Roast duck @ Restoran Sunrise, Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Even before we moved to KL, our relatives and friends have been harping on about the "best duck in town" from Restoran Sunrise in Seapark, PJ. Whenever the word "best in town" is mentioned, it is sure to pique our interest. What defines a good duck? For us, it is one with well-marinated, flavoursome and tender meat, and crispy skin.

We have been told that on weekends, there is a very long wait for the duck as the restaurant would be packed full of dining customers. So, to avoid the crowd, we decided to go there on a weekday. However, we found that on a weekday, the traffic is pretty horrendous but we did score a parking space right in front of the restaurant. So, either way you have to choose between the best of two evils.

Restaurant exterior

You know you have arrived at the right place when you spot these beauties

When we arrived around 11.15am, it was fairly quiet with only a couple of tables occupied. But sure enough, the restaurant started filling up close to lunchtime. I can only imagine how busy it can get on weekends as the restaurant is not very big. The decor is simple and of a typical coffee shop, with plastic tables and chairs and some Chinese paintings and posters of ducks.

Restaurant interior

Chopping station and the special herbal sauce

From what we observed, Sunrise serves only roast duck and no other types of roast meat. I guess they are sticking to what they are good at. We ordered one whole duck and before long, a plate of gleaming duck was placed before us. One of the first things we noticed about the duck was that the skin was glistening and calling out to be eaten. As I bit into the duck, my suspicion was confirmed. The skin was roasted to perfection, a beautiful golden brown and wonderfully crispy. Top marks for that. The duck was meaty, tender and juicy but perhaps a little less flavoursome than I have expected it to be. For those who like leaner ducks, then you will like the ducks here. A herbal sauce is served separately, possibly to preserve the crispy skin.

Hey pretty birdy

Awesome crispy skin

Chop dulu! (Malay for "This drumstick belongs to me!")

One of my grouches about the ducks here are that they were really tiny. In most other places, a whole duck would be enough for 4 adults to share, but here at Sunrise, there was not enough to go around. For sake of comparison, the duck here is only about 60-70% of the size of ducks we get from Four Seasons.

Petite duck

We also ordered a plate of blanched lettuce topped with oyster sauce and fried shallots (RM6), which I found to be slightly overcooked.

A complimentary bowl of preserved vegetable soup is also served, however I found it to be too sourish for my liking. However, my dining companions enjoyed it and commented that it was very appetizing.

Verdict: Definitely one of the better roast ducks we have had, however Four Seasons remain our favorite. I do have to applaud Sunrise for getting the skin on the ducks so crispy.

Opening times: 11.30am - sold out. Closed on Mondays.

Price: RM52 for a whole duck.

Location: Restoran Sunrise, 31 Jalan 21/12, SEA Park, 46300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Tel: 603-7876 9689

GPS Coordinates: 3.108549, 101.622773