​北京大董烤鸭店 Beijing Da Dong Roast Duck @Dongcheng District, Beijing

Peking duck is one of the must-try when one is in Beijing. With prices ranging from relatively cheap ¥100+ per bird to exorbitant (¥888 for roast duck coated in real gold), we are really spoilt for choice!

After much Googling and getting recommendations from friends, we decided to narrow down to 大董烤鸭 Da Dong and 四季民福 Sijiminfu.

Our first duck stop was at 大董烤鸭 Da Dong, for the main shop was quite near our hotel.

We reached the restaurant around 12.40pm and did not have to wait too long for a table.

This was a huge place and decorated beautifully, with menu thicker than my Mathematics textbooks 😮 The prices were also rather steep, but this restaurant has won multiple awards before too.

We decided to stick to basics and ordered Half a Duck (¥144 ~S$30) with Duck Condiments (¥12/person).

Our duck was expertly sliced up, and it was suggested that we eat the skin with the osmanthus sugar. The skin was truly exceptional. Thin with just the right amount of fats, it literally melted in our mouths as we bit into the crispy skin before touching the tender fats. It was just unbelievably awesome… Like love at first bite!

We found the meat to be a little on the tough side, though. Slightly disappointed, but the different ways of eating the meat distracted us from its texture. We had it with the delicious pancakes and toasted sesame buns, along with the different condiments, and rather enjoyed it.

There was also a free serving of 冬枣 Jujubes (or dates), soup and dessert. The jujubes were served chilled, and were refreshing! The soup was quite creamy and delicious too. The sesame dessert was flavourful and was a sweet ending to our meal.