Quanjude

The original Quanjude roast duck restaurant opened in Beijing in 1864. Its local namesake is an outpost of a franchise that sells over 2 million ducks a year in China alone. Beijing's roast duck is a different bird to Melbourne's where the signature dish is less fatty, hence it's a little dry and less flavoursome, albeit wrapped in excellent wafer-thin pancakes. It still comes carved at table with ceremony and skill, amid a lush fitout of vermillion and imperial gold, fine table linen and crockery, although service from uniformed waiters can be slow at times. While duck and its component parts - soup, tongues, webs and gizzards - form the centrepiece, other offerings range from the vinegary crunch of sour and spicy cucumber sticks, delicate and juicy soft-shell crab dusted with spicy salt, scallops braised in a surprisingly gentle Sichuan sauce to more prosaic dishes such as lemon chicken. Desserts include pineapple and banana fritters and out-of-house icecreams.