This tiny little family-run eatery in a old courtyard house in a rundown hutong in a forgotten district of the capital is undoubtedly the most authentic place to taste the city’s signature dish.

The cramped little restaurant is a very pleasant place to eat surrounded by the hustle and bustle of staff and patrons alike as everything spills out into the courtyard where you could find yourself sharing a table with anyone. Photos that dot every available square inch of wall space show past patrons from the Ambassador of Canada and the Defence Minister of Britain to former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and action superstar Jet Li. The staff treat all however in a friendly and efficient manner that allows you to relax amid the apparent chaos.

The freshly roasted duck is presented to you by the chef who offers you the chance to carve it yourself if you wish so, if not he whisks it away and returns a short time later with a platter of succulent meat encrusted with a thin layer of crispy skin. The waitress meanwhile provides the accoutrements of paper-thin pancakes, slivers of spring onion and cucumber, and rich plum source. She will also outline the procedure for the uninitiated. This involves laying out a pancake on your plate, taking a piece of duck and using it to spread the sauce liberally across the pancake, adding more duck and vegetables, rolling it up and popping the delicious package into your mouth for one of the greatest culinary experiences of your life. At ¥138 for a duck set (enough for 2 or 3 people) the price is very reasonable and there are plenty of other dishes on the menu. 

Despite its somewhat out of the way location this restaurant always appears to pull in a crowd so it’s best to make a reservation and get them to put your duck in the oven an hour before arriving. This will give you just about enough time to try and locate the place as this unassuming restaurant can be a tad difficult to locate. The surrounding neighbourhood, in which you will doubtless find yourself lost, can be more than a little off putting; I urge you to just let the graffiti signs spray painted on the walls of crumbling constructions lead you through the trash-strewn streets to this gastronomic wonderland as you will not regret it.

This was a find. The restaurant is in the hutongs, but it’s worth finding someone to direct you. Our duck was ordered in advance, so when we arrived, we ordered soup, rabe, and duck liver with mushrooms. We were served huge quantities and very, very good food.

Duck! Beijing/Peking duck has been a specialty of this region for over 600 years. If you can overlook the fact that the prime ducks have been force-fed similar to geese for foie grass (only fair to mention that) then you are in for one taste sensation.

The Liqun Roast Duck is a small restaurant of big renown. It exists in a charming hutong in the Dongcheng district. Part of the pleasure of eating here was the journey to the restaurant. One of the friendliest octogenarians I have met came up to me as I was walking and we had one of those fantastic conversations where all he knew in English was "how do you do" and I all knew in Mandarin was "nihao". Nonetheless, I will never forget his huge toothless smile, old school Mao jacket and strong handshake. I would have invited him to eat with me if I didn’t think his toothless-ness might be a problem.

Had I known how perfectly cooked, how succulent this meal would be, I would have brought him along. Teeth were almost unnecessary as the meat itself almost melted in my mouth.

The trick to a great duck, while it may be ancient, is no family secret at Liqun. To enter the restaurant it is necessary to walk through the kitchen and it’s hard to miss the sight of a chef blowing up a duck, literally. It looked like he was giving it mouth to mouth (or beak, rather). I learned from the hostess (the owner’s daughter) that this tactic of preparation served to separate the skin from the fat and allowed for the duck to be moist, juicy and perfect to the palate. They have been honing this technique for over 600 years so it is understandable that they have it down to a science.

The duck was carved at my table and I ate it with pancakes, cucumbers and hoi sin sauce. However, while this may be the most western friendly part of the meal, the Chinese enjoy the entire duck (and I do mean entire). Every part of the duck will be used. For appetizers there are the fried liver & heart, boiled tongues, and the soft webbed skin of the feet. Eventually, when the choicest morsels of the duck are devoured, the rest is made into duck soup. I admit that some of this, at first glance, wasn’t that appetizing. However, I have a philosophy when dining in foreign lands that has helped me enjoy some very conceptually off-putting, dishes. DON’T LOOK AT IT; JUST EAT IT.

At Liqun you have the chance to eat like an emperor. Enjoy and, occasionally, keep your eyes closed!