Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant, Huai Hai Zhong Road, Shanghai

Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant, Huai Hai Road, Shanghai

Saturday 26 May, 2007

This place is an experience - from the outfits the female staff wear (including the bizarre shoes), the size of the dining space, the military precision of the duck carvers and the taste of roast duck. I am literally salivating as I type this and feel strangely like Homer Simpson..........mmmmm roast duck.

We knew what we were in for having visited last year but our first time China travel buddy had no idea what to expect and it was just brilliant to share the experience with a first timer.

We arrived tired and exhausted after our day trip to Suzhou. We took the lift to the 4th floor with 100 of our closest friends - it constantly amazes me how the Chinese have no issues with personal space. On arrival it was survival of the fittest as everyone rushed the reception desk. We had already decided to say we had a reservation as it was just so busy and we definitely did not want to wait or be turned away.

Our plan worked and we were led through the massive dining area down some escalators and shown to our table on a raised platform. The menu is enormous and there are pictures inside the help make your selection easy. For the less adventurous the pictures freak you out as every single bit of every animal is used e.g. pigs intestines, cattle trotters etc.

We knew we wanted duck, vegetables and spring rolls. Flagging down a staff member - no one speaks English here - was an experience and ordering where we literally pointed at the different pictures and nodded. Hilarious.

Our duck carver arrived a short while later and we watched in awe as he expertly carved the duck to pieces with an incredibly sharp carving knife. Pancakes all round we were in duck heaven. The vegetables were equally as good - we opted for a plate of eggplant and bok choy.

Everyone orders duck at Quanjude so be prepared to eat and get yourself in a greasy, duck fat mess. Thankfully they provide hot towels so you can keep yourself somewhat clean!

Quanjude Roast Duck restaurant - 4/F, 786 Huaihai Road, Shanghai- T: (86 21) 6433 7286