Peking duck at Gloria Maris, Greenhills

Dining in Gloria Maris is a family indulgence we happily surrender to every once in a while. Our number one purpose: Peking duck, with its perfect roast and crispy skin.

We always go to the Greenhills branch, which is huge and offers superb service. When we went back recently, we failed to make an early reservation and so we ended up on the 2nd floor. It was quieter and less chaotic but too dark for comfort. I felt as if we were at a makeshift restaurant. Perhaps it looks better in the evening.

Regardless, the food was as expected. It was great. C and I arrived a bit late so they had been eating for a few minutes already. It was just perfect because we didn’t have to wait for food, especially for the roast duck, which was already sitting pretty and sliced through on the Lazy Susan. I, however, didn’t feel as lazy to get several meat and skin slices, wrappers and hoisin sauce. I happily bit my way through my DIY Peking duck rolls. I just felt bad that I wasn’t able to watch it being sliced. It’s always a marvel to see a master slicer doing some magic, and I haven’t been able to take pictures. Maybe next time.

We had the duck cooked in two ways, so it’s colloquially called a two-way duck. After roasting and slicing off the meat and the skin, the remains were stewed to make soup. I personally prefer a three-way duck because it’s a joy to gnaw through crunchy meat enveloping the small bones.

If you're ordering Peking duck, make sure you choose to have it cooked in at least two ways so that you don't waste a lot of the duck you've already bought. The soup is a great way of getting the most out of its flavors. That way, you also won't have to order soup, which will save you several bucks.

Next to the duck, I stuffed myself with the fish. It's a classic Chinese style of cooking fish, and it's always refreshing to have this option.

Yang Chow was also on the table. What else was there, I’m not so sure. There was some kind of pancit, and another dish that looked like chopsuey. I’m surprised that we didn’t have beef with broccoli and that spareribs entrée we also love.

The only downside of the meal was having to wait forever for the duck soup, which was strange. We had to stop eating before obliterating everything on the table to wait for it. It would be weird to eat soup for dessert.

Our server did a wonderful job of attending to our needs and was very accommodating, and he had followed up on our soup several times already. It was the kitchen that failed us. Perhaps the staff needs to be put on their toes before they tarnish Gloria Maris’ good name.

For the trouble, our server arranged for us a plateful of buchi for free. I’m always ecstatic to come across people who love and carry out their service-oriented jobs happily and efficiently. Why can’t everyone in customer service have the same demeanor? Maybe the others need to be educated what “customer service” means.

We no longer had room for dessert, but we filled ourselves enough to loiter around the metro 'til night. The noontime feast was a delightful way to jumpstart a whole day of fun frolicking, albeit slightly blemished. Moving on.

So, where else can I get a decent Peking duck around here?

Gloria Maris in Greenhills is open for lunch and dinner. It is advisable to make a reservation.