Duck in for a cheap-and-cheerful lunch

Eating reviewer WENDY JOHNSON, seeking a fast, informal and no-fuss lunch, discovered herself tempted by roast duck in Dickson.

IT was the rows and rows of roasted geese hanging within the window that lured us into Tak Kee Roast Inn for a fast, informal, no-fuss, cheap-and-cheerful lunch.

The tables are packed inside, and also you’re whisked to 1 that’s obtainable fast sharp and a nanosecond later introduced a pot of complimentary tea.

Tak Kee Roast Inn’s declare to fame is that it’s the primary Chinese language barbecue restaurant in Canberra. The Inn, which has held its place on busy Woolley Avenue, Dickson, for yonks, additionally specialises in won-ton noodles and Gow Gee soup, however we had been there for duck.

A high vendor is the two-mix barbecue dish, which we mixed duck and pork ($25). Each had been tender and moist. We agreed the duck on the bone was the extra flavoursome of the 2 – no shock given duck is a stronger flavour anyway. The pores and skin was roasted to perfection. 

Earlier than our primary, we ordered dim sim, which delighted. Our desire was for steamed though a fried choice can also be obtainable ($7 for 2). They had been sensational. Plump, moist, stuffed with flavour and a beneficiant dimension.

We additionally chosen one other high vendor, the pork and prawn spring rolls. They arrived piping scorching with a dipping sauce on the facet ($7 for 2). The rolls had been crispy crunchy on the surface and filled with an ideal steadiness of juicy pork and prawn.

For our veggie hit we headed to the specials board. The intense inexperienced English spinach with garlic was refined ($15) however barely overcooked in our books. Subsequent time we’ll give the Chinese language broccoli with XO sauce a go ($16).

Chef’s specials function chilly jellyfish with shredded duck or rooster ($18.50), fish in candy corn sauce ($17.50), beef brisket and tendon hotpot ($18.50) and a mapo tofu ($16). The road-up of Congee dishes contains century egg and pork ($13), lettuce and sliced fish ($13) and shredded duck and seafood ($13). 

Tak Kee Roast Inn’s décor is “plain Jane”, not that anybody appears to thoughts (or discover). Dozens of indicators are plastered alongside partitions and on the entrance close to the money register promoting one particular or one other. The sparse paintings on the wall is light, however Tak Kee Roast Inn is what it’s, and the operators are content material with that. 

Décor actually doesn’t have an effect on the volumes of takeaway Tak Kee Roast Inn pumped out throughout our fast lunch. It was fixed and the Inn delivers to greater than 20 suburbs. The Inn is BYO and there are no less than two bottle outlets close by.

Warning: Parking within the quick space round Tak Kee Roast Inn may be difficult with the Woolley Avenue improve undertaking in full swing.