After a much-deserved sleep and bath, we walked down Wangfujing Street to a hutong (small side street) to look at the menu of a famous roast duck restaurant which dates back to 1906. There are many shops from this period in Wangfujing as well as the ridiculously expensive modern stores selling Western designer clothes. In the evening we meandered down to the restaurant to eat some “Quanjude” roast duck which is roasted using fruit wood. The smoke is clear with a distinctive aroma and gives the duck a rosy colour. The chef can remove the duck from the oven using a special metal stick which ensures that the duck has been cooked to the correct temperature. The duck comes in three forms: a plate of slices of duck, another plate with a “knuckle” and a third plate with 4-5 rings of meat in the form of a chrysanthemum. There is a side dish with four ingredients: chopped onion, chopped celery, soya sauce and white sugar. I had a sweet of 6 small things which look like eggs but had a rubbery outside and a soft creamy inside. There were three flavours: orange, mango and black currant.
Beijing Novotel
Jennifer and friends
Wangfujing shopping street
The snake which brings good harvests
Beijing Roast Duck Restaurant
Shop opposite the restaurant
Chef roasting a duck. They are held up by special tongs to retain their shape.
Ordering a duck
The slices of duck arranged like a peony can be seen on the left.
Fruit tree wood used to roast the duck
Panda in Wangfujing