To celebrate Lunar New Year, taking place on Jan. 22, chefs Anna Chen and Anthony Rose sample one of the dayโs most popular dishes โ Peking duck. Served wrapped in a pancake or atop a lettuce cup, the dish is known to bring an abundance of good luck.
Winner (pancake): Peking Man
Anthony: โThe duck is flavourful and nice and crunchy, and the pancake is nice and thin. I like the addition of the cucumber and the scallion.โ
Anna: โI feel it could be crispier, but overall the flavours are well-balanced.โ 4300 Steeles Ave. E.ย pekingman.ca $55
Winner (lettuce wrap): Lai Wah Heen
Anna: โVery generous portion and beautiful presentation.โ
Anthony: โVery pretty. Itโs moist and has just the right amount of sauce. I like the simplicity of the flavours and I can really taste the duck.โ 108 Chestnut St. laiwahheen.com $88
Tao
Anthony: โThe lettuce is a little awkward in terms of its shape, and itโs a bit hard to pick up. I like the
addition of the mango.โ
Anna: โThe duck is nice and chunky, and itโs got a bit of spice, too, which gives it some heat, which I like!โ 220 Laird Dr. taobistro.ca $76
Dynasty
Anna: โI got a really nice portion of duck in the pancake, and the skin is nice and crispy.โ
Anthony: โItโs spiced a little too heavily, but I like the chunkiness of the duck.โ 69 Yorkville Ave. dynastyyorkville.com ย $79.95
Chi Dim Sum
Anna: โThereโs lots of flavour in this dish, and the duck is nicely cooked.โ
Anthony: โI like the duck on this one, very sweet, but not overcooked, and you can really taste the spices that have been used.โ 2425 Yonge St. chidimsum.ca $65
Kwan
Anna: โThe presentation is pretty, and the lettuce wrap is nice and fresh. The fried noodle adds a nice crunchy garnish, but itโs lacking in flavour.โ
Anthony: โPresentation-wise the lettuce is gorgeous, but I agree with Anna, more flavour is definitely needed here.โ
808 York Mills Rd. kwan-dimsum.com $68