The kind folks at Xindalu China Kitchen in the Hyatt on the Bund, Shanghai, allowed me to come in and photograph the step-by-step cooking and carving (and eating) of Beijing-style roast duck. Xindalu's Beijing cuisine is about as authentic as you can get in Shanghai. They're special duck-roasting oven caused a delay in the restaurant's opening (it was so heavy the foundation of the hotel had to be rebuilt). The ducks are sourced from farms outside of Beijing and the wood for roasting is red date tree wood, shipped down from Beijing every month and warehoused in Shanghai.
Follow this quick guide to get an idea of what this famous Chinese dish is all about but here's a warning. If you view these photos while you're hungry, you're likely to purchase tickets to China to sample this yourself!
