Duck, Duck, Duck.

Beijing is famous around the world for its roasted duck, a meal that has been created for the Emperor Thongzhi, in 1864. 

In French, we say le canard de Pékin or canard laqué (Peking Duck or Lacquered Duck) but it is currently simply translates in English as Roasted Duck. Note that Roasted is important here. Indeed, when you ask a cab driver to take you to a duck place, you have to be specific here. In Chinese, the word chicken refers not only to the bird we eat, but also to prostitutes. And from a chicken to a duck, many foreigners have ended up skipping a meal over a different kind of poultry leg!

It takes more than 70 minutes to cook a Beijing duck, and it is cut in a very specific way, to present its best meat in the plates. The duck is prized for its thin and crispy skin.

To celebrate my arrival in town, we were invited to a dinner by a colleague of Paul, who works with him as his counterpart in Chongqing. He wanted to impress our taste buds and chose to treat us to the best Roasted Duck restaurant in Beijing: Da Dong. 

De da dong roasted duck

The restaurant is so famous that to enter, we had to trail our way through a crowd of people standing outside the door, for hours, with a glass of wine. Mr Xu assistant spared us the ritual by standing herself at the door for two hours. 

The restaurant is busy, filled with a mixed crowed, expatriates, tourists but also Beijingers of all ages. Large round tables are topped with lazy Susan and a number of waitresses are busing around them, filling glasses, serving dishes and helping customers. We are given a menu the size of a coffee table book, filled with pictures more beautiful than most cooking manuals. We leave the selection to our host. 

Swiftly plates are brought to the table. Each of them are both an elaborate display of art and a gustatory pleasure. It was a pity that I forgotten my camera. Later I would remember my cell phone. 

De da dong roasted duck

After several appetizers, a cart was brought in front of our table by a chef wearing a surgical mask. The duck was proudly displayed to our table and its neighbours, before being carefully and lengthily carved up. Only a a few pieces were placed on each plates, and a set of condiments were organized by the side of each of us.

De da dong roasted duck

A young waitress came to demonstrate the way this should be eaten: put a thin crepe in the plate, dip a piece of meat in hoisin sauce, smudge the sauce in the crepe, add a few condiment of your choice and spring onions. The skin is simply dipped in sugar. 

It melts in the mouth! Simply delicious!