Beijing Da Dong Peking Duck Restaurant Review

Robbo on Tour's review

It's the future and i've tasted it!! It's the new garlic bread!

From Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China on Nov 20 '06

On the last night in Beijing, we went for a meal at the Beijing Da Dong Peking Duck Restaurant. As you enter through the restaurant's sliding double doors, you are greeted by smiling waitressing staff, and instantly feel incredibly welcome. One of the first things you notice is the restaurant's plush decor, and the food certainly matches the environment created by the restaurant's lavish interior.

After a quick perouse of the menu, and its many delicacies, we decide to opt for the restaurant's signature dish, the 'extra lean braised peking duck'. The duck is served in strips and acts as the filling to a basket of almost translucent pankakes. These are served with a range of condiments, each complementing the duck perfectly, to bring out an amazing flavour that is almost indescribable! (i know i just described it as amazing, but it was much more than that!)

A waitress tends to our table, and gives us a masterclass in the art of the chopstick, as she skillfully prepares my first authentic peking duck pankake experience. Three or four slices of duck, a little hoisin sauce, a few strips of finely sliced onion, and she's done....the perfect tantiliser for the tastebuds in a matter of seconds.

As i elegantly shovel the pankake into my mouth, using a masterful combination of chopstick artistry and the dexterity of the human hand, i am instantly hit with it....it's like heaven! This is a taste senstation! It's the future and i've tasted it!! It's the new garlic bread! It is at this moment that i realise, on my last night in Beijing, i have experienced my favourite and most flavoursome meal!

Equally as impressive as the duck meat itself in the flavour stakes, is the skin and fat of the duck. As i pincer it expertly (i am a chopstick guru), i roll it lightly in the dish of sugar that is part of the condiments. After this, the fat and skin is carressed into my gob quick haste!! Once inside, it melts in the mouth and offers a delicious explosion of flavour for the tastebuds!

On top of the lavish decor, good service, and sumptuous food, the price is equally breathtaking. We devoured two ducks, a basket of pankakes complete with condiments ranging from pickle to onion, radish to cucumber and garlic, and of course not forgetting the rich hoisin sauce, acting as the perfect compliment to the tender duck. We also ordered beer and bottled water for each of us!.....All of this came to an astonishing 186 Yuan....which is roughly £12 british money....UNREAL!!

If you ever visit Beijing, i cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough. It was a great meal, and the perfect end to a top quality stay in Beijing!

So, there we have it. I hope you enjoy the review and pics!