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My second and last night in Beijing on this trip, and once again my friendly neighborhood prime broker arranged a dinner with Peking duck. We were shipped off in batches to Duck de Chine (全鸭季) - the Peking duck restaurant within the complex known as 1949 - The Hidden City. The complex was formerly a factory and research facility set up in 1949, and this was converted into an F&B complex. The historical feel of the place was maintained, and looked a little out of place in the sea of tall, concrete-and-glass buildings surrounding it.
The menu, of course, was preset... so I waited for the onslaught of dishes.
Fried abalone mushrooms (手撕杏鲍菇) - deep-fried shredded shrooms. What's not to like about crispy shreds?
Broad beans and preserved vegetables (榄菜豆瓣)
Duck liver terrine on toast (鸭肝酱) - of course it is entirely appropriate that a duck restaurant would serve foie gras terrine. Pretty good, too.
Sweet and sour ribs (糖醋小排)
Double-boiled wild mushroom soup with bamboo fungus (竹笙野菌汤) - I agree with my fellow diner that this tasted better than the matsutake soup from last night...
Beijing roast duck "duck de chine" style (全鸭季烤鸭) - I dunno what "Duck de Chine style" means, but what I do know is that I like this a little better than "DaDong style"... At least the slices are bigger and there seemed to be more fat here. Much more up my alley. And more those who came here looking for duck... at least the duck came during the first half of the dinner, instead of at the end like last night...
Pan-fried king prawn w/ soy sauce (豉油皇煎大虾)
Sweet and sour garoupa (酸甜老虎斑) - yes it is a traditional dish in Chinese cuisine, but you can't tell me that this wasn't chosen because of the large percentage of laowai among diners tonight...
Fried angus beef tenderloin w/ black pepper sauce (黑椒安格拉斯牛柳)
Gongbao mixed wild mushrooms (宫保菌菇)
Sautéed broccoli w/ garlic (蒜茸西兰花)
Fried rice w/ duck meat and veggies (田园鸭丝炒饭)
Sweetern red bean soup w/ lily bulb (红豆沙) - yes the red beans were 'sweetern'... Nice mandarin rind flavors, though...
Two ducks in a row, but I'm still underwhelmed. Do I need to go back to Quanjude (全聚德) for a more satisfying duck?!
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