Dragon-i serves Beijing’s version of Peking duck

DRAGON-I PEKING DUCK,
Level 1, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur,
Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2143 7688
Business hours: 10.00am to 10.00pm, daily.
Non-halal.

PRIDING itself on the authenticity of its traditional Shanghainese cuisine, Dragon-i Peking Duck at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur has gone to great lengths to bring its diners the best Peking duck.

Dragon-i Group of Restaurants chief executive officer Datuk Henry Yip said the addition of the Peking duck to the menu comes in conjunction with the rebranding of their Pavilion restaurant since January.

The newly rebranded Dragon-i Peking Duck at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur on a weekday afternoon.

“Customers will know that they are getting the real deal because we employ the exact same traditional method of cooking Peking duck in Beijing,” said Yip.

Within the Dragon-i open kitchen concept, a special brick wood-fired oven was built in the flagship restaurant for this very purpose, following the specifications of experienced chefs from China.

Thanks to the strict quality control at Dragon-i, each Peking duck weighs about 2.8kg and is roasted in controlled flames for an hour to give it that appetising crispy bronze skin and succulent meat.

The whole duck is served as part of a three-course set, in which no part of the duck goes to waste, priced at RM148.

Dragon-i employs chefs from China, who will slice exactly 108 pieces of the freshly roasted Peking duck in front of the customers before serving.

The first course is served in the manner Peking duck is most well-known for – thin slices of crispy duck skin and succulent meat served in a steamed pancake wrap with sticks of cucumber, honey melon and spring onion in a special sweet bean sauce.

For starters, diners have the option of dipping the crispy duck skin in sugar and a tasty garlic sauce.

“Dragon-i employs chefs from China and for this dish, they will slice exactly 108 pieces of the freshly roasted duck in under five minutes in front of the customers before serving,” said Yip.

Alternatively, diners can order the first course on its own, priced at RM98 for a whole duck.

The Double-Boiled Silk Beancurd Soup is a Yangzhou specialty that is unique for its fine slices of beancurd and subtle taste.

For the remaining duck meat, diners can choose two courses out of a selection of 10 dishes.

My personal favourite was the first item on this menu, the Deep Fried Duck Bone with Garlic and Pepper, which can also be ordered as an individual dish for RM28.

Large chunks of duck meat and bone are seasoned with garlic and pepper and deep-fried to give it a slightly spicy and tasty flavour.

Complimenting this special Peking duck menu was a number of specialities from the Yangzhou prefecture, located just three hours northeast of Shanghai.

No part of the Peking duck goes to waste in the three-course set. Diners can choose two of the 10 dishes suggested dishes. One of these dishes is the Deep Fried Duck Bone with Garlic and Pepper.

The Yangzhou Fried Rice has been a long time favourite at Dragon-i, but one interesting dish to try is the Double-Boiled Silk Beancurd Soup in Yangzhou Style, which is priced at RM18.

Experienced Chinese chef Pang Kow Fatt was present to demonstrate how the beancurd is sliced into really fine strips and boiled in a soup, resulting in a rather smooth soup and subtle flavour.

“Customer response to the addition of Peking duck to our menu this year has been pretty good and we can sell between 50 to 80 ducks a day on weekends,” Yip added.

The Peking Duck and its three-course set is only available at Dragon-i Peking Duck, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.

This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.