Other than Duck

Last night my friend and I headed to Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant.

But this time we didn't have the signature dish.

Instead we opted for other things on the menu. And the highlight was the braised ox tail.

It came beautifully presented, the meat having fallen off the bone and bound together by a parsley stem.

Cooked in red wine and garnished with shaved carrot and peas, the oxtail was absolutely delicious. The meat was tender and full of flavour.

We also had pea shoots, very fine ones that were crunchy and fresh, stir-fried with finely diced garlic.

Another good spicy dish was the kung pao chicken, flavoured not only with dried chilis, but also Sichuan peppercorns for that numbing effect. Again the chicken was tender, but perhaps bigger chunks would be better. It was good to see it was hardly oily, a problem that many restaurants have with this dish.

Finally for dessert we had black sesame pudding with crushed peanuts. My friend found it too thick; I agreed, but still enjoyed every last spoonful of it.

So it's still possible to have a delicious meal at Da Dong minus the duck.