Bob's Blog: Beijing: May 2007

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.