Bob's Blog

In search of the perfect duck:
a visit to Li Qun's Duck Restaurant

About a year ago I chanced upon an article in Gourmet magazine, that described small restaurants all over the world that locals frequent that are worth a visit. It mentioned a great restaurant that I stumbled upon in Paris (Robert et Louise,

the name alone should have been enough but it looks like something from a 1950s French film that pushed it over the top for me.) In Beijing the article recommended Li Qun. A small restaurant well hidden among the old Hutongs, Li Qun was said to serve authentic Peking Roast Duck roasted on a fire of three types of fruit wood. But no one seemed to know where it was. I was first sent west, then east, west, and back east again, but hutong hopping is great fun so never mind the indirect route (click on any photo for a larger version).

The trek was all the more difficult as most of this part of the old city is torn up with construction for the 2008 Olympics, so there were more than the usual number of dead-ends in the hutongs. But finally after about 45 minutes... Aha! The first sign. Make a right turn here. The "Li Qun ®" adds comic relief after several dead ends suggested I'd never find the joint before midnight.

Another sign - only a few steps before a corner and a left turn.

Yet another sign at the left turn, without the signs, one could easily get lost.

Must be close: 100 meters.

Closer still: 50 meters.

The piles of wood used for roasting ducks in front gives it away. Time magazine, Asia edition on Li Qun's: "Most of the city's hoarier establishments serve the dish with such reverence that visibly enjoying it can feel as unseemly as laughing at a wake. That's why eating at Li Qun is such a joy. Located in a ramshackle courtyard a few blocks south of Tiananmen Square, Li Qun is hardly genteel. Smoke from the oven wafts over diners, and the din of clanging woks is constant. But the raucousness only throws the refinement of the duck into relief. The pancakes have a chewy pluck, the sauce is the perfect mix of sweet and smoky. And the duck? Well, it doesn't get any duckier than this."

It's still a bit early before the usual dinner crowd is expected so I'm greeted by the staff cleaning duck bones and broccoli in the restaurant courtyard.

Ducks air drying.

Ducks roasting by the open fire. The reason why the roast Peking Duck is so good at Li Qun is because they roast the ducks here in the traditional way with wood burning ovens. The chefs claim to use the same traditional methods from recipes for Peking Duck that have been used since the Qing dynasty. They also hang the ducks so all the fat and oil drips off. This makes it more healthy and also makes the skin a lot more crispy.

Then you have the culinary master chefs present you with the duck then cut it for you at a nearby table. This is a skill that takes precision to get just the right cut of meat and crispy skin. It’s served on wonderfully thin flour tortilla pancakes with plum sauce and raw green onions. The locals in my small 4-table room asked for the bones to relish.

Carving - getting started.

Duck + beer, Atkins diet Beijing version.

The perfect duck pancake, very thin but firm and resilient.. chewy pluck indeed.

Yummm.

UA897: IAD to PEK: For the past few years flights to Asia take a much more northerly route than in years past. Not only is it more direct, there is no jet stream to fight at the poles (or so said a pilot a few trips ago). Unfortunately, the in-flight route map screens were not working - too bad, that's usually my favorite part of the trip, an adult, high-tech version of "when do we get there?" Some hours after takeoff, a flight attendant informed that we were 15 miles from the North Pole. It was all white with clouds and could have been anywhere.

These two pictures show the view from southern Canada (above), about an hour after departing Washington and the view just north of Beijing (at right), about 15 minutes before arrival - the Great Wall of China is clearly visible starting along the left bottom, running towards the center (Click the photo for a large version).

A view of the new PEK airport, now under construction and said to be ready for the Olympics next year; it will be the largest air terminal in the world, beating out the new (well, by now, not so very new) Hong Kong airport. According to Sir Norman's firm: "The world’s largest and most advanced airport building - not only technologically, but also in terms of passenger experience, operational efficiency and sustainability – Beijing Airport will be welcoming and uplifting. A symbol of place, its soaring aerodynamic roof and dragon-like form will celebrate the thrill of flight and evoke traditional Chinese colours and symbols."

Arrival in PEK. The current Beijing airport is already a supermodern construction that blows away most other world airports. It's pretty new opening only in late 1999. Less than seven years old, and they're building a new one?!! That's the new China. The taxi from the airport sped past the original PEK Capital Airport terminal, no longer in use for passengers. It's a typical 1950s Stalinist affair with heavy and massive construction and oversized halls. I thought back of my first arrival in PEK in that building: windows were cracked and dirty, escalators weren't working, baggage carousels were missing various components, everything was concrete and painted green, smells of garlic permeated most spaces. What a change in a mere 20 years.

Arrival at the Park Plaza Hotel. Not only was this 20 years almost to the day of my first trip to China, the hotel was located less than a block away from my first home in Beijing: the Chinese Red Cross Guest House. Back in 1987, foreigners had very slim pickings for hotels as most only accepted Chinese nationals as guests. At that time the entire area where I am now staying was one large hutong but most of that is gone - you can see bits of the typical gray roofed buildings in this photo from my window; the Red Cross Guest House is the multistoried white building just right of center.