iDen&Quanjude Beijing Duck House – Our Michelin-Star Journey

It really is all about the duck.

I haven’t been to a Chinese Restaurant in years and the repeating mantra I hear in the ‘hood is “there are no decent Chinese restaurants around”. So, I was intrigued to make the trip into Vancouver to indulge in one it’s newly christened Michelin-Star eateries. iDen&Quanjude, or the Beijing Duck House as it is commonly referred to, was definitely next level Chinese food.

iDen&Quanjude brought back childhood memories of Chinese restaurants I visited in The ‘Peg* growing up – with red and gold everywhere symbolizing good fortune and prosperity. The decor is bright and grand with a mixture of smaller tables and large, round family-style tables. The serving staff is clad in formal 3-piece suits and white gloves. Waiters rush around with bluetooth devices in their ears looking very official.

We had originally thought we were going to be trying the tasting menu ($398pp) but our waiter informed us that it had to be ordered in advance. I was sent a text from the restaurant the day before our reservation asking if we wanted to reserve Peking Duck, to which I replied in the affirmative, but there was no mention about the tasting menu.

So, dinner was going to be a lot cheaper than we’d planned.

After conferring with the waiter, we ordered a few dishes to go with our duck. We started with the jellyfish salad ($28). The texture of the jellyfish is similar to that of sautéed mushrooms and shares a similar flavour as well. It was nothing special.

Then we had the fruity sweet & sour pork brought to our table as a peace offering for our 20-minute wait for a table (we were early). I have fond memories of sweet & sour pork from my childhood. This dish was crispy, sweet & savoury, as a good pork ball should be.

We were delighted with the Shanghai smoked fish with plum sauce ($30), which arrived in a bowl of smoking dry ice imparting a mystical quality to the presentation. Very nice.

Then the prawn balls with mango mustard ($46) arrived – very large shrimp in a sweet sauce which was much to my liking but I think too cloying for my husband.

So up to this point, the food was very good, but perhaps not Michelin quality.

Then the duck arrived.

iDen&Quanjude makes a proper spectacle of presenting their “Signature Beijing Duck” dish. It is brought to a gleaming gold and steel cart on wheels right next to your table and expertly carved up before your eyes. The first order of business is slicing some of the golden, crispy skin. The delectable morsels are placed in front of you with a tiny bit of brown sugar for dipping. It tastes divine – you can feel your arteries hardening with every bite.

Beijing duck and Peking duck are the same dish. Peking is the older, more romanticized name of Beijing.

Peking duck is a whole different experience from the roast duck you might make at home. The bird is aged to bring out its flavour, then goes through a three-day process that culminates with pumping air under the skin before it’s roasted in an open oven. The result? Skin so crisp and golden it practically shatters, with meat that stays juicy and full of flavour. The next step is putting it on a steamed crepe with cucumber, spring onion, and a dollop of sweet soybean paste.

Yes, it is delicious and, yes, you are full in no time. The waiter seemed confused that we wouldn’t be ordering dessert. As it was, I wound up taking half of my duck home.

The duck itself has to be preordered and will set you back $128. If you choose to add some “premium caviar” to your bird, that adds $140 to the price.

The service was inconsistent. We were left for about 40 minutes after the duck was served with no query as to how the meal was or if we needed drinks refreshed. However, our waiter did ask us to leave a Google review at the end of the evening and gave us his name.

Let’s cut to the chase: This restaurant serves an excellent Beijing Duck. Is it worthy of a Michelin Star? Maybe not. This is the 14th Michelin-Star Restaurant we have been to and is tied for last place. (Read about our Michelin-Starred journey HERE).

iDen&Quanjude is a very expensive choice for Chinese and for us ranks a 6/10.

*The Peg = Winnipeg

Read about our other Michelin-Star dining experiences:

Barbara Restaurant (Vancouver, BC)

Burdock & Company (Vancouver, BC)

Levadura de Olla (Oaxaca, Mexico)

Okeya Kyujiro (Vancouver, BC)

Lars (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

Kissa Tanto (Vancouver, BC)

Wild Honey (London, England)

St Lawrence (Vancouver, BC)

Cranes (Washington, DC)

AnnaLena (Vancouver, BC)

Masayoshi (Vancouver, BC)

Published on Main (Vancouver, BC)

And THESE restaurants don’t have a Michelin Star – but definitely should! (In our opinion.)

Pluvio (Ucluelet, BC)

The Palm Court (London, England)