Errr....So Random?

So some wise guy decided to open a Hyatt Regency Hotel in Shatin, University station to be exact. For people who are not familiar with the area, to put it politely....its in the middle of fuck nowhere! It takes an hour walk to the closest shopping mall and surrounded by the mountain and the sea side, its an odd place to build a hotel.

So happens to be my parent's anniversary. To try something different and new, we decide to give our local Hyatt hotel a sign of support and try out their soon-to-be famous chinese Restaurant Shatin 18. Why 'soon-to-be' famous? well...I will explain later...

The restaurant itself is going for that New Hip Asian look, with the dim lighting, dark wooden benches and comfortable sofa booth seats. It also has a large open kitchen where you see their chefs spin their magic with the oriental culinary weapon aka 'The Wok'. The glass covered open kitchen makes the kitchen chefs looked like caged animals. Anyways, the place boasts itself for their wide selection of regional Chinese food, from Cantonese, Shanghai to Beijing. They even had a chef in a noodle bar to prove it, he hand makes lanzhou liamen/noodle in front of an audience upon order.

Mainly the dishes there are forgettable....
Special Appetizer Platter of BBQ pork, Roasted pork, Marinated Beef, Duck Liver, Spicy Pickles and mushrooms. The only thing amazing here is the surprising juicy BBQ pork. Melts in your mouth at first bite.
Stir fried Scrimp Balls....meh
Bak Choi in Fish Soup.....nothing too special hereBraised Tofu with Bamboo Shoot (nearly typed Baboon there ahahaa). Really well done...but nothing too fancy

So....why I am writing this review....because i left the best dish at the last...
PEKING DUCCKKKKK!!!!!

Okay, I cheated...let me backtrack a bit

I first read about Shatin 18 from the uber awesome Time Out bi-weekly magazine, which writes some excellent food reviews in all areas of HK. It was the magazine that gave me the tip off of a amazing new style of Peking Duck, opening up in my own back garden. The chef in the house is an ex-chef of the infamous Quanjude/全聚德, one of the oldest and the most well-known peking duck restaurant in Beijing. The chef promises that he cooks the proper Beijing way, unlike the local method they use in local famous eateries such as Peking Garden. The ducks are hot blasted in a oven until all the fat melts away, leaving only a layer of crunchy skin.

(Sorry, the food was too good, I forgot to take photos...so have to steal from Open Rice...)

As the chef slowly peels away the skin of the duck, he explains carefully in the 3 unorthodoxymethods of eating

Method One: Only the Skin
You must dipped the skin in sugar. The crunchy skin will melt in your mouth, with a mix of roasted duck and sweetness swirling in your mouth. Hmmmmmm

Method 2: Only the Meat
Eat this the traditional method, with flour wrap, seafood sauce and a few stripe of pickle and onion. The tender meat and the wrap makes the whole thing taste like an awesome chinese-taco

Method 3: Skin with Meat Attached to ItMix this with Minced Garlic instead of Seafood Sauce. The garlic sharpens your taste bud and brings out the flavour of the duck from the skin.

The chef insisted that each serving must contain EXACTLY 88 pieces, no more, no less. I guess its for Good Luck?

So how random is it? You are in the middle of fuck nowhere of Shatin, so happens to find a 5 star hotel, in a restaurant that calls itself Shatin 18, being served by one of the best Peking Duck chefs in the World? And the Duck? Best you ever had! Don't care if it cost $360HKD each.

Final Verdict: Do it for the Duck. Its worth the trip. Maybe as good or even Better than Peking Garden. No Jokes. NOW GO THERE BEFORE MORE PEOPLE FIND OUT!

Original Time Out Review: http://www.timeout.com.hk/restaurants-bars/features/26793/sha-tin-18.html
Openrice: http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=30739