Head Chef Li Gang (李钢) - not to be confused with the one from "我爸是李刚" - came to finish the signature dish tableside. I was already drooling like Pavlov's dog...
January 4, 2026
Beijing trip day 3: 3 ducks with Da Dong
Another day, another morning with no appetite for breakfast. Knowing we have another big lunch coming up, I decided to give up my search for that jianbing (煎饼) breakkie I have so longed to have.
I've always enjoyed my meals at restaurants bearing the Da Dong (大董) name. While Mr. Dong is famous for his newer style, "crispy not greasy (酥不腻)" roast Peking ducks, it's a style I don't particularly care for. I like my ducks juicy and greasy, and nothing excites me more than seeing the juices run down as a chef slices up a bird. However, I am a BIG fan of his other dishes - from the more traditional Shandong cuisine to even his "creative" work involving molecular gastronomy.
I was really happy that Gastro Esthetics at DaDong (美•大董海参店) was included on our itinerary. It's been too long since my last visit to DaDong, and I still think about the sea cucumber I enjoyed 9 years ago...
Foursheets noticed the Maybach SUV parked right outside the restaurant entrance, but we quickly went upstairs to our private dining room. Chef Dee from Chef 1996 Restaurant (1996川菜•主厨餐厅) was our hostess today, and there was a spread of little snacks for us to enjoy while we waited for everyone to arrive.
The menu at DaDong's restaurants have always seemed like literary works. I still recall the big, à la carte menus looking like traditional Chinese texts, and our custom menu today read like a scroll. The title was Banquet Postlude to Winter (冬趣).
We started with some Champagne. Since I don't have to work today, I don't mind a little light drinking at lunch...
Perrier-Jouët Blanc de Blancs, dégorgée le 31 Juillet 2023 - good acidity balance on the palate.
Finger food: 4 Pekinese snacks (手指餐：北京小吃四款): I guess we got a little extra since I counted 6...
Pickled celtuce cubes (泡莴苣丁) - in chili oil.
Peanuts soaked in vinegar (醋泡花生)
Hawthorn (山楂)
Crispy mung bean rolls (咯吱盒) - a traditional snack which, according to legend, got its name when eunuchs in the Forbidden City misheard the Empress Dowager (慈禧太后).
Beef cubes (牛肉丁)
Shredded mustard stem (撇了丝)
Prelude • appetizers (前调 • 前菜)
Pickled sweet and sour Chinese cabbage patch (糖醋白菜墩)
Duck webs with mustard (芥末手剥鸭掌) - this is such a classic, with traditional yellow mustard. Very nice.
Tufo two ways: spicy and fresh with scallions (小葱豆腐和麻豆腐双拼) - I tasted the tofu with scallions, and there was lots of soy bean flavor.
Mashed eggplants with sesame paste (麻酱茄泥) - not, that wasn't sea urchin on those little crisps...
Sweet and sour plum pork chop (指橙糖醋小排) - definitely sweet.
Graceful rhythm • soup (悠韵 • 汤)
Stewed cuttlefish ovary soup (烩乌鱼蛋汤) - the soup was pretty nice, made with vinegar, starch, and white pepper.
The thin slices of cuttlefish ovaries were very, very tender.
Essence • signature main dishes (菁华 • 招牌主菜)
Braised sea cucumber meal (伙食海参) - I've waited 9 years to taste this dish, and DAYAM! This was FUCKING GOOD! OF COURSE the sea cucumber was as tender as could be, but the leeks they used - which reportedly can grow to 2 meters long - were really sweet.
The sauce was soooo good. Naturally we needed to enjoy this with some rice. I was so happy that I immediately proclaimed that, even if the lunch stopped right here after this dish, coming here would already have been worthwhile.
Crisp persimmon salad (浅唱 • 小品 • 红树间歇黄 • 脆柿子沙拉) - this was a palate-cleanser, with persimmon balls and crispy chips made with passion fruit and hawthorn.
I didn't scrutinize the menu when we first got seated, and in any case it was already set by our hostess... Foursheets and I felt it would be awkward for us to ask the kitchen to substitute something else at this point, so for the first time in many, many years, I ate shark's fin.
Braised purse-shaped fin with saffron sauce (红花汁烧金钩翅) - I hate to admit this, but I really enjoyed this. The strands of the lower tail were very tender, but the thickened saffron sauce was just beautiful. If only it could have come with something else other than shark's fin.
I was surprised yet again that something else was served out of order. Today it was the first duck dish.
DaDong roast marinated duck (大董烧烤鸭) - this would be the first time for me to have roast Peking duck with sauce. Garnished with some wild garlic flowers.
This was another dish served over rice. The sauce was very nice with flavors of 5 spice. A very difference experience, but very delish.
We had a surprise visit from Chef Dong Zhenxiang (董振祥) - Mr. DaDong himself. That was obviously his Maybach parked by the door, and he came to greet the Lightly-buzzed Chef. When he was told that we would be having the "Version 5.0 roast duck", he lamented that we should be having the "Version 3.0" featuring the 22-day duckling, but it was already too late to prep one for us. The staff, though, insisted that one could be prepared in time.
Recital in motion • main dishes (行吟 • 主菜)
Stewed halibut home-cooked style (家常熬比目鱼) - this does look like it's something mom would cook at home... although I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have a big halibut like this.
The flavors, though, were pretty familiar. Haven't lived in Hong Kong for so long, I kinda miss this way of cooking fish.
DaDong signature wok-fried beef with scallion (大董招牌葱爆牛肉) - this is such a comfort dish for me, and when I was young dad would order it often when we dined out. So tasty... and I loved that it came on a sizzling hot plate.
Sautéed four delicacies (烧四宝) - apparently an off-menu signature dish. The delicacies were chicken, duck, bamboo shoots, and duck's gizzard.
Pinched bean sprouts (烹捏菜) - the bean sprouts and Brussel sprouts were cooked with vinegar.
Chef Dong's braised eggplant (董氏烧茄子) - a dish with its origins from Chef Dong's childhood, when his father would braise eggplant as a more affordable alternative to fatty pork belly.
I would always prefer a hunk of fatty pork belly myself, but I understand the sentimental value behind the dish. And yes, it was pretty tasty as far as eggplant goes, with rich flavors.
Delicate Fragrance (幽香 • 主食)
Our second duck came, and this time we had a chef slicing it up tableside.
DaDong "SuBuNi" crispy non-fatty roast duck (大董酥不腻烤鸭5.0) - so they are now up to "Version 5.0" of their signature roast duck. The "upgraded" version now has skin that is even more crispy, less fat, and meat that is more tender and juicy.
I was too polite to grab one of these legs, and left them to those who were more worthy.
VIP service meant we got the staff to wrap the pancakes for us.
I also did a lettuce wrap, and dispensed with the sauce so I could taste the duck on its own.
Stir-fried shredded potato and celery shoots in vinegar (醋烹土豆丝芹菜芽) - our hostess added this dish on the fly, and I was very grateful for it. Mom used to make this at home when I was younger, and I haven't really had this homey dish much in the last few decades. This may be a humble dish of potatoes, but it warmed my heart.
Thanks to the boss' intervention, we now had another duck - our third for this meal.
DaDong "SuBuNi" crispy non-fatty roast duck (大董酥不腻烤鸭3.0) - so the difference between the "Version 2.0" that made them famous and this "Version 3.0" is the use of young 22-day ducklings (小雏鸭).
A standard "second serving" of roast Peking duck comes in the form of duck rack in salt and pepper (椒盐鸭架). Love the cronch.
Crispy meat buns (酥皮肉饼) - this "millefeuille" definitely looked impressive, and some of us country bumpkins just stared in wonder...
And it was really, really good! A beautiful combination of pork, scallions, and crispy dough. If only I had more stomach space.
Candied apple (拔丝苹果) - a traditional dessert that needs to be served right at the table. So nostalgic and brought out the kid in me.
Candied hawthorn (糖葫芦) - not exactly how one finds it on the streets of Beijing, as they are presented with lilies here.
The hawthorns are stuffed with red bean paste (豆沙) inside, and coated in sugar.
Angel's kiss (停车枫林晚) - a poetic ending to our meal, where the persimmon was covered in autumn maple leaves made with passion fruit, hawthorn, and chocolate... and sprinkled with castor sugar to mimic the snow.
This was an amazing meal filled with beautiful dishes, and scratched a number of itches for me all in one go. While I still prefer my Peking ducks to be dripping in fat and juices, I can certainly appreciate the years of research that has gone into the create the iconic SuBuNi ducks and put Chef Dong on the world stage. All three ducks we had today were very beautiful and delicious.
We also got a tour of the kitchens, including the sections where the ducks are roasted in machines designed by Chef Dong. That was kinda fun. Once again I am grateful to Chef Dee for the kind arrangement and treat.
Our tour leader had arranged a guided tour of the Forbidden City (故宫) for us, so we rushed over and met our tour guide. While I've been through the Forbidden City a few times in the past, there were some of us who had never been to Beijing before.
We got a tour of the Gallery of Furniture (家具馆), which included the chairs, beds, and cabinets of emperors and empresses.
We were on a tight schedule and I had battery issues with my Insta360, so I didn't get to do a fun 360 photo with the group. It was just Foursheets and I while the group marched on ahead.
The palace grounds closes at 4:30 p.m. so we all got kicked out, just like those who weren't eunuchs during imperial China - although I was amazed that all the gege (格格) and princesses dressed in their finery also had to exit the palace grounds. Like lemmings, we all crossed the street and lined up to enter Jingshan Park (景山公园) to climb to the top of the hill, and get a bird's eye view of the Forbidden City. Unfortunately, it's winter and the light was no longer any good at this hour.
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