I've actually always entered via Tian'anmen because: 1) I feel this is the proper way to do the drill; and 2) I like following it up with Beihai Park. I only suggested the southbound approach to anaidross because someone in his other thread mentioned the idea, and it seemed to make sense in light of his objectives and time constraints.

But, let me throw one more idea out there for him/her: the Houhai Quanjude, which happens to be directly across the street from the north gate of Beihai Park. While this plan is semi-ambitious, an 1130a arrival is doable (it's only a 2 mile walk); just ask the restaurant to book a taxi to the airport (shouldn't be all that hard at 1230 or 1).

57号 Di'anmen West Street
Xicheng, Beijing, China
010-6617 2127
quanjude.com.cn‎

Siji Minfu is (way) better than Quanjude :p

Interesting--I love Sijiminfu for a quick, inexpensive place to eat near Wangfujing if I'm staying there, but I've never had the duck. My favorite there is the sauteed green beans (ganbian siji dou, right?). I've had the dish several places, and it's the best version I've had. $4 for a heaping plate seals the deal. (Of course, I'm not as well traveled as many within China, and I suspect there are places that take this dish to an even higher level).

I found Siji Minfu by accident (Wangjing Branch) and thought it was fantastic. My Chinese partners, who have not the best opinion of Quanjude, also like and recommend it. The Wangfujing Branch is amazingly relaxed and friendly.

The ganbian sijidou are different at every single place you order them - the best version for me is the mala one at Chongqing/Xiangcai restaurants. Nonetheless, no dish at Siji Minfu has disappointed yet - and service is incredibly friendly.

That said, a Beijing duck and sijidou go for less than 60 and 15 kuai, resp. at my area...

Do you have an address for Sijiminfu in Wangfujing area? It sounds like a great place for eating.

Thanks,

Google

(I don't mean to be snarky, but come on!)

There's even a link in post 150.

Thank you everyone for your time and the great insider tips.

I will try to get to Sijiminfu as it seems really interesting and not so touristy.

Beijing, here I came...:)

Wall Street Journal's take on Peking Duck:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...googlenews_wsj

Short but nice article.

Prior to clicking on the link, I was expecting a bunch of rubbish. But, I must admit that all 5 of their picks are pretty solid (i.e. they would make almost anyone's top 10), and I'm glad that they didn't attempt to rank them.

I've eaten at the other 4, but had not heard of Li Qun before. Any thoughts from those here?

Gone way downhill and the surroundings aren't quaint and picturesque, they're downright filthy. I wouldn't recommend it to anybody and it shouldn't have made this article's list. Even the locals have long since abandoned Li Qun. For that matter, Quanjude shouldn't have made it either at least not on merits of taste. An old warhorse that should be shot.

I'm unimpressed. Didn't seem like all that much thought went into the list, merely regurgitating some of the same 5 found in the typical foreigner guidebook.

For better or for worse, many people still regard Quanjude as the de facto standard for Peking Duck. In other words, while places like DaDong, Made in China, and Duck de Chine may have developed innovative products that arguably taste better (I certainly think so!), the simple fact that they have done this means that they are not in 100% compliance with the tradition. By contrast, I'd be willing to bet that Quanjude's duck hasn't changed a great deal since Nixon's visit 40 years ago.

Yeah, the article would have been better (and more interesting) if they simply outsourced it to The Beijinger, but I think it was good enough for their target audience, most of which is unfamiliar with both FT and the local magazines, and also less adventurous than us.

Getting back on topic, I've read that there are several new duck joints coming online during the course of the next few months that aspire to raise the bar. When this happens, some of us should try them and report back here.

I happen to like the duck at Quanjude - a lot. To me it's superior to Da Dong. For sure, they like to think they are the duck restaurant, and a lot of their other dishes are misses (unlike Da Dong, where the other dishes are great), and service is not superb, but the duck is really good. I really like the Made in China duck too, although it's a very different beast. I guess it shows that tastes do vary!

tb