FIRST LOOK: Mandarin Duck serves up elegant Hong Kong-style Cantonese food in Adelaide's northeast

A new Chinese restaurant has arrived in the northeast suburbs and it’s set on bringing an elegant lounge-style dining experience that offers punchy, spice-driven cocktails and fresh, herb-garnished Hong Kong style dishes.

Mandarin Duck brings together authentic Cantonese flavour with a particular focus on Hong Kong-style dining. The passion of its owners Mel and Tan, partnered with the expertise of revered chef Peter Lai makes this new restaurant all the more intriguing.

Owner Mel speaks enthusiastically about Chef Lai, saying, “He became a professional chef at 17, honing his craft in leading Chinese restaurants before making his way to Melbourne’s Hyatt Hotel.”

“At Mandarin Duck,” Mel says, “he stays true to traditional recipes and cooking techniques while adding his own creative flair.”

“It’s exciting to share authentic Cantonese and Hong Kong-style dishes cooked by someone with Peter’s experience, with the Adelaide community.”

While the cooking is at the heart of this experience, the fit out is striking in and out. Your eye is immediately drawn to the colour scheme. Deep reds against gold trims and rich emerald greens invite you in, and while the interior is eccentric, it’s curated and elegant. Low partitions with frosted glass guide the dining areas, and beveled windowed folding doors line the walls. The finishing flourishes are made up of evenly positioned lanterns, hanging plants, and wooden decorative windows.

The menu endeavours to match its scenery, crafted from Chinese culinary traditions, Chef Peter Lai calls on his experience to bring together an inventive, yet traditional menu for Mandarin Duck.

Specialty: Mandarin Duck

Lamb Mongolian Beef

Chef Lai’s cooking stays true to time-honoured recipes and techniques but is not afraid to embrace creative presentation. Highlights of the restaurant’s menu include the signature dish, Mandarin Duck with orange sauce. This dish gives the restaurant its name and captures the balance between sweet, tangy, and savoury flavours. The peking duck platter is another favourite, for those who love the theatre of wrapping crisp skin, duck, vegetables, and sauce in pancake and enjoying that perfect fresh bite. The lamb Mongolian beef is another popular dish, served to the table in a sizzling cast iron pan. For something sweet, the Jade Blossom Jelly is a stand-out. It features delicate rings of osmanthus tea jelly infused with cold-pressed flowers, goji berries, longan, and chrysanthemum.

The Firecracker, Mandarin Duck’s signature cocktail, is a spicy, tabasco infused cocktail that’ll get your tastebuds going. Or if you’re after a more toned down option, the venue also mixes a delicious Sweet Plum Sour.

Mandarin Duck is open seven days, for lunch and dinner from 11am to 9pm, and is located in Westfield Tea Tree Plaza. If you love Cantonese flavours, Hong Kong style specialities, or just really great duck, this new restaurant is worth putting on your list.