Well, it certainly isn't everyday that anyone can augment a food node written up by the illustrious chef sneff, but upon my visit to Beijing a couple of years ago, I was taken out to what was said to be one of the better Beijing duck places in the city. Whether or not this was true, I would have to leave up to the culinary experts. However, the most interesting aspect of the meal was the portion thereof that was a precursor to the main course. I have been told that, while this is by no means the commonplace, the following is also considered a proper part of serving this meal.
Indeed, by avoiding the term "appetizer" I am choosing my words carefully. The term doesn't quite do these dishes justice -- and, depending on your tastes, the term may or may not be appropriate! These are my admittedly crude "tasting notes", as it were, and as I remember the meal, and serve merely to illustrate another portion of the Beijing Duck experience insofar as my experiences elsewhere with the dish have been limited.
At this particular
venue, prior to being served duck via the methods so eloquently described by sneff in the writeup above, we were served a wide variety of dishes which consisted mostly of various duck organs and appendages. Specifically, there were four dishes.
- Hearts: This was, perhaps, the most innocuous of the bunch. Grilled and seasoned, they were not much of a stretch - they seemed much like large chunks of beef.
- Livers: This dish was surprisingly tasty, in that I am not much of a liver connoisseur. Served atop a small, wonton shell, the liver was chopped and had been cooked in a delicate brown sauce. Accompanying the liver was chopped red bell pepper and corn. Truly, it looked much like a Chinese taco, as much as I am ashamed to make such a comparison.
- Stomachs: This was, by far, the largest hurdle for my western palate to consider. Apparently otherwise uncooked, they were sliced thin and marinated in what was very likely a base of soy sauce and black vinegar, amongst other mysterious ingredients. This was probably my least favourite of the dishes, but that was probably more a shortcoming of my assimilation into the world of Chinese food, as opposed to any sort of reflection on the chef.
- Feet: Another surprisingly tasty dish, albeit akin to the stomachs, I wasn't used to putting this in my mouth. The duck feet were served, apparently boiled, and smothered in a spicy, pale mustard sauce that was truly fantastic.
In the end, although there were portions about which I was truly hesitant, I immensely enjoyed the experience; meanwhile, these dishes' abilities to complement the main course made me truly be more appreciative of the painstaking work put into a meal of this caliber -- not to mention the indulgent end result. Should you ever decide to experience Beijing duck, I highly encourage you to find out beforehand whether or not they serve the "complete" duck in this manner.