Four Seasons, London

My parents are in town, so we decided to take them to a restaurant famous for its duck and infamous for its service. Four Seasons reportedly has the best roast duck in the UK, and there are now three branches in London. The one we went to was in Bayswater. I tried making a reservation, but no one answered the phone the whole day, so we just showed up with our fingers crossed. The hostess (a dragon of a lady, but reasonably nice enough) quickly took my name and told us to wait. Because we were early, she said we could get a table NOW but must leave within the hour. Since we were still waiting for Bern, we passed on her offer and said we would wait.

The crowd soon appeared, some with reservations and lots without, plus people wanting takeaway as well. It was a really small restaurant, with lots of people crowding near the front door, which was exactly where we were seated after a table became available. I never really felt relaxed and was not able to enjoy my meal properly, especially with the constant stream of people coming through the door and the iron lady/hostess screaming orders, right left and centre.

We quickly ordered, as the waiters kept asking if we were ready. So I decided on the set meal for 4, which included their famous Aromatic Crispy Duck and also their Cantonese Roast duck in a mixed BBQ plate. The meal started with a hot and sour soup and then the crispy duck with pancakes as entrees. The duck was nice, but I actually prefer Peking Duck style. The meat was tasty but a little dry.

The mains were 6 courses- salt and pepper squid, spicy prawns, Lo Hon vegetables, beef with cashews, mixed BBQ plate (with a bit of Cantonese duck) and fried rice. All very standard Chinese restaurant dishes.
Was it the best duck I've ever had? I don't think I could comment, as I only had the Aromatic Crispy Duck. I will need to try out the Cantonese Roast Duck properly... all that crowd and people willing to wait must mean something. But it was definitely not a very relaxed dining experience. They just want you to eat quickly so that they can turn around the tables as quick as possible. So typical.... but the crowd just kept on coming. Siaw... (Hokkien for 'Crazy')