Needing a change of scenery, a few of us hopped on the 地铁 (subway; dee-tyeh) to 东直门 (dong-juh-mun), a significantly Ritzier and less crowded area of Beijing than our bustling 五道口 (oo-dow-koh). Having walked around for almost an hour, we happened upon what from the exterior looked to be a large yet unassuming restaurant. There were lighted, kitschy banners extending around the exterior, which called the attention of my friend, who blurted out excitedly, "OMG! Can we please, please, please go to Chef Dong's Braised Seacucumbers!?" There was a picture of a smiling Chef Dong and his braised seacucumbers on the banner...The situation was awkwardly funny, and we laughed in due course.
It turns out that the restaurant was actually Da Dong's -- Big Dong's (of course) -- who is famous not only for his braised seacucumbers but also his prize-winning Peking Duck. The place was packed with people, many of them foreigners staying in the upscale hotels in the area, but we decided that it would be worth the half-hour wait, so we found seats at the bar and sipped on Lychee Bellinis until our table was ready.
The hokey back-lit banners outside did a disservice to the restaurant's chic interior, filled with large black tables in a dimly lit room with subtle streaks of color, along with well-arranged, elegant centerpieces and an attentive waitstaff. Sadly, we were not bold enough to partake of Big Dong's seacucumber -- but we did go for the duck, which although was not "life-changing," as my friend put it, we did enjoy it.
A side note: My Chinese last name is also Dong (董) -- although I unfortunately cannot claim to be Big Dong...
1 comment:
As long as your not the Wrong Dong. Really wnjoying reading the blog, This could be a novel when your done
Uncle Jim
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