First he conquered Beijing's roast duck market. Then Da Dong, a.k.a. Dong Zhenxiang, turned Peking Duck into a luxury item, surrounding it on a menu with foie gras and other not-so-Chinese delicacies.
Now China's mad scientist of food has KFC and McDonald's in his crosshairs, and you can try his wacky east-meets-west creations tonight (Monday), beginning at 6.30pm.
The creatively named Da Dong Duck stands on the first floor of the 19 Club Building in the China Central Place (华贸中心, Huamao Zhongxin), complex, next to Starbucks and near The Ritz-Carlton Beijing. They are in soft opening for the next two nights before going full time on Wednesday.
The centerpiece of this new venture is a duck hamburger – in essence, a piece of roast duck meat and a slice of crispy skin, stripped of its typical accompaniments – a thin pancake and spring onions – and crammed instead inside the standard fast food accouterments of a soft wheat bun, lettuce, onion, and tomato (and in this case, thin sliced cucumbers).
The only step Da Dong didn't take from bastardizing roast duck completely was smothering everything in mayonnaise (thank the lord above), instead retaining the duck sauce found in the more traditional concoctions.
Complete with fully bilingual menus, the place looks like a schizoid hybrid of Burger King signage, hipster cafe interior, and inner-city Roy Rogers franchise. Ordering takes place at the counter, like at any self-respecting fast-food joint.
The Classic Crispy Lean Duck Combo – a Duck Burger and a Coke – is RMB 31. A "Family Combo," which is heavily inspired by KFC's menu, is RMB 158 and includes two Duck Burgers, two duck legs, a basket of fries, a basket of chicken nuggets, and mashed potatoes.
Fries, mashed potatoes, and chicken nuggets? Come on, Da Dong, is this some kind of a joke?
If a Western chef did this to a Chinese classic like roast duck, we'd fully expect the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to hold a press conference to declare this an affront to Chinese dignity worldwide.
There's also the "Petite Meat Moon Cake" (RMB 9), a low-calorie vegetarian burger (RMB 32), egg tarts (RMB 8) and even soft-serve ice cream (RMB 8).
More details to come, stay with us on this breaking culinary story. Phone number for the place is 6530 7200.
Photos: Kyle Mullin
Next up for Da Dong's fast food duckburger, according to NBC News: Times Square, New York
'The white-feather Peking duck will be raised in Chicago according to our specifications, and we have found a place for a three-story restaurant at Times Square," he told NBC News.
After that, Da Dong Peking Duck is set to take over the world, Dong said.
"After it opens in July, our next aims will be London, Paris, Milan — the world's best cities," he added.
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