Pacific House Restaurant

Pacific Seafood BBQ House is an institution known for its excellent Cantonese food, quality take-away and flock of crimson Peking ducks hanging in the window. Despite expansion into the building next door, as well as to a second venue in South Yarra, finding a seat can be a struggle and queues are a regular occurrence.

Expect to be greeted with a small bowl of pork soup, which is the perfect way to whet your appetite. It’s can be a little claustrophobic and the service can be fairly average, but you’ll forgive everything as soon as you take your first bite of the succulent Peking duck pancakes, replete with a generous extra serving of plum sauce.

As well as roasted meats, the barbeque house is also known for its seafood, which is kept in live tanks at the back. The calamari with spicy salt is a highlight. Chopsticks are often cast aside as happy patrons tear into quail, piled high with chilli and garlic and sticky pork ribs in mandarin sauce. Eggplant stuffed with pork mince is another much-loved specialty.

The decor is spartan, with nondescript chairs and tables – the largest of which feature lazy Susans – but you'll soon come to see the beauty in the specials written on large sheets coloured paper affixed on the walls around the room.