Peking duck restaurant takes New York by storm

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Peking duck is the signature dish at a new Chinese restaurant that has created a buzz among New York food lovers.

DaDong, which opened officially in midtown Manhattan on Monday, said 2,500 reservations were made through February within the first two hours of becoming available.

The menu of the restaurant employs ingredients from both Chinese and western cuisines in more than 80 dishes.

Among them is the coveted Peking duck, a traditional Chinese dish that is often served at banquets and celebrations, in addition to family-style meals. It is priced at 98 dollars (around 650 yuan) for a whole duck and $58 (390 yuan) for a half, accompanied by pancakes, sesame buns and sauces.

A chef slices roast duck at Manhattan's DaDong restaurant. /Photo via Eater New York

The restaurant was founded by renowned Chinese chef Dong Zhenxiang and joins the chain he created in China that claims to serve 1,387,000 Peking ducks per year.

Dong himself once cooked at Quanjude, the place that invented modern Peking duck in 1864.

For DaDong's first entry into the American market, the Manhattan branch has two levels and seats more than 400 indoors within 17,500 square feet and 200 on a large outdoor terrace.

And as is traditional in roast duck restaurants, diners can watch as chefs slice the duck into thin pieces.

The popular restaurant located in midtown Manhattan has two levels, seating more than 400 within 17,500 square feet indoors and 200 on a large outdoor terrace. /Photo via Eater New York

Chef-owner Dong Zhenxiang has spent more than 40 years perfecting his extremely crispy Peking duck recipe. And since real Peking duck cannot be exported and foreign ducks are not suitable for the dish, Dong works with a farm in Indiana to raise a specific white-feathered bird to supply the restaurant for three years. Special ovens were also shipped out from China.

Presently, there are only 1,200 ducks in his New York freezers, allowing for limited reservations at DaDong.

The Peking duck displayed as artwork in dishes. /Photo via Eater New York