How to order Peking roasted duck in a Chinese restaurant
Not all Chinese restaurants serve roast Peking Duck. Among the ones that do, the quality of the Peking Duck varies. The best Peking Duck I ever tasted was at a restaurant called Peacock in Makati. My father used to bring me there but I have no idea if the establishment still exists. The worst Peking Duck experience I have ever had was at Spring Deer restaurant along Timog Avenue in Quezon City. The skin was carved and served with the traditional Chinese pancakes. Then, the staff carried the duck away. My goodness, with all the meat remaining? That was many, many years ago. I hope the service has improved.
A few days ago, to celebrate my mother-in-law’s 82nd birthday, we had dinner at Causeway Seafood Restaurant, one of the Chinese restaurants where we don’t have any complaints about the quality of the food. My sister-in-law ordered Peking roasted duck and there was a discussion about how the duck would be served—two-ways or three-ways?
When ordering Peking duck, having it served “two-ways” means the skin will be carved and served with Chinese pancakes, slivered spring onions and hoisin sauce (above); the meat will be cooked as a main dish. In Causeway, that would be the salt-and-pepper duck. But soup made from chopped duck bones are just so wonderful so I suggested having it served “three-ways”.
A Peking Duck served “three-ways” means the skin will be carved and served with Chinese pancakes, the carcass will be chopped and cooked as a soup (above) and the meat served as a third dish. In Causeway, that was the diced duck meat served with iceberg lettuce (below). You take a piece of lettuce, place a tablespoonful or two of the duck meat at the center, roll up the lettuce and eat it burrito style.
While “three-ways” always includes the soup and the appetizer of skin-and-Chinese-pancakes, the third dish varies in different restaurants. In Peacock, for instance, the meat was stir fried with Chinese broccoli.
So, when you order Peking roasted duck in a Chinese restaurant, it pays to know your options. Otherwise, some sleazy establishment might serve the skin with Chinese pancakes then take the rest of the duck away.
ShareYou might like these too...
Comments
12 Responses to “How to order Peking roasted duck in a Chinese restaurant”If you want your own pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!
View the archive
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| « Feb | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |||
Conversations
- Elaine on 'Tiramisu, party style': This is a genius take on tiramisu. Not only it looks presentable but...
- nina on 'Chocolate cheesecake': Looks yummy…I agree, Ms. Connie, the finished product is only as good...
- phynkee on 'Chocolate cheesecake': Hi Ms. Connie, your cheesecake recipes are so yummy, I made the coffee...
- Clydi on 'How to caramelize sugar': You are a god send. I have tried several recipes before and my sugar...
- Charlotte on 'Chicken, Edam cheese and pasta dish': Can I omit the white wine?
Stay updated!
Peking duck at Causeway is really good! I’ve been to Peacock before in Makati but I’m also not sure if it’s still there. Anyway, have you tried Pritchon? It’s a ala Peking duck litchon. The skin is also wrapped in pancakes – may flavor pa – plain, carrot, and spinach! They are served with different sauces. We you order, kasama na yung carvers. It’s really good too.
Your tip is much appreciated. Now, I have an idea on how to order the Peking duck and get all the buck I paid for! Yes, the bony part is great for soup.
we had Peking Duck in one of the best restaurants in San Fransisco’s Chinatown about a month ago and they served it with “pancakes” which were round, flat siopao bread (minus the filling). i’ve never seen it served that way before. it was the best i’ve tasted in the US!
kulasa, no havent tried pritchon yet. looking forward though hehehe
you’re welcome, Ube.
the bread was sweet, purplegirl? traditional chinese pancakes contain a little salt but no sugar. i tried making them once… never again LOL!
I’ve never enjoyed Peking Duck back home but love it here in Beijing – authentic Beijing (Peking) Duck talaga! We usually have it “2-waysÓ – skin and meat carved and served in a platter (we’d be the ones to prepare everything with spring onion and sauce,etc any way we want it), and the bones cooked as a soup. Since we order other things to go with our duck… pinapa-tapaw (balot) na lang namin ang buto at lutuin na lang sa bahay
They’d actually ask us if we want it to be cooked as soup or bring it home….
iska, oo nga pala nasa peking duck country ka. super enjoy!
The best Peking Duck in the world is, supposedly, bred and cooked by the master chefs over at Quanjude. It’s a famous Peking Duck restaurant with an impeccable lineage–about (or more than) 200 years old, started by imperial cooks and visited by various heads of states and cognoscenti. I’ve dined in their Beijing branch once–and have an absolutely funny story to tell about it, but, that’s another thing altogether–and the Shanghai branch a couple of times. The prices are reasonable but have got to admit that I don’t really see what the fuss is all about. The Quanjude duck is bred to be a lot fattier than its Hong Kong and Filipino cousins which might explain why I feel nauseous after having just 2 “Peking Duck burritos”. They normally serve it 2-ways, just like how Iska described it. First, they roll out the duck and, with great flourish, carve the meat and skin, which is then served with steaming hot pancakes, sprightly green and white spring onions and hoisin sauce. Then, they serve you a soup of clear broth studded with duck bones and Shanghai bok choy (imagine a really small pechay). It’s not customary for this particular restaurant to serve the left over duck meat in another dish, HOWEVER, they will give you the option to either doggy bag the duck carcass home. If you decide against it, they will chop up the carcass and add it to a huge vat of duck broth they have simmering away in their (semi) open kitchen. Another thing that I’ve seen a lot of Chinese diners do is to order millet porridge to round up the rich meal.
The best talaga ang Causeway! You’ll keep coming back. But you have to reserve though, otherwise they might run out especially if it’s a holiday or weekend.
Ma’am Connie, where can I buy hoisin sauce?
Marie, I understand what you mean about feeling nauseous with all that fat. My goonies, the ducks served in Chinese restaurants here are fatty enough.
Rizza, from the supermarket. I use Lee Kum Kee.
Peking Garden serves one of the best peking duck, at least here in manila. They also have good carvers. We usually have the duck one way, have the whole duck carve d meat and skin, and just bring home the bones. I prefer to eat it in its original form and taste rather than it being transformed into another dish.
Gloria Mari’s (podium) have lousy carvers, and they serve it with watered down hoisin sauce.
The best peking duck that I’ve tried is In Mandarin hotel…I forgot kung ano yung name ng restaurant sa upper level but you have to call for reservation… it was so delicious and they serve it 3 ways, but ang pinaka the best is peking duck wrapped in pancake… bitin nga kasi lakas kumain ng mga boss na nagbayad hehe.. Medyo mahal pero napaka authentic and worth it isa pa di naman ako nagbayad kaya lalong masarap ang kain… ms. connie me tanong lang meron ba nabibiling ready made na chinese pancake and saan sya mabibili… thanks and more power to you!!
Hello miss Sassy!!! I’ve been lurking through your blogs this past weeks and i’m really addicted to it!! really love your site!! More power to you and to your family! Thank you for sharing your recipe!!!
Pecking Garden’s pecking ducks is really yummy, we love it 2ways, (1) curved the skin and some meat served with chinese “hotcakes”,cucumber,green onions,and hoisin sauce, and (2nd) the bones were cooked schezwan/schezuan style (fried with lots of garlic and chilis.. super yummy! We never tried to do the bones soup style..=) I think we’ll try that next time, 3ways maybe =)
I wonder if the Pecking Garden in Glorietta still exist..