The ducks have flown to the West
In New York they will soon be enjoying Beijing’s most famous dish, presented with a poetic touch
Perhaps never before has the opening of a Chinese restaurant in the US made such a buzz. It is owned by one of China’s most influential chefs, Dong Zhenxiang, who has attained celebrity status.
It has been a big name in China among both Chinese and expatriates, and it is where the family of the US former first lady Michelle Obama chose to dine when she and her children were in Beijing in 2014 at the invitation of Chinese First Lady Peng Liyuan.
It is Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant, which will open its first overseas restaurant in New York, just west of Times Square, in December.
As opening day draws near, I talked to Dong Zhenxiang, 56, founder and chef-owner of Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant, whose 1.93 m stature makes him an imposing presence, hence his nickname Da Dong, literally Big Dong.
The US outlet covers 1,700 square meters and will seat about 400 people on two floors, including on a large outdoor terrace on the second floor. The ground (first) floor serves only as the entrance to the secondfloor dining room, which offers an a la carte menu. The third floor, with additional, but smaller, outdoor space, offers a prix fixe menu.
Dong Zhenxiang declares proudly that the restaurant has been able to bring in five of its own chefs.
“They are the core of the chef’s team at our US restaurant. That’s a breakthrough. In going abroad it’s paramount for Da Dong to have our own chefs.
This is a far cry from many other Chinese restaurants, mostly located in the Chinatowns of the world, that recruit local chefs who are probably Chinese migrants and who are likely to be out of touch with authentic Chinese cuisine.
Diners in the New York outlet will taste the same dishes that Da Dong serves in its 14 restaurants in China.
“We are trying to transplant authentic Da Dong dishes to the US,” Dong says. “The only difference is that ingredients will be locally sourced in the US.”
For the New York menu, 50 dishes have been chosen from Da Dong’s more than 200 dishes in China, he says.
In terms of flavor, he says, there may be a few slight changes in certain dishes to cater to local palates.
The target customers in the US are both ethnic Chinese and Westerners, he says.
Sea cucumber, one of the most sought-after ingredients in China, will be on the menu in New York, even if it sounds bizarre to many Westerners.
Dong’s braised sea cucumber is one of Da Dong’s signature dishes.
“I am so glad that overseas diners will be able to enjoy this Chinese gourmet icon, which is such a highquality and healthy Chinese ingredient,” Dong says.
In New York, Da Dong’s speciality,
In going abroad it’s paramount for Da Dong to have our own chefs ... We are trying to transplant authentic Da Dong dishes to the US.” Dong Zhenxiang,
subuni (crispy, not greasy) roast duck, will sell for $98, and half a duck for $58.
Other dishes that will be served in New York include: kung pao shrimp; braised eggplant; truffle braised whole abalone with Chinese iron yam; tofu with saffron sauce; soy sauce fried rice; pan-fried dumplings and crystal vegetable buns; and cold avocado noodles with spicy Sichuan sauce.
Beverages will include not only fine wines from the West, but also Chinese baijiu, yellow rice wine and tea, some for pairing with dishes.
Da Dong was founded in Beijing in 1985 and now has 10 outlets in the capital and four in Shanghai. Last year when the French culinary bible Michelin published its guide for Shanghai, the first it has put out for a Chinese city, two of Da Dong’s branches in the city made the list with one star each, an honor they have retained this year.
What gave rise to Da Dong was Dong Zhenxiang’s realizing the importance of developing healthy fare, an idea with which he was years ahead of many other Chinese restaurants.
In 1995 he set out to reinvent the techniques of duck roasting and introduced subuni roast duck, which is far less fatty than duck cooked by traditional methods, but which is still delectable.
Today this duck is regarded as the benchmark in healthy and delicious roast duck. Dip its crisp skin in the sugar and savor it as it melts on your tongue. It’s not greasy, just succulent.
Of course, the 600-year-old Peking roast duck has many variants, available in restaurants the world over that offer Beijing fare, and each may fairly be claimed to be unique in some way, but one thing that sets Da Dong apart is that it offers what it calls “an artistic conception of Chinese cuisine” known as yijing cuisine that is unparalleled.
Da Dong’s yijing cuisine borrows aesthetics and elements from Chinese poetry, literature, painting and bonsai grooming, giving an exquisite Chinese cultural interpretation to culinary creations.
Dining at Da Dong, you will see on the menu that each main dish is illustrated with a line of Chinese poems or prose. Every dish seems to
If you go
be a paean to traditional Chinese art and culture, and comes out beautifully, and well-conceived, just like works of art.
“It’s very difficult to explain yijing cuisine to Westerners, in particular the profound poetry, and stories depicting each dish on the menu,” Dong says.
“Rather than taking up space translating lines of verse into English on the menu, and at the same time risking losing the original meaning and artistic conception, they are better left in the original Chinese characters.”
Dong says he started scouting for an overseas location for his chain eight years ago, but he soon came up against the problem that ducks cannot be exported from China, cooked or uncooked.
He thus began searching overseas for locally produced ducks that could meet the standards for making Da Dong’s subuni roast duck.
He finally chose White Pekin ducks, which have a tender, less gamy flavor, raised by Maple Leaf Farms, a duck producer in the US.
“The ducks from Maple Leaf Farms are not perfect for roasting Peking ducks, but they are the best we have found in the US to substitute for the ones we use in China.”
Da Dong’s big New York opening has been long in the making. In fact it shipped some of its patented electric stoves designed specifically for roasting ducks to the city two years ago.
Talking of his vision of promoting Chinese cuisine overseas, Dong says: “Dining mirrors the economic status of society. Historically Chinese restaurants have been perceived as low-quality, low-cost operations with poor service. That is mainly because of the social conditions that prevailed in China at the time.
“But these days, with China’s rise as a global economic power and the growing status of Chinese overseas, Chinese food and culture have begun to gain popularity worldwide. It’s high time that Da Dong brought Chinese culinary arts and culture to foreigners via our New York eatery.”
The potential for fine Chinese restaurants abroad is huge, he says.
“Going abroad is the trend for companies that want to globalize. It is market forces that are driving us.”
Dong is philosophical about his chain’s prospects in the US.
“It’s up to the market. Fortunately we have signed a lease for 15 years in New York. That’s enough time for Da Dong to be successful there.”