KEN HUNTS FOOD: Tang Xiao Ya 糖小鸭 @ Sri Bahari Road, Georgetown, Penang.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Tang Xiao Ya 糖小鸭 @ Sri Bahari Road, Georgetown, Penang.

Home to some deliciously tender Roast Duck, Tang Xiao Ya 糖小鸭 is a duck specialist that recently opened its doors in Georgetown. If you are Mandarin-literate, you would have a rough idea on what the place could potentially offer. Opening at quite an unusual corner of Sri Bahari Road, Tang Xiao Ya has woo-ed the interest of many duck lovers over social media before its official opening. There are some ovens right next to the entrance so as you step in the place, you will get a whiff of the Roast Duck aroma. The place has a simple seating arrangement just like any casual restaurant; there's also a table displaying an array of colorful dessert ingredients at the end of the dining space (for unlimited helpings of DIY dessert at Rm 10 per pax). The menu is rather straight-forward... only Roast Duck, Rice and a limited offering of sides.

Roasted Duck (Rm 42/ whole bird)

Vegetables with Meat Floss (Rm 8)

Chai Boey (Rm 5/ large)

DIY Dessert (Rm 6)

Tang Xiao Ya's signature Roasted Duck was served to us warm, right from the oven. The skin did not possess the very much anticipated crispiness; it was the soft but greasy type. Underneath the Duck was a pool of juice. The meat was extremely tender with a burst of meat juice... it was delicately seasoned with a discernible presence of five-spice powder. The Duck was good on its own but even better with the home-made, tangy Garlic-Chili sauce. The Chai Boey was a disappointment though, rather diluted and lacked of flavors. As for the dessert, we had the option to do the buffet or one-time self-serving (Rm 6) and we opted for the latter choice. We filled it up to the brim and the portion was more than satisfying.