We aimed to cap off the guidebook tourist day with a typical tourist dinner: Peking roast duck. With the limited resources at our disposal (namely, our two guidebooks), so we made for the one that sounded better and less touristy, called Beijing Dadong Kaoya Dian.
We sat down and they delivered the menu. Max opened the enormous book and began to peruse. We knew we were getting the duck, the only question was what the other two dishes would be.
Staying with the animal of choice, we opted for the duck hearts stir fried with spring onions. This was excellent. The temperature was very hot and the ingredients tasty. The hearts tasted like a very dense meat with a subtle richness. The spring onions did their part and added some tartness to the dish.
The other was a meat joke, tofu rounds stuffed with pork, a play on bone marrow. Served with a bit of broccoli, the presentation got ahead of the flavor on this dish. And the presentation was superb, as you can see. However, the tofu lacked flavor and the meat seemed a little off. Some more work and this could be a winner, not tonight, though.
And then the main course, whole roast duck. This particular place is known for making a lean version of the famous specialty, with less fat in every bite.
The chef expertly sliced it tableside...
...our table was prepared with the assorted condiments, including salt, ginger, spring onion, sweet duck sauce, pickled pepper, julienned radish, julienned carrot, pancakes and sesame buns...
...and then the duck arrived! It was a marvelous slicing job, with each piece stacked on top of the other, and a mix of meat, fat, and skin in each slice. The flavor, however, was a let down. I'm sad to say I think I've had better roast duck pancakes in Daly City. I'm not sure what happened, perhaps the expansion of this restaurant got them focused on the wrong things? Whatever the cause, a disappointing climax to a meal that should have been great (especially at these prices).
We'll have to take our eating underground.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment