Mandarin Roasted Duck is a beloved spot by many locals. Also it’s a restaurant well situated for bigger families or groups of people. I went there last year and wasn’t very impressed, but as it was my lunch number seven that day, it could be that my tongue needed a break. It wasn’t fair to write a review, I thought, so I went back a few weeks ago. Several local fans considers the roasted duck and the food at Mandarin Roasted Duck as outstanding. I’m just not one of them when it comes to the roasted duck.

Roasted duck at Mandarin Roasted Duck

So let us be clear, I only ate the roasted duck. The skin was really delicious and excellent done. I couldn’t wait to taste the meat, carefully using the dipping sauce. A dipping sauce that was pure delight. Unfortunately, the meat was far from excellent. The taste of the meat was really good, but that doesn’t really help when your teeth has to work overtime to get it down. I might have been unlucky with my experiences here, but I can only write what I taste.

Will I come back? Normally, it would be be a rather odd question after my tastings, but I think the answer actually is yes. At least to try some of the other dishes, as I’m quite sure some of them are good. Mandarin Roasted Duck is not cheap, but I would have found the prices quite reasonable for such a restaurant compare to the more down town areas if only the duck had been juicy.

You can easily walk or drive by Mandarin Roasted Duck without noticing a restaurant with a big fan group as the front display and exterior is quite anonymous. But they have actually been serving Cantonese food (Hong Kong style) to people around here (deep down into soi Thong Lor) for more than 20 years a local guy tells me.

How to get there: Take the BTS to Thong Lor, take Exit #3 and walk into Soi Thong Lor where you find motorbike taxies. Taxi is ok outside rush hours, but forget it when heavy traffic.