Holy Duck, Castlecrag (NOW CLOSED)

Holy Duck has expanded and is also now located in Castlecrag in addition to its original store in Chippendale. Holy Duck is best described as Modern Chinese. Matt and I head to Holy Duck in Castlecrag this particular Sunday.

It's a lot more spacious than I thought as I walk into Holy Duck and there are big windows that you can peer into the sky and suburban view. It's a sunny day with a splatter of clouds in the sky. There's also a mirror wall which I indulge in some vanity for a few seconds before I sit down.

Matt kicks off the meal with a young henry's beer whereas I opt for a Jasmine tea ($2.50). I prefer tea in winter as it's so soothing. Although beer and tea both will accompany dumplings quite well so it's win win for both Matt and I.

We start the meal with Steamed Duck and Pork Dumplings drizzled with shanghainese spicy sauce ($14 for 6pc). The dumplings have a light and thin skin and soft duck and pork filling. The sauce is light, slightly tangy and salty with a hint of spice. These dumplings are delicious and Matt quickly devours them.

 

I order more dumplings and decide on the Steamed Dim Sum Platter ($24, 8 pcs).  It has a selection of prawn dumplings (har gow), translucent vegetable dumplings, chicken sui mai, prawn and chive dumplings. My eyes light up at the variety of dumplings in front of me. I immediately start with the har gow and smoother this with chilli sauce. The translucent skin quickly falls off which indicates it may be slightly over steamed. I still enjoy the har gow and in particular the vegetable dumplings. Matt munches on the chicken siu mai with the chilli sauce.

I order the seafood ee-fu noodles ($29) which is cooked in a lobster bisque and is garnished with butter, ginger and shallots. There's a nice amount of prawns, fish, scallops with the noodles. The hand made noodles are fresh, light and springy. I am in heaven as I bite into the flavoursome noodles. I enjoy the pieces of prawns and fish along with the noodles. This would be a great dish to share (or enjoy on your own).

Matt orders the Roast Holy Duck Deboned which is served with 6 steamed pancakes, hoisin sauce, cucumber, shallots ($35). While we were tempted to order their signature crispy Holy Duck, we decide on the traditional roast duck and deboned so less work! Matt rolls up the duck in the pancake, adds the hoi sin and cucumber and munches away. This dish could easily be shared.

I also order a side of Steamed Greens which is served up with oyster sauce ($17). It's quite a pricey side but if you want some balance in the meal, you may want to order some greens. 

For dessert, Matt and I share the Vanilla Panna Cotta ($12) which is topped with crushed honeycomb, served with black sesame ice cream and seasonal fruit. The silky panna cotta tastes quite nice but I can't resist the black sesame ice cream. We also share the fried ice cream ($10) which is served up with seasonal fruit and comes with your choice of caramel, chocolate or strawberry dressing. Matt enjoys the fried crunchy outside and the softer inside which encases the vanilla ice cream.

Summary: Overall, I had a really nice lunch at Holy Duck! I'm sure the residents at Castlecrag will enjoy this new eatery and is a nice alternative to the busy and chaotic nearby Chatswood. My favourite was the seafood ee-fu noodles, they are addictive! 

Price: $50-75 per person

Location: Quadrangle Shopping Village, 100 Edinburgh Rd, Castlecrag

Opening Hours: 
Monday to Thursday 5:30pm to 10pm
Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11am to 3pm, 5:30pm to 10pm

Weekend Food Escapes dined as guests of the venue or their representatives. All photos, opinions and words are my own.