Tag: Shiraz

Duck Fest


Last night a bunch of us paid homage to the evergreen classic dish of Peking duck. We were at Simon’s Duck place on Middleborough Road. There were about 20 of us so we were on 2 separate tables. On my table were 6 adults, 3 ravenous teenagers and a 9-year old with a pretty healthy appetite.

I brought along a 2004 Shiraz (Robertson’s Well from Coonawarra). Apparently a Pinot would have been a better match but I didn’t have any at home and it was raining and I didn’t feel like stopping to choose a wine when I had only a very vague idea when it comes to choosing a good Pinot. In any event the wine was superb and went rather well with the meal.

Simon’s has 2 dining sessions – at 5pm and 8pmrespectively. We were at the 8pm one and it was choc a block. We had 3 ducks per table, and since it was very busy, they only carved up the duck in situ for one bird, with the other two arriving ready to serve.

The option with noodles was priced at $63 per duck, which is good for about 15 pieces of the pancake. So 3 ducks for a table of 10 persons give each person 3-4 pieces/servings which were really good.

The duck was cooked perfectly and the meat was soft and moist and the skin while crispy wasn’t dry at all. It didn’t feel too greasy either. The pancake was thin but didn’t tear easily and all it needed was a small sprig of spring onion and a piece of cucumber to round off a perfect roll. Hoisin sauce was smeared on the duck but we really didn’t need it and after the first piece, I had only a touch of the sauce on.

Kiddo enjoyed it immensely and nom’ed all the way home in the car. Auntie Hooi and Uncle Marloney were the experienced diners on our table and they were saying Simon’s Peking Duck is way better than any they have been to, including Old Kingdom. We’ve sampled a few other places as well and we too think that Simon’s is by far a better option. We’d happily bring any overseas visitors there. We strongly recommend the place, especially with a very good 2004 Robertson’s Well Coonawarra Shiraz.

Regards,Ian

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Ciao Summer


‘Luruh’ is a Malay word for I think, ‘fall’. It is now ‘fall’ again – or autumn – and this morning being the first day of ‘Luruh’ the weather was noticeably more crisped than in recent days. I labored through my 7km run but quickly cooled down instead of sweating like a pig. On warm summer mornings, I’d finish my run and still be sweating half 20-30 minutes later after even after getting on the train. I love the cooler weather.

Soon there’d be leaves covering the footpaths, lawns, even cars. The good news is in a few weeks the lawn would stop growing like a teenager so the lawnmower need not be dragged out quite as often but the bad news is there’d be a lot of raking and blowing of fallen leaves and the gutter would clog up again. The days would also be shorter and the winter woolies would be out soon after. I would not be able to throw the windows wide open as I do now.

Last night I was in my study room for a few hours –studying McGraths ‘Christian Theology’ (while waiting for my copy of Millard Erickson to arrive via Amazon) and trying to digest Theology 101 with a bit of Mozart in the background. A glass of crisp Sauvignon Blanc – ubiquitous over the summer months – sat on my table, which would soon – perhaps in 2-3 weeks –replaced by glasses of Shiraz to see me through the winter. Winter is nice like that – huddled up in a room with a book and beautiful music and a glass of heartwarming nature’s gift. This wild topsy-turvy summer (floods, cyclones, uprisings, carbon tax and Ashes pain) is finally over. Welcome back, Luruh. Stay awhile.