Certain delicacies cost that much for a reason -- cheap foie gras, for example, just doesn't pack the same punch, and budget oysters often carry a hidden cost in food poisoning, but it's always been hard to understand why Peking duck carries such an astronomical price tag.
Maybe it doesn't, we discovered! Down the street from our car park, Star Seafood Restaurant serves up cheap and greasy Chinese food in a ghetto palace-like setting. It's big as hell, filled with loud people getting their grub on, and cheap as chips. A typical Sunday dim sum will set you back roughly $40 a head, no joke. But come dinner time, on weekdays you can get a full Peking Duck for $38, or $58 on weekends and public holidays. The cuts are a bit rough and large, but that's in line with their theme of cheap, cheerful and only sort of good food. But at that kind of price, you really can't complain. For an extra $20 they'll stew the rest of the chopped duck (with bones) with eggplant for a juicy finish. It's not the best, but again, it's $20, what can you really ask for?
