Some of the best roast duck and roast pork I’ve had in Bangkok

JUNE 2017 – I have not eaten here for many years and I’ve received reports that the food is average or not very good. So eat here at your own risk.

There are few things in the world as satisfying as roast duck and roast pork.

Bangkok has its share of duck restaurants, some of them are alright, some of them are too sweet for my taste, but others, like Soi 6 Pochana (ร้านซอย 6 โภชนา), are about as good as it gets for me.

When I ate there, the duck was roasted so it was gloriously crispy and golden, the sauce was rich and flavorful, but not too sweet, and the meat actually melted in my mouth like a piece of chocolate.

Let’s move into the delicious food…

The inside of the restaurant

The last time I ate at Soi 6 Pochana (ร้านซอย 6 โภชนา), I was with a big group of friends, so we kind of ordered, ate, and then kept ordering and eating.

So in this restaurant review I’ll do my best to cover all the different plates we ate – but unfortunately I didn’t get all the prices since I didn’t pay (when I go back I’ll make a note of the prices and update this review).

You can either come to this restaurant to get a single plate of food, like khao na bet (rice topped with duck for about 45 – 50 THB) or you can choose to go bigger and order plates of meat like we did.

The duck furnace

In the back of the restaurant, in the alley, you’ll find the owner, handling his prized ducks like they are trophies – they are.

I could actually hear the sizzle of the skin and even see it turning more and more golden brown in the few minutes that I stood and marveled.

Golden goodness

The owner explained to me that his parents had migrated to Thailand from China and they had started this roast duck restaurant.

His recipes and his style of cooking are directly from his parents, and he doesn’t plan on changing anything.

Dark and golden perfection

I’m almost at a loss of words writing this blog right now, my mouth is literally watering and foaming at the same time, imaging that duck right now.

Anyway, once the ducks are fully cooked they are transported to the front of the restaurant where they hang on display to lure in hungry, duck seeking customers, like you and I.

Liquid gold – duck sauce

The sauce sitting next to the duck is no ordinary duck sauce, it’s more like liquid gold.

Rather than being too sweet like some duck sauces tend to be in Bangkok, their sauce was just lightly sweet, but more smoky and rich in flavor, all the drippings of the duck accumulated into a sauce of heavenly flavor.

A spoon of duck sauce for extra flavor

After a slice of duck was chopped and put onto a plate, a spoon of sauce was ladled over, to keep it moist and offer more flavor to the already succulent meat.

We began with a plate of roast duck (เป็ดย่าง)

Roast duck (เป็ดย่าง)

We got things started with a plate of bet yang (เป็ดย่าง), roast duck.

The meat was juicy and firm, and the skin was crispy, with an undeniable smoky flavor to it.

This plate of duck was just about perfect for my taste buds, and in my opinion it far outdid this legendary duck restaurant in Bangkok.

Then we moved onto crispy pork belly

Ok, now let’s proceed onto the roast pork, which was equally as delicious as the duck.

Hello crispy!

Trio of meat (หมูแดง หมูกรอบ เป็ดย่าง)

Trio of meat (หมูแดง หมูกรอบ เป็ดย่าง)

For our next plate, instead of just getting roast duck, we ordered a trio of meats, roast duck (เป็ดย่าง), roast pork belly (หมูกรอบ), and finally some moo daeng (หมูแดง, char siu).

When I didn’t even imagine things could get better, they did.

All three meats were stunning

The moo krob (หมูกรอบ), roast crispy pork belly, was freshly cooked, insanely crispy on the skin, yet fatty and tender from the meat.

The moo daeng (หมูแดง), Chinese style red barbecued pork, was also wonderful, slightly sweet and cured, and tenderly delicious.

Crispy pork belly – moo krob (หมูกรอบ)

Look at that little chunk of pork belly (หมูกรอบ) shining in the light, an absolutely beautiful thing.

One of my favorite roast porks I’ve had is from a small restaurant in Hawaii, but I think Soi 6 Pochana (ร้านซอย 6 โภชนา) was equally stunning.

Duck fried with holy basil (กระเพราเป็ด)

Duck with basil (กระเพราเป็ด)

In addition to plates of roast duck, the owner also makes an outrageously delicious plate of gra pao bet (กระเพราเป็ด), duck stir fried with holy basil.

Using slices of roast duck, he stir fried it on a high flame heat with dark soy sauce, chilies and garlic, and finally a handful of holy basil.

It was awesome.

I wanted to buy an entire duck for takeaway and make it at home as well.

Then, on to the noodles

Along with the meat heavy plates, you can also choose to order egg noodles or dumplings when you go to Soi 6 Pochana (ร้านซอย 6 โภชนา).

Dumplings and red pork (เกี๊ยวหมูแดง)

Dumplings and pork (เกี๊ยวหมูแดง)

We tried a couple bowls of their giew moo daeng (เกี๊ยวหมูแดง), dumplings, which I think were filled with a combination of minced pork and shrimp, topped with some more slices of char siu.

Price – 35 THB

They have great dumplings too

While it didn’t come close to being as good as the plates of meat, merely because of what it was, it was also delicious, a very good bowl.

Everything was fresh, the soup was piping hot, and not overly salty. The dumplings made a nice addition to our meat feast.

Ultimate crispiness

Here’s just one more shot of their moo krob (หมูกรอบ), crispified pork belly, because I couldn’t bare to not share this photo.

That’s a bite of pure pleasure.

Soi 6 Pochana (ร้านซอย 6 โภชนา) – Restaurant on the corner

Conclusion

I’m a lover of nearly every type of food around the world, but offer me a plate of roast duck, and as far as meats go, I will come running.

Soi 6 Pochana (ร้านซอย 6 โภชนา), located in Bangkok’s Sam Yan market area, just down the road from a pretty good curry restaurant, serves up some of the best Chinese roast duck and pork in the city (at least it’s one of my favorite places).

The duck and pork are both crispy on the outside, smoky flavored, and succulent beyond belief.

There are dozens of restaurants that serve roast duck in Bangkok, but Soi 6 Pochana (ร้านซอย 6 โภชนา) is truly one of my favorites.

Soi 6 Pochana (ร้านซอย 6 โภชนา)

Address: 247-249 Soi Chula 11, Thanon Rama 4, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330
Phone number: 02-216-0866
Open hours: 8 am – 10 pm daily
Prices: I have to apologize, since I ate here with a group of friends and things were hectic, so I didn’t manage to get all the prices, but next time I go I’ll get all the prices. If you get a single plate of rice topped with duck it’s just 45 – 55 THB, but for the full plates of meat I think it’s around 200 THB – 300 THB or so – but I’m not totally sure.

ที่อยู่ 249 จุฬาซอย 6 พระราม 4 ปทุมวัน , กรุงเทพมหานคร 10330
โทร. 02-216-0866
เปิดบริการ ทุกวัน 800 – 22.00 น.

How to get there: Soi 6 Pochana (ร้านซอย 6 โภชนา) is in Sam Yan, and you can either get there by taking a taxi, or take the MRT to Sam Yan station, exit toward Chamchuri Square, proceed to walk across Phaya Thai road, and then make a right on Chula 11.

For the map, scroll down until you see Soi 6 Pochana (ร้านซอย 6 โภชนา), and click it to highlight the position on the map.