Gold Mine, London

Gold Mine
102 Queensway
Bayswater
London W2 3RR
020 7792 8331

So many people had told me about the Roast Duck at Gold Mine. I have lunch in this area every 7-10 days and end up at my default picks for Thai or Spanish food most of the time, so this time I set out determined to eat the roast duck at Gold Mine and check what the fuss was all about.

Oh my! That duck was gorgeous! The fat melting in the mouth was like a beautiful piece of pork fat - I've never tasted duck fat like that & at the same time the skin was crispy too and the meat ever so tender.It comes deboned and the sauce here is more savoury than sweet which is why I think I like it so much. No cloying sweetness, no greasy after-feel.

My favourite meat is pork, but the barbecued pork (also good) did not hold a candle to this roast duck!

I chose the Singapore vermicelli noodles to go with my meal. They were just what I wanted - really thin fine noodles, fried up street food style and just perfect with the fat of that perfect duck. All 3 dishes for 22£.

I've got to take the family here to try this duck. I was lucky to not have to brave a queue at 2:30pm, but the restaurant was quite full. However, I must say that standing in line would be worth it for this roast duck. Just the duck & a side of noodles or rice would be perfect.

On a subsequent visit, I went with the husband. He ordered a hot & sour chicken soup. I had mentioned that I have a prawn & shrimp allergy & they told me that some prawn may be used in the stock in the soup, but if I wanted, they could use a vegetarian stock to make the chicken soup. I think that shows brilliant customer service.

Prawn crackers aren't complimentary, they have to be ordered off the menu. The smoked & fried chicken that I had the first time, was very moreish and we just couldn't stop ourselves from eating more. The second time I ordered it, there was a sweetness added to it, which brought down its appeal considerably for me.

The Malaysian noodles were good, but personally I prefer their Singaporean version. The egg fried rice is perfect to go with a bit of the sauce from the roast duck.

The spring rolls were nice, but not something I would repeat on another visit as there is so much more on the menu that I want to try out.

The restaurant has a well functioning air conditioning unit, so its perfect for lunch on a sweltering summer day.

My struggle with Gold mine is trying something new off the menu when my heart & stomach are screaming for the smoked chicken, the roast duck & the Singaporean Noodles.

Rating : 4.5 / 5