鸭肉饭馆: Duck, Duck, Goose

全聚德 Quanjude, Hepingmen, 34ºC, hazy

Beijing is well-known for its rich local cuisine that spans from 馄饨 wontons and 饺子 dumplings to 酥鱼 braised fish and 腰肉 duck. I had the great fortune this morning of waking up to a text from a good friend inviting me to one of Beijing’s most famous duck restaurants, Quanjude, that evening. Of course, I was delighted to take him up on the offer, and that evening, I made the trip across the city to join him and some friends at this revered restaurant.

There were a number of distinguishing elements to this meal. First of all, we had the luxury of eating in out own private room. We were waited on by five 服务员 waitresses no less. Then there was the musician playing the 古筝 Guzheng, a traditional Chinese instrument akin to the Korea gayageum. And we were also treated to a spectacular mask-changing show (pictured below), in which a man danced to Chinese music and changed his mask with a flick of his cloak. Beyond the wonderful setting we enjoyed, the duck was delicious too! It was both crisp and tender, a perfect combination.