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| - This is a new Peking duck restaurant at Woodbine and Steeles just in front of the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel. Per the waiter we spoke with, it is part of a chain from Beijing of which the first restaurant was opened over 150 years ago.
I was fortunate enough to be able to attend for a meal during the soft opening and was pretty excited. With such a long culinary heritage and inflated prices to match, I had high expectations for the Peking duck. I was sadly disappointed.
By course...
Deep fried tofu in batter - pretty good but it was our first course and we were hungry. Also anything deep fried should taste good... Coating was light and crispy and tofu smooth.
Chicken with glass noodles and mushrooms in broth - chicken was tasty and noodles pretty chewy which is how I like them. On the downside, the course came without a serving spoon or chopsticks so everyone had to dig in with their own... good thing I was first. Also, a lot of pieces of chicken were just bones and little meat.
Stir fry spicy chicken with onions - boneless cubes of chicken that were super spicy... and I can take heat! Most people ordered water after this dish.
At this point white rice was served... one serving too late as it would have helped with the spicy chicken.
1st Peking duck
The duck carver cut off small pieces of crispy skin and served this first with some sugar - duck skin was not crispy and very oily.
The carver next cut off many small slices of duck and arranged these in the shape of a flower on a plate. Presentation was very nice.
Remainder of duck was carved and presented on a ceramic duck serving dish.
Flat sesame buns and thin crepes accompanied the duck along with cucumbers, onions and hoisin sauce. Duck itself was nothing special and skin not crispy at all. There were plenty of crepes but they were all stuck together and by the time everyone got a piece, it was all cold.
Lobster in sweet spicy sauce - lobster was quite large with lots of portions with good chunks of meat. Sauce was excellent and I was licking it off the shell.
Beef tenderloin strips with mango and red & green peppers - beef was very tender and cooked well.
Steamed 'yau choi' with whole pieces of garlic - was ok but then again, if a restaurant can't make this they shouldn't be in business.
Deep fried fish in sweet and sour sauce - the most visually appealing presentation wise as it was presented in the form of a rabbit. Tasted pretty good too!
2nd Peking duck
Same procedure as first duck we had except the main presentation was in a large rectangular plate with cucumbers, onions, and sauce. Time for redemption but no. Again, the presentation was great but the duck was not. Skin not crispy at all and duck was nothing special.
Duck noodle soup - cubes of what I was told was duck meat but had the texture of beef... very tough and stringy.
Chestnut paste dessert - very smooth but the chestnut taste was lacking.
Overall, the fish and lobster dishes were the best followed by the beef and then the duck in 4th spot. Not good if your specialty is duck.
Service was lacking as well but understandable as the place is still in the soft opening phase.
Conclusion - there are plenty of restaurants in Toronto the serve a great roast duck at a more affordable price.
Won't be back here anytime soon.
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