I always consider the family of China Tang restaurants (which has a few branches around town) serves one of the best Peking Duck dishes in town, so it seems like a deal too good to pass up when we saw them running a special offer for their signature dish at 1/3 their usual price. Coronavirus special.
The location of the restaurant is perfect for us in the days of social distancing – we managed to just swoop in to the restaurant without even having to come in close contact with anyone. Obviously we were not the only one who wanna take advantage of the promotion – the dining room was literally full with every table ordering the Peking Duck. I felt for the dude having to carve the ducks in front of every table all night long.
We did order a couple of cold appetizers to start. The candied tomato with mustard sesame sauce looked like a simple dish but it has great flavor – almost reminded me of those super-sweet Japanese fruit tomatoes and served with a generous spoonful of sesame dressing. The Sichuan “mala” chili sauce was done just right for our second appetizer of marinated ox tripe, with just the right kick of spiciness without being overbearing, especially with the bottle of champagne that we brought over.
The duck arrived right on time just as we finished up the starters. It came in very decent size – especially it’s just for the two of us – and the chef carefully carved the pieces into the plate for us. On the table was the series of condiments – julienned cucumber and leek, sugar and ginger, hoisin sauce, garlic puree and the steamed soft crepes kept in a warm bamboo basket. Three different cuts were served - skin, breast and thigh – and they recommended us to enjoy them with different seasonings in the right order.
The skin was perfectly done – crispy, paper-thin and almost melt-in-your-mouth – all it took was just the dip of the sugar to balance the fatty taste. Definitely the highlight of the evening. Then it’s the breast with just the meat – usually this is the part that could sometimes be overcooked and dry, but here it’s still succulent and juicy with a tiny bit of fatty bit attached. It worked well with the generous splash of hoisin sauce and leek in the warm pancake. The thigh part was a little bit of both – the meat was even more tender and fatty and with a little bit of those crispy skin. I liked them with the grated garlic puree for that hint of tanginess. The size of the duck was good for 4-6 people but it’s almost effortless for us to finish the whole bird by ourselves.
And we did order a couple more dishes. The seasonal amaranth was prepared the traditional way with garlic and superior broth, for the comforting taste, and I enjoyed the sweet and sour pork – done with a twist with pineapples, water-chestnuts and also fried dough for a good mix of different textures with the perfectly balanced sweet and sour sauce. We have been deprived of good old Chinese-style desserts for a long while, so the bowl of warm double-boiled milk custard with pureed taro was just what we needed to finish our dinner with.
When? April 12 2020
Where? China Tang, 4/F Landmark Atrium, 15 Queen's Road Central, Central
Menu Highlights? Signature Peking Duck
Drinks? 2009 Bruno Paillard Champagne Assemblage Brut (Disgorged September 2017)
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