Eating a whole Peking duck at a restaurant often feels very ceremonious. A chef will carve the freshly roasted duck next to your table, steam rising as the skin is sliced off. The process feels grand and purposeful.
Enjoying the dish is a graceful affair. Thin slices of skin and meat are dipped into sauce (each restaurant boasts its own specialty sauce) and then arranged on a sheet of pancake together with shreds of scallions and cucumber. Next, roll and fold the pancake into a small little bolster. When you bite into the ensemble, sweet bean sauce leaks into your mouth, paving the way for the rest of the fillings.
Dadong, a famous Peking duck chain, is reinventing the way to enjoy the imperial delicacy. Instead of a formal sit-down meal, it is providing an alternative: grabbing the treat to-go.
Currently only available at one location (opposite the JW Marriott in Chaoyang District, Beijing), the Dadong Peking Duck Burger packs the regular Western burger ingredients like tomato and lettuce between a sesame studded bun. The patty is, of course, replaced with a slice of duck skin and lean duck meat.
With fries and chilled soft drink as part of the set meal, it is understandable to forget for a moment that it is not your regular burger, until your teeth sink into the crispy duck skin; its signature overpowering, distinctive flavour jolts you back to reality.
I am not a Peking duck connoisseur, so this unconventional variation appeals to me with its affordable price tag and convenience. With Dadong Peking Duck Burger, I do not have to organise a proper gathering with a group of friends to enjoy a Peking duck. I can just stroll into this bright, glass-walled outlet anytime and order a single portion of the centuries-old delight.
It is also a trendy choice of meal: a staple of Western culture infused with a local identity, served in the upscale Beijing central business district. At times when the Chinese capital bogs me down with its stern and grim demeanour, I am glad to have little spots like this for a respite, without having to venture far away from the Chinese heritage which may have been exactly what drawn us to China in the first place.
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