Life as a Bon Vivant: Dong Lai Shun 東來順

Monday, June 29, 2009

Dong Lai Shun 東來順

It has been a while since I had some Chinese food so tonight I went to Dong Lai Shun (東來順) at the Royal Garden Hotel with a few friends for some Beijing cuisine. We were expecting to have Peking Duck but it turned out to be sold out. Very disappointing indeed. Then again, we booked two hours in advance but without reserving a the Peking Duck. This place is well know for its lamb hot pot but tonight we didn't feel like having such specialty. I do know that there are many famous dishes here but I rather want to try their normal down-to-earth items. Therefore, we ordered a few starters and light dishes.

We ordered the following items: (1) Tea Leaf smoked egg (龍井煙薰蛋) / (2) Mixed bean paste with salty egg yolk (黃金豆板酥捲) / (3) Crispy Pancake with onion and Sesame (荵油餅) / (4) Stir-fried Egg White with Crab Meat (賽螃蟹) / (5) Bean Paste Eggplant (豆板茄子) / (6) Smoked Duck (樟茶鴨) / (7) Pan Fried Beef Bun (生煎包) / (8) Sesame Paste Dumpling (擂沙湯圓)

(1) Tea Leaf smoked egg (龍井煙薰蛋)

It was well prepared, the egg yolk smoked just about right! I think it was a bit over smoked but the yolk remained semi liquid so it passed my test as a good smoked egg. Of course it must contain strong tea leaf / smoke flavor and it did. Although it was not the best smoked egg I had so far, it was a memorable dish because of the way it was served: on individual artistic spoon. A nice touch indeed.

(2) Mixed bean paste with salty egg yolk (黃金豆板酥捲)

An interesting dish indeed. Not what I would call a typical starter but from what I can see, it requires some skills to prepare. The various pastes were mixed and layered before forming into a roll. Those pastes remained soft so it was not easy to prepare it so that it remained intact as a whole. Although it was mixed with salty egg yolk, the overall taste was rather light. An interesting dish but the bean paste + salty egg yolk flavors are not for everyone.

(3) Crispy Pancake with onion and Sesame (荵油餅)
When we were ordering this dish, the friendly staff asked if we want it done "thin" or "thick." I picked "thick" because I know in many places nowadays, the thin pancakes are the common offering which are likely to be too oily. It was a surprise indeed, it was very well prepared in my opinion. Not too greasy and not too much "bread" or flour in the center. A very crispy outer layer but I do hope there were more green onions because it would taste even better !

(4) Stir-fried Egg White with Crab Meat (賽螃蟹)

A fair dish but nothing much special about it. The egg white was a bit overcooked, caused the texture to be a little rough than it should be. Not a dish prepared by senior chef for sure.

(5) Bean Paste Eggplant (豆板茄子)

Aside from the fact that it was too oily, I liked this dish. I understand that to make this a good dish, excess oil is usually needed so the oily sensation was acceptable to me. Although it was a dish with bean paste which tends to be rich in flavor, the result was not as rich as I hoped. Nonetheless, it remained a good dish to be served with white rice!

(6) Smoked Duck (樟茶鴨)

This was the alternative to the Peking Duck we wanted initially. The meat was tender and the skin was crispy; but it wasn't smoked long enough to have the rich smoke taste it needed. A disappointing dish. It wasn't terrible at all, but without the rich smoke flavor, it does not seem to be a 樟茶鴨!

(7) Pan Fried Beef Bun (生煎包)

I never tried such a bun made of beef and I liked it. It was well prepared indeed. The bun layer was thin and there were some juice captured within as well. The amount of juice within is a very important factor in determining if this item was skillfully prepared. Next time you try this dish somewhere else, check the amount of juice trapped inside without leaking of course. In my opinion, the more the better, but beware of hot meat juice!

(8) Sesame Paste Dumpling (擂沙湯圓)

A delightful surprise! Sticky-rice layer was very thin and stretchy as well with hot black sesame paste within, yummy! A freshly prepared dessert that ended our meal on a positive note.

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