can it. Do you like the steamed or fried Mantou?
Hi Lilia-No that is definitely Peking Duck. It has a glossy crispy skin wheereas BBQ Duck doesn’t have that type of skin. I haven’t tried the Pepe Duck from DJs but I don’t think it would have the crispiness of the skin as it’s vacuum packed. Although I haven’t tried that brand so I don’t know for sure!
Hi Bria-It’s the best isn’t it! Wow, you pay per piece? Its it per duck filled pancake? I’ve never heard of it being sold by the piece
You know I remember reading that kate Moss’s favourite dish was Peking Duck too 
Your post has left me craving duck! Strawberry jam sounds like an unusual condiment but I guess I could see how that would work.
I think the “cold duck wings” are supposed to be served warm. I know that you can get them in Sydney’s chinatown (Wong’s BBQ), and they are quite nice in a noodle soup.
The “fried milk” … sounds almost like a chocolate eclair, but with a condensed milk dipping sauce – and without the chocolate.
Hi Marc-You know I bet you could sneak in a little pot of it to a Chinese restaurant to try it!
Hi sydfoodie-I hope so as they weren’t very appetising
I think in a soup is definitely nicer. It’s quite crunchy on the outside which is a very nice juxtapostion indeed!
Hi there,
As a long time regular reader, I thought I might just put in my two cents on this restaurant since I’ve been there before.
I think what you find with this place is where finally you get “real authentic chinese food”, which personally, I really don’t believe is quite to westerners’ taste (no offence at all intended
).
The wings ARE suppose to be served cold and really really herbal, it’s just most chinese BBQ shops are a)lazy because it takes hours to get it to that strong a taste and b)too cheap to spend on herbs because really good chinese herbs are really expensive.
As for the duck, I think the main problem with their place is that they don’t explain it and fortunately, I went with someone who knew what was going on.
If I remember correctly, the garlic and jam is for only the skin part, the meat is for the normal pancake peking duck (with the hoi sin sauce) and the leftover bones are cooked in the soup to not waste anything (although I agree the soup wasn’t that great).
As for the lack of meat/veg ratio, I personally would mind it but actually, a lot of chinese likes more veg (esp northern chinese which is where the restaurant supposedly bases their food on).
Finally, just like to clarify that in chinese, Peking and Beijing are the same words, although I have no idea why they have different words in english. For that, try google?
Sorry for the long rant,
Vivz
Hi Vivz-Thanks for your comment. No offence taken, in fact I’m not a Westerner
I agree they should have explained that to us, as I mentioned the service was largely absent except for one waiter who was spread across a lot of tables.
My main objection was the overuse of the green of leek is just a cheap way to pad it out as the leek green is not particularly palatable (which is why it’s used to flavour soups).
How do they cook the golden mantou? As a devout sinophile I often make mantou at home but I’ve never seen them like this are they fried or baked in oil, or something else entirely?
Hi Amaya-I don’t know for certain but it certainly tastes deep fried. Perhaps give it a try when you next make Mantou at home? They’re definitely worth trying that way.
Hi there,
Writing about dinner I had at Peking Duck Restaurant tonight (12 april 2009).
The service is crap as man !!! I chased up for one of our dishes and the waitress totally forgot about it. Then I asked another waiter and then got my meal.
Their menu wasn’t too clear or detailed, especially the peking duck. No mention of what was included. We know peking duck is just the skin and bits of sliced meat. Some places also include the rest of the duck. Plus the duck had no flavour, very plain.
But unfortunately here you only get skin and two small dishes of duck meat. They charge $58 for the peking duck and you get about 1/3 of the duck plus and bowl of duck soup. Whole roast duck costs about $28 at asian bbq shop.
What was worse, they completely forgot about our peking duck order. We waited just over an hour whilst eating the other dishes and when we chased them up the waiter had no idea and then the boss came and said “sorry our staff made a mistake with the order, your duck will arrive in 10 mins”.
No tips for this bad service, average peking duck, and bit of a rip off.
Recommend elsewhere for peking duck, my friend told me about a good one in Pymble called “Peking Inn”.
Also, the “Fried crispy milk” has no flavour whatsoever. Just flour with plain custard centre and replied on the condensed milk dipping source for a sweet taste. That is also a rip off at $18 for 8 peices.
This place was a disappointment despite heavy adverstisement on TVBA. Service as previously mentioned was very slow, the redbean paste in soft roll was tasteless and cold, the peking duck was ok (though other shops served only the skin, whereas they served it with meat).
The fish fillets soaked in pot of oil was quite good.
Overall very oily meal, though I was informed that is northern chinese food.
Once tried and last.
Next???
Hi Richard-The service is always pretty bad here. We had a similar experience. I also thought that the Peking Duck description was vague and confusing!
Hi Pork Belly Benjamin-Service is not their strongpoint at all. I think that Northern Chinese cuisine from my experience is quite oily as it’s cold and they need to fill up on starchy dumplings and oil for the cold conditions!
What do you mean next?
the fried crispy milk, and the buns with condensed milk – now i thinkk i wanna come here and just dine on deserts hehe
i realised on the weekend why places serve complimentary salted (and msg haha) nuts – to get us thirsty!!!!!
Just thought I would add my ‘2 cents’ on this place as I just came back with my family ( I smell all ‘greasy’ and spices all over from the food) to try out their Peking duck for dinner. We all left very full and satisfied, despite the lack of system with our booking and that we had to wait an extra 45 minutes because the table we had reserved was taken up by some other annoyed customers who just sat down at our table and refused to get up….We also had to wait inside a very packed restaurant with no seats ( all the while keeping our hunger distracted by watching Australian Idol playing on their TV hanging over the counter…) ALLLL this aside, we still managed to have a good meal. It’s crazy – but the service or lack of system/management should be the blame, but overall our waiter who seemed overwhelmed by this, still managed to serve us to the best of his ability.
The duck was lovely and moist and my Dad who has worked in the chinese restaurant industry for years and years complimented how fresh and succulent the duck was and the delicious flavour we were all ‘gushing’ about as we wrapped up our duck with hoisin sauce with shallots and cucumber. ( Just the thought of it makes me crave for it more!) The fish cooked in a huge pot of chilli oil is a dish that is both a ‘wow’ factor by sight and taste ( as it is a huge bowl of oil literally with lots of floating dried chillis and ‘numbing’ spices) but the taste… was just amazing! I would go back for this…even if I have to wait 45 mins! Its crazy because I am not usually the one to put up with poor service and rude customers….but the food, really saves this place. Just don’t expect service… and be prepared to wait ( or just go in earlier than your booking) as that was what happened with our table… someone else decided to show up early and we had to wait in turn. Annoying. But oh…. the delicious duck…… *sigh*
Thankfully, the food saved the evening. I have to say, as Lorraine you mentioned the lack of vegetables such as the ‘leeks’ in the dishes… although it was the shabby ends which we are not used to seeing used in dishes, it was proved to be sweet and went well with the flavours of the dish. The Mantou was also my favourite and I could have easily eaten another plate myself! Like you, I love condense milk!
Shame about the service but thank God for the food at least. xx
strawberry jam and white sugar never had that with beijing duck….
-sigh- i grew up in the north of china and this restaurant’s menu just makes me nostalgic…
went back to china somewhat recently and due to my parents telling my relatives ‘our daughter really misses beijing duck’ i was dragged to so many beijing duck restaurants while in beijing it wasn’t funny.
don’t know whether this restaurant still exists cause i havent been back to carlingford in a long while, but there is a really good beijing duck restaurant in carlingford village where they do try their hardest to get all the meat off the bones and do a really fantastic bone soup.
wendy
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