Taking Foreign Friends to Eat Peking Duck

Yan returned to Hong Kong from Canada for a family visit and vacation, and definitely made time to catch up with everyone. Since her stay is short and we might not get many chances to meet, we decided to have an extended gathering with afternoon tea and dinner, chatting until we were satisfied. We'll talk about the afternoon tea in another article; this one focuses on dinner. The main guest requested Peking duck and xiaolongbao, so we went to Beijing Lao Jia. We started with a few cold dishes. Drunken chicken is a must-order item, with a nice presentation and tender meat that isn't too firm, exuding a slight aroma of wine. It's quite good. Next came the garlic eggplant, which was even better. The eggplant wasn't mushy, and the garlic and sesame paste were well-balanced, slightly spicy but not overwhelming. You could eat several pieces without any problem. The sweet and sour ribs were plentiful and appetizing with their sweet and sour flavor, though the texture was slightly less tender than expected. The highlight, of course, was the Peking duck that the main guest specifically wanted. The traditional slicing method didn't separate the skin from the meat; each piece had both, and it was flavorful and tender without being greasy. Paired with cucumber strips and scallions, dipped in duck sauce, and wrapped in a pancake, it was truly delicious. Everyone was competing with the main guest for a bite. The xiaolongbao had a thicker skin and less soup, but the pork filling was decent, so there were no major complaints. In comparison, everyone preferred the dumplings, which had a smooth skin and good flavor. Worried that the main guest might not be full, we also ordered a plate of stir-fried knife-cut noodles, which were equally delicious. For some reason, they reminded me a bit of Penang char kway teow. We also had two vegetable dishes: for those who can't handle spice, there was cabbage in broth, and for those who love spice, there was stir-fried shredded cabbage with chili. For dessert, we had traditional glutinous rice balls with red bean paste and caramelized apples, flavors that might be hard to find in Canada. Restaurant Information: Beijing Lao Jia 8/F, International Commercial Bank Building, 25-31 Cameron Road, Tsim Sha Tsui