March 20, 2009

Review: Made In China

My dear friends Kylee and Steph came up for the weekend to visit, so we all went to Made In China for dinner last Friday to sample their famous Peking Duck 北京烤鸭.

Made In China is a modern Chinese restaurant located in the Grand Hyatt. As such, the decor and ambiance is top notch. The restaurant itself is not very big at all. Coupled with the much-buzzed-about open kitchen, it gives the place a cozy, comforting feel.


Spices for duck.


Making dumplings.


Of course we had to order the duck. These birds are rosed in a large woodfire oven just behind the kitchen.


Great maple-brown glaze!


Steph waiting for her duck. In the meantime, the raspberry ice tea was very yummy.


We were quite disappointed with the duck. The taste was just ok and they only gave us 3 plates of mostly skin. The rest of the duck was quickly whisked away somewhere never to be seen again. Also there were only 3 condiments (sweat sauce, garlic, sugar). At 200+ RMB per duck, I expect a lot more (see rival restaurant Da Dong).


Also ordered their famous Beggar's Chicken. It is wrapped in clay and cooked. Got to break open the clay with a wooden hammer!


Meat was falling off the bone. Very tasty, complex flavor with a tinge of wine. I thought it was better than the over-hyped duck.


Bottom line: Not worth the 200 RMB per person. Can pay slightly less for more food and better duck at Da Dong. If you must come here, skip the duck and order their regular dishes. Drinks were very good.

Ok no more blogging at 4am, gnite!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

have you tried 全聚德 yet?

RX said...

nope, have u? how's the duck there?

Anonymous said...

ya - i usually go to 全聚德 with my family b/c it's my dad's favorite. that's where i ate scorpion for the first time like 10 years ago :)