The Mighty Duck: North v South
Da Dong Roast Duck crispy skin dipped in sugar
To Man Wah at the Mandarin Oriental where a two week stint by Beijing’s Da Dong Duck is drawing to a close. The delicious smell of roast duck filling the restaurant is too much to resist so we order a half Da Dong “superlean” bird (Da Dong’s famed take on Peking Duck is that it contains less fat than others). The Master of Roast Duck carves it, Beijing style, with both the skin and meat – unlike the Cantonese way of serving just the crispy skin. And the pancakes are roasted to form small brittle pockets rather than soft translucent sheets. We are directed to dip the skin into a little bit of sugar and the flesh into a dark, sticky sauce that remains a secret to Da Dong. The duck fest at Man Wah ends today but if you miss it and aren’t planning a visit to Beijing any time soon look out for it again around the same time next year.
mandarinoriental.com/hongkong/
Chopstix & the City 