Badaling Great Wall is a must-see while the Beijing Roast Duck is something you just have to taste. The duck meat is fresh, tender, rich, fat but not greasy and with a tempting color. It is so delicious that it is said to have a haunting effect on the diners. The delicacy is reputed to be the first choice of food in Beijing.
A number of restaurants in Beijing sell the roast duck with some being sold at a very low price. But if you want to enjoy the authentic Beijing Roast Duck, it would be better for you to recognize two time-honored brands: Quanjude and Bianyifang. They are representatives of the two schools of roasting duck. The difference between the two lies in their roasting methods. Quanjude roasts the duck by hanging it directly above the burning fruitwood and turning the duck at intervals. The duck is characterized by crisp skin and tender meat. Bianyifang, on the contrary, uses a close oven with a door through which the dressed duck is put inside. The fire in the oven is extinct and the duck is broiled by the remaining heat of the oven. Subsequently, the duck roasted in this way is very soft.
Once the duck is out of the oven,, the chef will slice it into around one hundred pieces of meat. It is suggested that the duck is not eaten without lotus leaf-shaped cakes or sesame cakes or seasonings which improve the taste. There are three kinds of seasoning: sweet jam and onion sections (optional cucumber and radish), mashed garlic and soy sauce (optional cucumber and radish), or simply white sugar. Now try it yourself! Take the first kind of seasoning for example: divide the cake into halves; spread the sweet jam on it, put the onion sections and duck slices in. As tastes differ, you may wrap the duck with mashed garlic and soy sauce to your taste. Some women and children prefer to dip the duck in white sugar.
When a dish with duck head, duck tail and two slices of duck tenderloin is served, it indicates the end of the dish. The duck head can be eaten with the pepper while the duck tail is meant merely as decoration. It is a tradition that two slices of duck tenderloin are reserved for the distinguished or eldest guest. If it is a family get-together, it is reserved for the most senior of the family members. Finally comes a seasonal tip: the Beijing Roast Duck will taste better during spring, autumn and winter.
Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant
Qianmen Branch
Location: No.32, Qianmen Dajie, a ten-minute walk from the Tiananmen Square
Tel: 010-67011379, 010-65112418
National Toll-free Telephone: 400-700-1864
Hepingmen Branch
Location: No.14, Qianmen Xidajie, Xuanwu District
Tel: 010-63023062, 010-63018833
National Toll-free Telephone: 400-700-1864
Wangfujing Branch
Location: No.9, Shuaifuyuan Hutong, Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District
Tel: 010-65253310, 010-65228384
National Toll-free Telephone: 400-700-1864
Asian Games Village Branch
Location: No.309, Huizhong Beili, Chaoyang District
Tel: 010-64801686, 010-64801685
National Toll-free Telephone: 400-700-1864
Bianyifang Roast Duck Restaurant
Chongwenmen Branch
Average cost per person: CNY70-120
Location: No. Jia 2, Chongwai Dajie, Chongwen District
Tel: 010-67120505
Hademen Branch
Location: No. A2, Chongwenmenwai Dajie, Chongwen District
Tel: 010-67120505
Xingfu Branch
Location: No.36, Xingfu Dajie, Chongwen District
Tel: 010-67116545
Xinshijie Branch
Location: No.5, Chongwenmenwai Dajie, Chongwen District
Tel: 010-67088680
Hangtian Branch
Location: No.101, Fucheng Lu, Haidian District
Tel: 010-88146066, 010-88146068
More 
