Beneath the large painting that dominates the room, in this décor inspired by Qing dynasty palaces, I settle into my small square table. Around me, conversations grow animated, sometimes muffled behind false walls concealing private rooms for birthdays or business gatherings. Around the tables, servers move with near-surgical precision, sporting bulky earpieces as they carve the Peking duck right before guests’ eyes.
It’s hard not to think, as you sit down, that this house carries 160 years of history. QuanJuDe was born in Beijing in 1864, where the recipe is said to have originally been developed for the imperial family. Since then, the parent restaurant has served duck to a roster of heads of state, from Nixon to Obama. Chef Allen Ren, the driving force behind the brand’s arrival in Vancouver, says he wants to shift a deeply rooted reflex and offer a Chinese restaurant worthy of a special-occasion dinner. The Michelin star, earned at opening and renewed every year since, proves him right.
Beyond the tasting menus priced in the hundreds of dollars, which run through a succession of succulent dishes, and, of course, the signature Peking duck. The à la carte menu reveals the full scope of the house’s ambition, with dishes like Miyazaki A5 Wagyu or an abalone soup. Still, expect to spend well over a hundred dollars to eat with real pleasure.
My experience at iDen & QuanJuDe
It all begins with my jellyfish salad starter. Raw and marinated in a well-balanced sauce, the salad arrives generously spiced, true to Chinese flavors. To me, the jellyfish has an almost elastic, ligament-like texture, one that takes some getting used to before you can fully appreciate the interplay of spices and the depth of the sauce.
For my main, I naturally go for the signature dish: the half Peking duck. The skin is fully caramelized, but only a small portion was served to me, leaving me wanting more. The pancakes, while flavorful, unfortunately arrive a bit cold. The meat, however, is exemplary, well-cooked, and generous in flavor. A small mention for the attentive service: the sauce is refilled the moment you run low. Flavor-wise, this is a technical dish built on a good long cook. We happily have fun building our own pancakes with the hoisin sauce and duck, composing the dish ourselves.
At the end of the meal, the server offers a glass of Shuanggou Daqu, a Chinese baijiu liquor. Quite strong, it helps ease digestion after the meal. For dessert, I try a jasmine tea crème brûlée. The caramel is a touch too firm; I would have liked it to give way more easily under the spoon, to let the delicacy of the jasmine, standing in here for vanilla in a more Chinese spirit, take center stage.
