Da Dong Gone in a New York Minute

A lot of money was spent to open Da Dong in Manhattan two years ago

Da Dong Roast Duck was my favourite place for Peking duck in Beijing over 13 years ago. The location in Dong Si Shi Tiao was fascinating, as you had to pass some imperial granaries before entering the restaurant.

A few years ago my friends treated me to Da Dong kaoya, this time in a new location behind the Worker's Stadium and the gaudy decor with statues of white horses seemed over the top as well as the LED lights representing reeds in the pond were ridiculous.

Da Dong near Worker's Stadium... see the horse in the back?

Inside there was a massive screen showing videos of chef Dong Zhenxiang cooking in France and scenes of people raving about his food. The video and the sound from it overshadowed our dining experience. It was distracting and not very interesting.

Ahhh how the mighty have fallen.

In late November, Michelin launched its first Beijing guide and everyone expected Da Dong to get three stars -- but it was not to be. It only garnered one, at the Dong Si Shi Tiao location.

And now Da Dong in Manhattan has closed, filing for bankruptcy after two years and scathing reviews from New York critics.

There was much talk about the place when the restaurant group announced it would open in the Big Apple, in a space for 400 seats and situated near Bryant Park. The Chinese really like to make a big splash.

The famous roast duck didn't impress Michelin inspectors

But that ambition apparently didn't translate into delicious food, with food critics from the New York Times and New York magazine giving Da Dong zero stars! While New York Post and foodie website Eater tried to find some good things to say about the Chinese restaurant.

Was it really that bad? I will never know because I never got to try it.

Maybe the ducks were not Chinese? Maybe the wood-fired ovens weren't allowed, making it hard to create the same flavourful smell from the wood of cherry and plum trees? Or maybe the restaurant had too much hype, making critics all too eager to take it down to size?

Then over a year ago I went back to Da Dong (albeit on Jinbao Jie, another location) and honestly, the duck wasn't that great. It seemed more oily than I remembered it, and didn't seem so special anymore. The thin pancakes were not warm, and the other dishes we ordered were pedestrian, or even salty.

What will chef Dong Zhenxiang do next?

One wonders what Dong is doing now, licking his wounds from his massive failure in New York. Will he try again elsewhere or just continue to placate the domestic market?

In the meantime the New York restaurant is trying to sell off all of its equipment, crockery, furniture and fixtures. It's a sad flash in the pan for Da Dong, who now knows the meaning of "Go big, or go home".

Picture of the Day: Beijing Subway Map

So many subway lines make Beijing more accessible to more commuters

When I arrived in Beijing in 2007, there were maybe three subway lines -- Line 1, Line 2 and Line 13.

By the time I left three years later, there were perhaps seven lines.

Now there are some 15 lines.

This is the most updated map that's found in the city's subway stations.

When you go in, you still have to put your bag through an X-ray machine and they make sure everyone does this. However, those not carrying bags can bypass checks completely in some stations, so if someone did have a bomb or weapon on their person, they would not be discovered...

But I digress...

I met a friend for lunch whose office is near Beijing West Railway Station on the new Line 7. She asked me to meet her at Wanzi station, the stop before the railway station.

So from Dongsishitiao, I went south on Line 2 until I reached Chongwenmen, then transferred to Line 5 down one stop to Ciqikou, then transferred again to Line 7 going west.

Transferring from one line to another can entail a pretty big trek that could be over five minutes long, going down a long tunnel then up some stairs and then down to the platform.

Examining the subway map further, you can see many of the lines are actually a few stops just so that a commuter can transfer to another line. Imagine having to transfer from one end of town to the other -- the maze of passageways to go through everyday must entail a lot of exercise to say the least!

After lunch with my friend I went back down to Wanzi station and was surprised to find that not only did my bag go through the X-ray machine, but I was also being checked over with an electronic paddle!

Guess this is the next step in subway security...

Picture of the Day: Jianbing Breakfast

Delicious local breakfast option in Beijing -- Jianbing!

In Beijing I stayed in a hotel in Dongsishitiao, a very convenient location to get to Sanlitun, and to Dongzhimen one subway stop away (or a 20 minute walk).

The woman who helped me checking into the hotel asked if I wanted breakfast in the hotel -- which would cost over 100 kuai. I said no, because I knew there were other cheaper options nearby.

Last time I stayed at this hotel I bought food next door at Starbucks, but this time I decided to go local.

Behind Poly Theater there is a small street with lots of small shops. One of them sells jianbing.

There are carbs for sure, but protein and vegetables too!

For the uninitiated, jianbing is a large savoury pancake that is folded like a square sandwich.

Every morning I would watch the woman make it. She put some batter on a large black round hotplate and then use a wooden tool to smooth it out. Then she cracked an egg on it, and then used the tool again to break the yolk and spread it over the crepe. After that was done she would sprinkle black sesame on top.

By this time the crepe is done on one side, and she deftly uses a scraper around the bottom to loosen it and then flips it over by holding onto it with her thumbs and the scrapers.

Then she adds a dark brown sauce I believe is similar to the ones used for Peking duck and spreads it all over the cooked side of the crepe. She asks if I want chilli sauce and I decline, and she continues by adding pickled and slightly spicy vegetables, raw chopped onions and coriander.

To finish she adds a rectangular piece of puffed cracker in the middle and then folds the crepe on two sides, then makes a crease with the scraper on each of the long ends of the cracker so that it can now fold into a square, and folds the rest of the crepe.

It's put into a waxy paper envelope and then into a plastic bag.

The flavour is definitely umami, with a touch of spiciness and crunch from the vegetables and the cracker. So good.

And only for 6 kuai!

I told my expat friend how much I paid for it and she said that it was about average, though she added some places charge as much as 15 kuai, which she thought was a rip-off.

I remember them being about 3 kuai a few years ago, but that's inflation for you.

Nevertheless it's still a bargain and I was able to eat a late lunch without feeling hungry in between!