Peking duck sophistication added to menu
One of Bejing’s best Peking duck restaurants has made a foray into Shanghai’s dining scene on the Bund. Sheng Yong Xing has two established branches in Beijing and recently opened a third outlet inside Bund 5. Compared to the capital’s other time-honored, touristpacked duck brands, such as Da Dong, Quan Ju De, and Siji Minfu, Sheng Yong Xing is a scene-stealing newcomer with a flawless, attentive service and wine pairing philosophy.
This high-end restaurant is surely one of the most sophisticated in the Peking duck world. Before entering the elegantly partitioned dining room, customers pass through a section dedicated to openbrick ovens where the ubiquitous birds are fired to perfection.
The dining room’s dim, warm lighting sets the mood, with windows looking over the river and the city’s skyline. The design is sleek and elegant, with a comfortable distance between each table thus allowing intimacy and privacy, while beautiful plants here and there add a natural touch to the space.
The signature roast duck features glossy skin and less oily flesh. The fancy Peking duck set per person costs 268 yuan for a plate of duck meat and additional flourishes, such as duck skin shards topped with Russian sturgeon caviar. A dash of creamy caviar adds a touch of saltiness to the crispy delicate skin. The right portion of roast duck for each person allows diners to indulge in other dishes.
Appetizers such as peppered escargot, caviar quail egg, Chinese cabbage with sesame sauce are recommended to start off the evening’s banquet. Exquisite seafood dishes are also available, such as high-quality sea cucumber and braised abalone that have long been regarded in China as top treasure seafood.
Wines are an inseparable part of Chinese restaurants and this one is no different. Li Meiyu, the female
sommelier who scooped the 2011 China National Sommelier of the Year award, is behind the wine program at Sheng Yong Xing.
The wine menu, covering a global array of wines, is smartly created with easy-to-get pairing recommendations for those unfamiliar with the wine world.
Fast and furious they aren’t, but for a group of Japanese retro car enthusiasts the sleek lines and high shine of their old-school models hold a much more special charm.
A loose club of fans rolls up most weekends in central Tokyo to show off their Cadillacs, Chevrolets and other modern classic vehicles from the mid to late 20th century.
“Each time I drive it, I still get a thrill. There aren’t many vehicles that give you that feeling,” Masamune Isogai spoke of his Knight Rider replica — a Pontiac Trans Am, the car made famous by the hit 1980s TV drama.
Sliding into the driver’s seat — which he calls the cockpit — he is surrounded by futuristic displays, illuminated buttons and a wheel that looks like an oversized gaming controller.
These sci-fi touches were installed to give the ride the look and feel of the show’s AI-powered talking car called Knight Industries Two Thousand, or KITT.
“I speak to the car when I drive,” laughed the 46-yearold, who has owned the streamlined black vehicle — complete with sound effects and a “KITT scanner” light on the front — for around a decade.
These days Japan is known for its practical cars that economize on fuel and space, and rarely break down — a world away from the group’s painstakingly maintained wheels.
The casual society has around 10 members and the oldest cars they own are a 1941 Cadillac and a restored 1929 Ford Model-A.
People cheer and take snaps as the cars go by, from the 1956 Ford F100 Pumpkin to the 1961 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia.
“The shape of old cars is very charming, impossible with today’s mass production,” said Hiroyuki Wada, 49, next to his red 1959 Cadillac Coupe de Ville.
“When you get older, you are more likely to appreciate a car that requires lots of care,” Wada said.
“Old engines often need 10 minutes or so to warm up before you can drive them. That’s what’s really charming about them.”
Wada, who runs a car valet business near Tokyo, will spend three to four days on each old-fashioned ride to give it a shiny new look.
He says his heart belongs to American vehicles including old police cars, which he rents out for film and photography shoots. “Someday I want to valet old fire engines in the United States. That is my dream,” he said.
Each time I drive it, I still get a thrill. There aren’t many vehicles that give you that feeling.
Masamune Isogai Retro car enthusiast