If you’re in Kaohsiung, you have to go to Duck Zhen. I’m not saying you should go to Duck Zhen; I’m saying you must. It’s that good. Mandatory.
It’s (unsurprisingly) a popular place. When I showed up around lunchtime on a Saturday, the line went around the restaurant and into an alley. It took about half an hour, and it was absolutely worth the wait.
Their specialty is duck rice, and it is insanely good. The bowl features sliced duck breast and braised pork belly on top of rice.
The duck is perfect — it’s meaty and tender, with an absolutely amazing flavour. The seasoning on the meat itself is actually fairly subtle, which allows the great natural flavour of the duck to shine through.
The dish also features braised pork belly, a Taiwanese specialty that I sampled in Taipei. It’s outstanding. I think I liked this version even better than that one (and that one was extremely delicious, so that’s saying something). It was melt-in-your-mouth tender and featured a subtly sweet, addictively intense flavour that made me want to pump my fist in triumph with every mouthful.
It was pretty good, is what I’m saying.
I also tried the offal soup, which features various organs and ginger in a light broth. I’m not sure what all of the organs were — there was definitely liver, and maybe spleen and intestines? Whatever it was, it was very well prepared and quite tasty.
Location: No. 258號, Wufu 4th Road, Yancheng District, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan 803
How to find it: There’s no English anywhere, but it’s a fairly huge restaurant, so it’s hard to miss. Look for the orange and red signage.