Simon's Peking Duck Chinese Restaurant

The service is not good. I order 2 portion of ducks but the second duck came like 15 minutes later. The duck is crispy and tasty but not to the point you need to visit the faraway store. The rest of the food is pretty okay as well. Stayaway with the fried rice, just eat the other menu.

Simon’s Peking Duck at Box Hill South Review on 12/1/2021 With a name like Simon’s Peking Duck, combining the enthusiasm and excitement of my friend who invited my wife and I to join him for a Peking Duck lunch, I do have some expectation of the venue and the standard of the meal served. On the window is an enlargement of an article, written in 2013, about how the Peking duck is prepared, roasted and served. I find one phrase rather amusing, “…the main act – golden, crisp skinned swatches of duck cooked in a process too convoluted to describe here, …”. Hey, Dude, I have never seen any roast duck skin colour golden, but more like caramel burgundy. In the middle of the front window facing the Middleborough Road is a stack of chairs on display. My expectation of this restaurant’s management takes a dive. How can such prime position be wasted with such eyesore? It can be used to display photos of the Peking Duck banquet, or famous patrons who have dined here. Alternatively, a television screen can be installed and run a slide show to promote the business. The interior is far from my imagination; it is dated, not one with the ambience of classic Chinese style interior decoration that matches the name of the restaurant. Right at the end of the dining area is the drink bar. The centre is occupied by two empty long tables. Indeed the restaurant is empty, with only another table occupied in the right corner. My friend also invited three other friends, whom I have never met. Two are dinki-di Aussies, and we strike up conversation as though we have known for years. It does not take long before the first course of 4-course Peking duck meal is served, comprising Peking duck, pancake, Hoisin sauce, julienne cucumber and strips of spring onions are served. The chef comes to demonstrate his skill in tossing a piece of pancake to each of our plate. He spreads the surface of a piece of pancake with some Hoisin sauce, then places on top of it a piece of cucumber, spring onion and duck meat. The pancake is wrapped into parcel with one open end. To my disappointment, he only does a piece as an example, instead of wrapping a piece for each of us. My wife and I had Peking ducks in China and Hong Kong restaurants several times. At the one of the Quanjude Peking duck restaurant, I had an opportunity to select an uncooked duck to be roasted in the kitchen. On each occasion the whole roast Peking duck was presented to our table. Either the chef or a waiter would demonstrate their showmanship by expertly carve beautiful portions of meat from the duck. The aromatic roasted skin was divine. I am salivating even as I am writing this. A Peking duck can carve into 80 to 120 very thin slices, each containing both meat and skin. It looks like the chef at Simon’s Peking Duck has a lot more years to improve the art of carving. As can be seen from one of my photos, the piece of duck meat I used in the pancake wrap is a huge chunk. The duck skin is very crispy, but the taste of the meat is rather bland. Generally speaking, Peking duck is not marinated as heavily as normal Cantonese roast duck. Like what I have blogged in many other occasions, I like my food to be presented correctly using plates of correct size, shape and colour. For a restaurant that serves such a unique item, surely they should invest in some bigger plates so that the duck meat can be arranged in a more artistic manner. It is also important to make sure that no crockery is chipped or cracked. The two other courses are fried flat rice noodles or “Hor Fun” with duck meat and mushroom, and fried bean shoots with duck meaat. For the fried noodles, it lacks the “Wok Hei”, that complex charred aroma produced under conditions of intense heat. The fourth course is the Peking duck broth / soup. I love soups, in fact, any soup. The Peking duck bones and any duck meat left after being used in the last two courses, are boiled with Tofu, and mushrooms to produce a fairly concentrated broth. I doubt MSG is needed to enhance the flavour.

Beauriful use of duck served 3 ways. You purchase a duck. The first course is peking duck carved after you order. The carcase is then strpped of meat which is served with noodles and the final course is duck broth soup with remnant meat. Superb!

Friendly service and price very reasonable.

They make it very simply that only Pecking Duck will be served in the restaurant. That’s possibly why they can be more focus and make the duck more delicious. Must try if u like pecking duck.

Aint the same after Simon passed away, but still excellent

Best & most authentic peking duck in suburban Melbourne.

always a little sad when coming here now, but at least the food and service is still very very good! Arrived later one Saturday night and was still offered a table, just two of u smind you, and we ate until it was way past their knock off time. Everyone was still happy to be there until we finished. Duck is still magnificent! Tender mear and crispy skin, match made in heaven ,just like my date and I!🤣☺💏 definitely recommend this place.

We love the peking duck here! It's not the fanciest restaurant with somewhat cramped tables and plastic table cloths, but the peking duck is very reasonably priced, absolutely delicious and comes with duck meat (+/- noodles) and duck soup. Must try if you love Peking duck!

The legendary Peking Duck. It was crowded but friendly environment and the delicious taste made me and my family really enjoy our time there. Well done. You should try the Four seasons veggies, it's awesome too and goes well with the duck.