I remember the first time I had Peking duck. Not the restaurant, not the street, but the way it arrived – golden, glistening, a perfect lacquered dome – and the brief moment of panic over what I was supposed to do with it.
At the time, my Chinese dining experience was limited to Kites in Ballsbridge and Kingsland on Dame Street, both in Dublin. I was in Cambridge for the Magdalene College May Ball, back when it was still a male-only college and hosted the only white-tie affair. There were plenty of nights out before and after. One evening, we went to a nearby Chinese restaurant – a group of eight, led by a Singaporean who knew exactly what he was doing.
Calm and precise, he assembled a pancake – hoisin, crisped skin, rich meat, cucumber, scallion – rolled it with care and handed it to me, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He ditched law 25 years ago. Now, he owns the international Aqua Restaurant Group.
So when China Tang opened in Monkstown in February, claiming to be the first in Ireland to do Peking duck properly, I had to go.
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This is the new outpost from the team behind Hakkahan in Stoneybatter, and Little Dumpling and Nan Chinese Restaurant on Stephen Street. A mirrored ceiling (far better than it sounds), a swanky bar and a room of circular booths, banquettes and tables for two is dramatic but inviting. I had ordered the Peking duck (€88) in advance – essential, since it takes two days of drying before hitting a bullet oven at blistering heat. They bring it when it’s ready.
Which happens right as I scald my mouth on a xiao long bao (soup dumpling, €14 for three). I break through the delicate squid ink-infused skin, broth cascading down my spoon, scalding, unstoppable, just as the trolley rolls up beside us. Clearing these and the China Tang signature dumpling platter (€14 for four), becomes urgent. They’re delicious, even when inhaled at reckless speed.
Peking duck at China Tang is theatre. It rolls in gleaming, a lacquered masterpiece, before Mr Chan – crisp whites from toque to toe – carves it with ceremony at the table. The skin is amber, glassy, brittle as spun sugar. Chan moves deftly, blade gliding, the first cut lifting a rectangle of skin, so crisp it seems weightless. This is our first bite. It cracks on contact, warm and rich, the fat melting instantly.
He carves with precision, each piece falling away cleanly. We start assembling – house-made pancakes, soft and warm; hoisin, dark but restrained; scallions, sharp; cucumber, cool and crisp. Each bite collapses in layers – the crackle of skin, the richness of the meat, the hoisin pulling it together, the crunch of the vegetables adding freshness.
We drink Segredos São Miguel (€30), an unremarkable but fruity Portuguese red. It’s good to see a few bottles under €40 on the wine list, but for something more serious, there’s Gaja and Château Lynch-Bages.
The second course of Peking duck can feel like an afterthought. Mr Chan has glided away with his trolley and the remains of the bird which are scheduled to return as either wok-fried salt and chilli duck, or in a soup of tofu and salted pickled vegetables. We have opted to have ours wok-fried. Chunks of duck on the bone arrive – darker, crispier, with just enough cumin to take it in an unexpected but welcome direction. We are too full to do it justice and ask for the rest to be packed up.
Dessert is pumpkin sweet wine soup with rice balls (€6). Our waitress says it’s one of her favourite dishes. In China, they eat it in the morning, at festivals, as a symbol of reunion. The rice balls float like little planets, chewy, delicate, a contrast to the silky broth. It is not overly sweet, not heavy, just comforting and warm.
Of course, the big question is whether the Peking duck is worth €88. Two years ago, that price would have been a shock. Now, with restaurant prices soaring, it feels almost inevitable. Share it between two, and you’ll need little else. More importantly, you’ll be talking about it for weeks. Some dishes demand ceremony, and this is one of them – an exercise in precision, from the crackle of skin to the gleam of perfectly carved meat. The kind of meal that stays with you long after the last bite. It just might be one of the best you eat this year.
Dinner for two with a bottle of wine was €152.
The Verdict: Top tier Peking duck.
Food provenance: FX Buckley, Andarl Farm, Silverhill Ducks, La Rousse Foods, Jackie Leonard & Sons, George’s Fish Shop, and Keelings.
Vegetarian options: Tofu and vegetable soup, vegetable dumpling, Sichuan stir-fried fine beans, and stir-fried baby broccoli with ginger sauce.
Wheelchair access: No accessible room or toilet.
Music: A chilled vibe with Cookin’ on 3 Burners and Carol Duboc.
