For some reason, Peking Duck gets all the attention and acclaim as the quintessential Chinese method of serving duck. It is good, but too often the wonder that is Cantonese Roast Duck goes completely unnoticed. Why this dish doesn’t get more attention is a mystery to me. Perhaps non-Chinese are afraid of all the dead ducks hanging in the window?

Roast duck or shao ya (simp. 烧鸭, trad. 燒鴨) usually comes served on a bed of rice with some greens, and a side dish of plum sauce for dipping. When prepared correctly, it’s incredible; the juicy duck, crispy skin, and added sweetness of the plum sauce is fantastic, and it’s a dish you can find in just about every (authentic) Cantonese restaurant in China and abroad.

I’ve been a fan of Cantonese duck for a long time now, but I just recently had the most delicious serving of it in a tiny restaurant in Mong Kok in Hong Kong. For 36 HKD (served with ice-cold refreshing lemon tea), I was in heaven.

I went to Hong Kong again for a few days and I have officially come back a fraud.

Despite the URL of this site, I did not stay at the infamous Chungking Mansions in Tsim Sha Tsui because – despite renovations and attempts at cleaning up its image – it is a complete shithole that is not very good value at all. Instead I opted to stay at the slightly pricier (but infinitely cleaner and with free drinking water and wifi) Dragon Inn on Argyle Street in Mong Kok.

Other than the novelty of the sketchy atmosphere, Chungking Mansions doesn’t offer anything other than the thrill that you may be murdered in your sleep or eaten alive by vermin. There are so many other budget options not too far from the area that are only slightly higher, and you don’t have to put up with the filth, annoying touts, cockroaches, bedbugs, drug dealers, pimps and hookers that hang out around Chungking Mansions.

I wonder if Beijing will ever try to exert its influence to harmonize the Golden Mile?