MUCH QUACK ABOUT DUCK
(Snapshots from Beijing, Part Three)
One of the de rigueur things to do in Beijing is to eat Peking duck. Thus, all tour groups include a lunch or dinner at one of the famous restaurants specializing in this succulent bird.
Just right off the plane, our guide announced with great flourish that we were having lunch at Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant. She described in great detail how the 65-day-old ducks (take note, only "white-feathered" ducks were used) were "cooked the traditional way" (i.e. roasted for several hours under a wood-fuelled fire).
Preparation of the duck also apparently involves forcefeeding it with mash for the last 20 days before cooking it . . . ahh, but let's not get into that, lest our appetites get spoiled, okay?
As we went up the dark staircase to the second floor, on the landing were black & white pictures of various well-known personalities who had eaten at this resto over the years, most notably Mao Zedong and Henry Kissinger.
So there we were, feasting on various dishes when the Peking duck was wheeled in. It looked, well, quite ordinary and the same as any other duck i've eaten locally.
The waitress was supposed to carve the crispy skin and attached meat into a hundred pieces (don't ask me why. . . so that the duck gets a 100 lives in duck heaven, perhaps? :D) before serving, but everyone had heightened expectations by this time and wanted to get their hands on it as soon as possible and no one bothered to keep count anyway.
Pretty soon, everyone at our table was busy assembling slices of duck and slivered scallions, dashed with hoisin sauce, over the thin, white pancakes.
CRRUUNCCHHHH!!!
I took that first bite, and savored the crispy skin and fat of the duck mixing with the other ingredients. Hoisin sauce started dribbling down the right side of my mouth.
So, what was the verdict?
Well, i would have loved to say that this 'authentic' Peking duck was so fantastic, that it felt like the clouds roared and the blue skies parted, and a heavenly choir of angels appeared in immaculate, gleaming white robes, singing the "Hallelujah" chorus of Handel's Messiah.
But no . . . it was just . . .okay. Nothing great or spectacular about its taste or texture or flavor. I wouldn't even say it was the best Peking duck i've ever had!
In short, overrated.
[For a much more detailed account of a Peking duck lunch, with picture of an actual duck (!), please check out fellow blogger Gypsy Soul's post here, taken during her Beijing trip last year]
6 comments:
Well, that restaurant is the national Peking Duck restaurant in China. You have to eat there to say that you've eaten authentic Peking duck..
My mouth watered as I read your post because I love Peking Duck.
Disappointed to hear that after all the hoopla you went through, you weren't impressed by what this supposedly famous restaurant had served you.
hey UW&L (G.) and Senor Enrique,
thanks to you both for dropping by!
i guess it was too high expectations on my part...after all, it was 'authentic' Peking Duck resto in Beijing, so you expect it to be far better than what you've tasted elsewhere diba?
And i felt their presentation left something to be desired. If i were them, i would present the Peking duck with a flourish, with the server brandishing his/her knife with gusto (and twirling it in the air, maybe?) before slicing the duck; and with the manager doing some sort of commentary on how the duck is eaten, etc.
But for this resto....nothing much was done. Maybe it was the late hour (2:30 PM) or language barrier, etc., but overall experience was flat.
how sad, GUS. but gypsy soul's entry sounded so good! were you at the same place? baka lang mas maganda yung camera niya? lol!!
I had the same experience as yours! Either the tour guide brought us to a lame Peking Duck resto, or the dish itself is really overrated. I like the ones I had in Manila better...with the plum sauce.
h.. if this place is overrrated.. which for u is the best then?:)
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