All about duck and more at What The Duck Restaurant

What The Duck © Adrian Cheah

What The Duck Restaurant specialises in both Western and Asian-styles duck dishes among others. Claiming to be "the best duck specialist in town", my family and I had to sample its creations to see if this held water. The contemporary setting of a conducive casual dining was welcoming. The restaurant has two outlets in Penang, one in Setia Spice Canopy and the other in the heart of George Town at 40, Nagore Road.

What The Duck © Adrian Cheah

I was excited when I saw something different listed on the menu, something I had yet to sample. There were seven options to choose from under the What The Duck speciality drink menu. After much deliberation, I opted for the Salted Egg Affagato which consisted of a single shot of espresso and a scoop of homemade salted egg ice cream served in a cocktail glass. I loved the combination of flavours in this drink. However, I would have preferred if the salted egg had been blended smoothly into the ice cream to avoid specks of salted egg yolk floating in the coffee. 

What The Duck © Adrian Cheah

My daughter ordered the Apple Ducky – a fresh apple juice with sprite topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. She enjoyed this refreshing drink very much.

We began our dinner with a lovely smoked duck salad. Strips of smoked duck were served with fresh green apple chunks, garden greens and raisins, tossed in a tangy walnut dressing.

What The Duck © Adrian Cheah

The WTD homemade mushroom soup was rich and hearty. I was fond of the strong flavours of mushrooms and the rough texture of the soup.

What The Duck © Adrian Cheah

For the main courses, my daughter had the WTD duck confit served with kumara mashed potatoes and roasted garlic. The crispy duck skin encased the tender meat within. She relished this dish immensely and was keen to return in the near future to sample more.

What The Duck © Adrian Cheah

My wife had the oven stewed duck with barley and red wine served with mashed potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and gravy. The meat was very tender and fell off the bone easily.

What The Duck © Adrian Cheah

I opted for the Balinese crispy duck (bek-bek), a popular dish in Indonesian. An entire duck drumstick was served with steamed white rice and some pickled vegetables. I really enjoyed the crispy and crunchy skin and the amazingly tender meat. I appreciated that the sauce was served on the side and I had the privilege of determining the amount I needed. This dish would also go well with some fresh ulam (fresh herbs and vegetables) and a fiery sambal.

We selected all our main courses with duck as the main ingredient and were contented with our meals.

What The Duck © Adrian Cheah

To conclude the dinner we shared a serving of sizzling brownies topped with a scoop of salted egg ice cream. It was served with caramelised bananas. Here, I enjoyed the texture of the salted egg in the ice cream. The winning ensemble of warm chocolate brownies, banana and salted egg ice cream was brilliant.

The staff were friendly and the service was good. We would definitely return to indulge more in the creative offerings of this restaurant.

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Lot 01-15 & 16, Setia Spice Canopy, 108, Jalan Tun Dr Awang, Bayan Baru, Bayan Lepas, 11900 Penang
Opens daily: 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
T: +604 638 6840

40, Nagore Road, George Town, 10050 Penang 
Opens daily except Wednesdays: 12:00 noon – 2:30 pm, 6:00 pm – 10:30 pm
T: +604 227 8840

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Written and photographed by Adrian Cheah 
© All rights reserved
11 January 2020