Friday, June 10, 2011

sun wah bbq

 Last week, my parents took me to Sun Wah BBQ for an unforgettable dinner.

Clearly, my dad was just as excited as I was.  Hahahahaha!  Note: all those empty tables were reserved.  They have tons of business, I swear!
Fresh small clams sauteed in black bean and garlic sauce
Oyster with ginger and green onion (my dad makes a killer version of this at home)
Fried squid

Ok, so those dishes were yummy and all, but the food that my parents cook at home is pretty comparable.  The reason why we went to Sun Wah was for their specialty: The Beijing Duck Feast (seriously, that's what it's called).
The founder of Sun Wah has since passed the restaurant reins over to his children.  They've changed the restaurant's location, spruced it up into a comfortable and spacious dining experience, and attracted many new customers with their unique dishes.  Here is one of his daughters as she slips on a pair of gloves and prepares to carve the roasted duck tableside.
She and her sister carve the ducks with a rectangular knife, something I had never seen before.  They are expert ninjas!  During our meal, we saw them carve at least ten ducks.  It takes them less than ten minutes to carve one whole duck.
Beijing Duck (a.k.a Peking Duck) is not available at every Chinese restaurant so it is a true treat to indulge in every now and then.
My dad got a kick out of using my Flipcam!  He started filming the other way at some parts so I hope you don't mind craning your neck a little.
 The duck is served with steamed bao, pickled daikon radish, garnish, and hoisin sauce.
I only use the garnish and hoisin sauce.
The bao is like a tiny cloud beckoning you to blanket it with the crispy, juicy duck.  When you've loaded it up to your satisfaction, you fold it up like a little taco and let it float into your mouth.  Two hands may be necessary.
Sun Wah's Beijing Duck is the kind of dish that makes you smile all around.  Your tongue caresses every bite, from the delicate bao to the crunch of the duck skin that has been carved with such perfection that there is hardly any traces of fat.  It's the kind of dish that makes you sit back and say to yourself, "It's good to be alive."
And oh what luck!  The duck feast doesn't end there!  They use the roast duck carcass to make duck fried rice...
AND a duck broth with wintermelon.
I AM A HAPPY CAMPER! 
Afterwards, we made a stop at Cloud 9 which I often talk/blog about.  The decor and atmosphere kind of reminds me of Scoops in L.A.  Cloud 9 has expanded their menu a little, but we stuck to our usuals:
Mango shave snow with mango drizzle
Green tea shave snow with mango drizzle
Of course we all food coma'd when we got home later, but I guess my dad couldn't wait that long.

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