What’s a trip to Beijing without getting a piece of the Peking Roast Duck?
That night, we were all duck hunters.
Clues led us to the original outlet of Quan Ju De, an establishment known for serving Peking Roast Duck since 1864. Quan Ju De illustrious history begun during the Qing Dynasty under Emperor Tongzhi’s rule. Quan Ju De became the first restaurant in the world to serve the delectable roasted duck that was once strictly reserved to imperial families to commoners.
As with most classic Chinese restaurants, the decor is typically oriental. Lavish gold trimmings and vibrant red feature walls gave the restaurant an imperial feel. Not a bad dining experience. Although we did ordered other dish like beef, vegetables and other very tasty dishes but this post will focus solely on the duck experience considering it is an extremely famous duck restaurant in Beijing.
Aside from badgering the chef who was tasked to carve the magic duck for us to take pictures while he was working, we had fun watching him shaves the crackling skin of this magic duck that was originally served to the emperor several hundred years ago and is considered by some to be the national food of China.
Served in well-cut slices with house-made pancakes, fine-cut green scallions, fresh cucumbers and a dish of paste-like soy of fermented wheat flour. The duck was tender and just right. Very moist and tender and not the least bit fatty. I also love the skin which was light and crispy! Oh I’m a sucker for skins that crackle in the mouth. Plus, some of the skin has a thin line of fat underneath!
I think this crepe-like Chinese popiah was so delicious because the gamy duck meat went perfectly well with the refreshing scallions, cucumbers. Not to mention the spicy glutinous glop we smeared all over the steamed crepes which tasted like thick sweet soy sauce with a slight hint of garlic, pepper. the result is an amazing combination of spicy, sweet and a very fresh tasting.
No wonder we were told that the magic duck is irresistible.
Quan Ju De
No. 14, Qianmen West Street
Beijing
We were somewhere near Raffles place one afternoon, wondering what to have for lunch when our hunky friend, Darryl T recommended a quintessential retro Chinese roast meat shop opposite the UOB plaza! This restaurant serves roast duck, roast chicken, roast pork, Char Siew, pork ribs and even roast pig!
I had the roast duck with rice. It was so-so only because I’ve tasted better ones. Though the skin was fine, the flesh was a tad too salty for my liking. Hm also felt that the texture of the rice was not smooth enough! They didn’t use fragrant rice. But hearty portions! They were so generous with the servings till I have no choice but to pass some meat and rice to my adorable rubbish bin.
Well in addition to my leftovers, adorable rubbish bin had a plate of roast pork with rice. Slightly charred at the edges, the roast pork slices are thick and crispy. It goes crack crack crack when we chomp on it. Tasted better than the duck. I stole a quite a few pieces from his plate. Heh.
I enjoyed the clear flavoursome soup (I think I tasted sweet corn and pumpkin) and the brown gravy splattered over the rice was ok, not too salty but the texture of the rice kinda spoils it! Bad rubbish bin complained that I was too fussy because he thought that the rice was fine. Grrr.
Rice issue aside, for only $3, it’s a good deal if you are craving for crackling roast meat and you happened to be around Raffles area.
Gourmet Corner
15 Philip Street #01-00 Tan Ean Kiam Building
Singapore 048694
Tel: 6533 3033
Finally a decent hangout place that’s unconventional enough to be cool at the north of Singapore! Yay. Raw Kitchen Bar is hidden within the defunct firestation in Upper Bukit Timah. Mr.Ong and I drove and we missed the turn into the carpark for the “Spectra” building! We were quite blur. Gotta make a U-turn ahead. Argh.
Yeah so if you are coming from Chua Chu Kang, look out for the entrance on your right hand side. It’s at the junction where the turn into Bukit Batok is on your left.
So what’s so raw about Raw Kitchen Bar? hmm. From what we ordered, it had to be either raw tuna or raw salmon. The rest are all fairly cooked! Heh. okie it has to be the deco. The restaurant gives off a comfy and homely vibe with its chic yet minimalistic interior.
When you stepped into the ‘house’ you’re greeted with a neat living room! You’ll find your way instinctively around the place. It’s very inviting.
I love the ‘raw’ cement flooring and warm, dim lighting!
The deco is very eclectic with a mix of randomness. The chairs, tables and dining utensils are all of different shapes and sizes. But all the elements blends in really well with the environment.
I ? the super low hanging lamps and the arkward thin and scrawny tree right in the middle of the room.
Looks comfy right? But we decided to sit outside! yes, the backyard of the ‘house’! Were enticed by the garden and moonish lanterns! It’s like Mid-Autumn Festival meets kitsch. haha
Anyway the ambience was great. No over-crowding. A plus point of dining at a residential hinterland, out of the city, away from the madding crowd.
Mr.Ong sat on a green camping chair which was rather amusing. But he didn’t felt unfortunate nor did he changed his chair. It must had been quite comfy for him then. An extremely hungry engineer, he fidgets in his seat like a restless child.
Let’s move on. lol
For starters, we decided to share! Evelyn made a really good choice. She ordered Ahi mango poke with japanese cucumbers and a sesame dressing with fried wanton chips ($16).
It looks kinda Mexican doesn’t it? I loved how the savoury crunchy chips brings out the freshness of the raw tuna cubes, cucumber and mango filling. The dressing just nice and the taste of sweet tangy mango was pleasant.
We also got the Seafood Ceviche ($17). Raw salmon, tuna and squid! This dish is a gastronomical delight. The zesty sauce is very appetizing. I particularly like the tuna cubes.
Starters were scrumdiddlyumptious!
For mains, we had 2 fish and 2 meat. Lets start with the fishes.
Evelyn’s nori-wrapped salmon with wasabi mash wasn’t very spectacular. The fish was served with wasabi mash and sauteed portabellos. Hmm. Had a bite of the salmon and it wasn’t very spectacular. The fish lacks flavour but the wasabi marsh was pretty awesome. The wasabi flavour was agreeable and not too overwelming.
My seabass main ($19) was mildly garlicky and nutty. The sauce tasted lemonish and was quite appetising. but I wasn’t blown away by this dish. I think the fish fillets were not moist enough. Perhaps there were pan-fried a little too long.
GY’s marsala lamb ($24) looks mouth-watering. The meat was tender and comes with pumpkin marsh. The lamb tasted 10/10 from the little nibble I had. On the palate, there’s a strong taste of rosemary. Not sure where the marsala is but I will definately order this for myself the next visit.
Mr.Ong ordered caramelized balsamic vinegar duck ($23). It has a pleasant taste of sweet and sour in contrast.
The waitress was helpful with dessert and wine recommendation. The Innocent Bystander’s Muscato ($22) was delightful. It is pale pink in colour! It has a slight sparkling fizz and we can taste a slight hint of strawberries.
If you noticed, serving was just ok. It is smaller than Bistro One Zero Three but this leaves us enough space for our desserts!
We had Chocolate lava cake and fried cheese cake. The lava cake was so-so only. The chocolate inside was warm enough but the ice cream wasn’t frozen enough. I’m not a fan of gooey ice cream. On the other hand, the fried cheese cake did fairly better but I think that the cheese were overshadowed by the strawberry and marmalade sauce.
I must say that the service was excellent. They served iced water and it was refilled quickly. Ooh and since it’s al fresco dining, the restaurant actually prepared mosquito coil for us! You can also request for insect repellant for free.
Basically, we enjoyed Raw Kitchen Bar’s fusion cuision. Fusion cuisine is always interesting. You never really know what to expect and it’s fun to wonder what influences were fused in the dish.
The bill came up to $182.88 inclusive of 10% service charge and 7% gst. About $46/pax which was quite reasonable. However since it is located at a residential hinterland, the price may be a little high. Although the food is pretty much decent, I would recommend meat instead of fish.
On your visit, do get the ahi mango starter and a bottle of muscato.
Raw Kitchen Bar
276 Upper Bukit Timah Road
Tel: : 6467 3987
Open hours: 5:30pm to 12 midnight
(Closed Mondays)