King Roast Duck Restaurant, Beijing, China
Last Visit: Apr 2009
"...a superb and complete Peking roast duck feast..."
OVERALL
Ten years ago when I stayed in Beijing for one month, there weren't that many choices when it comes to Peking ducks. Nowadays, there is a Peking restaurant in every street corner. Duck King has been around for long time, but it's not old and classic like Quanjude, neither is it fashionable like the newer ones. It's a place to go for a superb and complete Peking roast duck feast in a reasonably comfortable setting. Forget about 100 renminbi ducks though - those good days are GONE!
SURPRISE! This place is made for duck-lovers. If you don't like ducks you shouldn't even bother coming in. Unlike some tourist destinations, this place actually puts their emphasis on creating and serving amazingly delicate food, rather than making every look fancy and carve the duck in front of you like a show.
There are typically two ways to carve a Peking duck - meat with skin attached, or meat and skin separately. Then there are different schools where skin should be in big pieces vs. small pieces. Duck King's ducks are carved with smaller pieces of skin, which works well with their buns which are also smaller. The place emphasizes on quality, not quantity. The result is that six of us ate three quackies.... The skin is perfectly crispy and meat is juicy and succulent, no complaints at all. I tend to eat them with lots of onions and sauce, but they are even good without them because the skin is not oily at all. You can't say that in Quanjude.
The other parts of the ducks are, as usually, well-utilized. The must-tries are duck tongues, duck glizzards and duck feet, all prepared with simple yet delicate taste and texture. I was a bit disappointed by the tasteless soup, but then again I was expecting something heavy and greasy, which is not exactly fashionable in China. Here's the real surprise - they actually make very good non-duck dishes like dumplings and "chive empanada" too, really worth trying and they complement your duck feast well.
SERVICE
Beijing restaurants have come a LONG way since I first visited back in 1999. Service is a lot more friendly now and they actually don't throw the dishes down on your table any more (well, I'm sure those places are still around!). Afterall, capitalists are no longer enemies of the state. Nevertheless, they can use a bit more finesse and friendliness given that this is, afterall, not a cheap noodles joint in the hutong.
AMBIENCE
As much as I hate to eat under lanterns and on a tableclothes with hand-sown pictures of whatever, the place is decorated with good taste and an attempt to create the atmosphere that suits a classic Chinese duck feast. The one I went to in Chaoyang, one of the original ones, can definitely use a facelift though.
VALUE
I so wish to give them a FOUR because most Chinese restaurants offer superb quality and quantity for their prices; however, the quantity is a real issue here. Their ad and website stress that they offer great value for the quality they provide, but I only agree that their quality is good. The value is only good if everyone in your group are severely under weight or have stomach ucer, else you'll probably either walk out hungry or with an empty wallet.
BOTTOMLINE
If you go to Beijing, you simply must 1) visit the palace, 2) climb the great wall and 3) try Peking Duck. If you choose Duck King, you won't be disappointed. It offers a good combination of classic Peking duck and refined overall quality. And trust me, duck feet and glizzards (oh and liver, tongue, tail...) taste MUCH better than they sound!
BTW
They have seven outlets now, so I'm not sure whether they are all as good or even look the same.
