Just Ducky: Snacks and More at Nanjing Impressions
At first glance, this facsimile of a traditional snack street may resemble Beijing’s own Jiumen Xiaochi. But you’ll find no grill smoke, blanched tripe or dense Hui pastries here. What you get instead is the mellow, boozy fragrance of huangjiu and the remarkably tasty flavors of the Yangtze wetlands.
Welcome to the cuisine of Nanjing, a city that quite possibly takes duck even more seriously than Beijingers. Instead of fetishizing the duck’s perfectly lacquered skin, Nanjingers celebrate all its parts (tongue, heart, liver, intestines, gizzard, eggs, blood, wings, webs) – everything but the quack. Most diners, however, tend to bypass Nanjing Impressions’ offal offerings for the lean and flavorful meat of the famous saltwater duck (Jinling yanshui ya 金陵盐水鸭, RMB 26/half) and the duck meat dumplings (tianwang kaoya bao 天王烤鸭包, RMB 10 for 3). Think of the latter as xiaolong bao’s hearty, hulking uncle.
The restaurant does a robust sideline in glutinous rice. Zishu qiu (紫薯球, RMB 15 for 4) are listed as “taro balls” but actually made from purple yam. All you need to know is that they are crisp-chewy armor for the oozy-hot sesame paste within.
Another crowd-pleaser is jiangmi kourou (江米扣肉, RMB 32), a dome of sticky rice interlarded with sliced pork belly. Though bland enough to treat as your main carb, it’s unctuous enough to savor on its own. If you take your fatty pork neat, order the “lion’s head” meatball (qingdun shizitou 清炖狮子头, RMB 22), as pale, soft and rich as a Wall Street banker’s hands. A single massive orb feeds four.
The dining hall is quite deep, but with costumed servers bustling about and the plangent twanging of the pipa cutting through the chatter, it can feel quite cozy. You can also browse the snack stalls, pointing to what you want, and they’ll bring it to your table: layered chive pancakes, fish broth noodles, sizzling eel, tender fava beans that you undress with your tongue ...
Some will dismiss this fare as gentrified street food. To which I can only reply: “Without a doubt. Now are you going to eat that last taro ball or shall I?”
Nanjing Impressions. 4/F, Shimao Department Store, 13 Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District (8405 9777) 南京大排挡, 朝阳区工体北路13号世茂 百货4楼
Click here to see the February issue of the Beijinger in full.
