Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Crispy Ducky in Chinatown

Crispy duck and some fixings
Whenever I travel to London I always make it a point to visit Chinatown. The restaurants there are very authentic and reminiscent of the local restaurants of Hong Kong and China. My trip wouldn't be complete without having my favorite Asian appetizer; crispy aromatic duck. This time I stopped at the Four Seasons restaurant in the heart of Chinatown, who are said to have the best in all of England. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but they do make a really tasty duck.

This dish is very similar to Peking duck for those who are familiar. The duck is first marinated with spices, then steamed until tender, and finally deep fried until crispy. This leaves an amazingly low fat and deliciously crispy skin on meat. In most restaurants here the server brings the duck (whole, half, or quarter size) directly to the table on a platter and uses a fork and spoon to shred it into chunks. Accompanying the duck is a bamboo steamer filled with thin flour pancakes similar to soft tortillas, fresh cucumbers, and a plum sauce similar to but a bit sweeter than hoisen sauce. You're basically left to the task of assembling the given ingredients to your liking, like a make your own taco night. Spread the sauce on the pancake, add a bit of duck and vegetables, wrap and enjoy a mouthful of bliss.
Posted by randomer at 6:02 AM
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33 comments:

  1. BremsyMay 17, 2011 at 6:23 AM

    AS far as I know the "western" chineese food is not quite like the original :]

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  2. SpockMay 17, 2011 at 6:28 AM

    Great post! Keep up the good work.

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  3. randomerMay 17, 2011 at 7:04 AM

    @Janez
    Actually a good selection of the dishes available there are good authentic dishes, there are quite a few western options as well. Seems to be a good mix.

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  4. Roy DemmersMay 17, 2011 at 7:33 AM

    Hmm, that picture looks delicious.

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  5. IvanMay 17, 2011 at 8:16 AM

    I swear, there's this one place in San Francisco that has AMAZING peking duck.
    One thing I noticed about having Chinese food in the states(not sure if it's the same in England) is that generally the meat is fatter. I mean, good luck trying to find a duck of that size in Hong Kong. Right?

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  6. tkNovaMay 17, 2011 at 8:39 AM

    There's some really good food in Chinatown in melbourne

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  7. fit4lifeMay 17, 2011 at 9:10 AM

    i wont eat anything from china.

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  8. DejchMay 17, 2011 at 10:19 AM

    i like chinese food! but not all of it

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  9. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 10:52 AM

    sure sounds delish!

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  10. Miyamoto KaryuuMay 17, 2011 at 12:32 PM

    gaawd u make me hungry xDD

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  11. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 12:38 PM

    Wow, sounds really good! I've never had duck, but now I want to try it.

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  12. AnonymousMay 17, 2011 at 1:08 PM

    This reminds me one of my friends been dying to try duck for a while lol

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  13. DaveMay 17, 2011 at 1:12 PM

    Ducks great when made the chinese way.

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  14. MikeMay 17, 2011 at 1:48 PM

    This is not what I need to be seeing, I'm so hungry right now.

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  15. PotholderzMay 17, 2011 at 1:55 PM

    Yum that sounds delicious.

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  16. KeiMay 17, 2011 at 3:16 PM

    Last time I went to london's chinatown I ate something from a street vendor, it wasn't very good :P Next time I'll check this place.

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  17. m.m.May 17, 2011 at 3:18 PM

    I love going to Chinatown, though for me it's usually the one in LA.

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  18. BigMikeMay 17, 2011 at 4:10 PM

    hmmmm that sounds awesome... not something I am going to find near me though ;(

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  19. D22 ZoneMay 17, 2011 at 4:30 PM

    Awesome post man! Keep up this excellent work!

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  20. Watchtower Corp.May 17, 2011 at 5:22 PM

    I like one a restaurant is true to their origins and not try to adapt it to the locals

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  21. Pinecone StewMay 17, 2011 at 5:39 PM

    WOW !!!

    Have a great week.

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  22. JimMay 17, 2011 at 6:09 PM

    There seems to be a Chinatown almost everywhere, its weird.

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  23. The SuitMay 17, 2011 at 6:14 PM

    mmmmm This makes me so hungry.

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  24. HollyMay 17, 2011 at 6:26 PM

    Hmmmm not sure if I've ever had duck. Looks pretty yummy though!

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  25. danielMay 17, 2011 at 7:29 PM

    Duck is so good.

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  26. T. Roger ThomasMay 17, 2011 at 8:02 PM

    That does sound really good!

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  27. MaggieMay 17, 2011 at 11:56 PM

    hmm i tried duck before, not a big fan of it :\

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  28. Reality CheckMay 18, 2011 at 12:16 AM

    Interesting blog you got here! I agree that your posts make me hungry too!

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  29. MalkavianMay 18, 2011 at 2:09 AM

    That is Duck? looks like Roast beef, but your description of your food sounds incredible.

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  30. Reality CheckMay 18, 2011 at 3:18 AM

    I am already hungry! Love duck!

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  31. baka1236May 18, 2011 at 3:25 AM

    that duck looks so nice

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  32. Jay ReidMay 18, 2011 at 12:14 PM

    OMG I love crispy duck, spring onions and plum sauce.

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  33. UnknownMay 18, 2011 at 7:24 PM

    Man I am so jealous I can't seem to find any good duck. I've tried several Asian joints. I need to make it myself.

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