Around 12 noon, the Cantonese (Chinese) roasted duck restaurant on Tran Quoc Vuong Street (Cau Giay, Hanoi ) was bustling with customers coming and going. The owner and his wife were nimbly cutting the duck, the other quickly arranging each piece of meat, vegetables, and bean sprouts into a bowl, pouring on the special rich sauce.
Mr. Tran Quyet Thang (44 years old, owner) said that he had 9 years of experience as a kitchen assistant at a restaurant specializing in Chinese cuisine . Here, he observed and learned Cantonese duck dishes from the head chef. "After quitting my job for 2 years, I opened this roast duck restaurant. Up to now, my wife and I have been selling for 10 years and have a stable number of customers," Mr. Thang said.
The restaurant's menu is diverse with dishes such as roasted duck, mixed duck vermicelli, duck vermicelli soup, bamboo shoot and blood soup, etc. Among them, mixed roasted duck vermicelli and roasted duck vermicelli soup are the most popular with diners.
Mr. Thang said that the restaurant uses white-winged duck. According to him, this type of duck has firm meat, moderate toughness, and is not mushy. The duck is imported daily from a familiar source, and then he and his wife directly process it.
After cleaning, the duck will be stuffed with more than 20 traditional Chinese medicines and herbs such as: Star anise, cardamom, cinnamon,... and then sewn closed. "Most of these herbs and traditional Chinese medicines are quite easy to find, only a few are 'secret spices', to create the distinct flavor of Cantonese roast duck.
To remove the odor and make the duck skin shiny, I blanch the duck in boiling water, then sprinkle on a mixture of vinegar and honey, which will give the duck skin a beautiful golden color when roasted. Next, I put the duck in a pot and roast for about 1 hour at 280 degrees Celsius," said Mr. Thang.
Many diners coming to the restaurant are surprised to see that each duck has paper wrapped around its neck, looking like a scarf.
According to the restaurant owner, the duck's neck is wrapped in paper so that when roasted, the duck's blood will soak into the paper and not run down the duck's body, avoiding burning the skin and losing its aesthetic appeal. "Normally, people tie a string around the duck's neck, but I find it time-consuming, so I came up with a way to wrap it in paper that is both effective and saves effort," said Mr. Thang.
According to Mr. Thang, the unique feature of Cantonese roasted duck is the seasoning. The duck is roasted at high temperature but the meat is not dry but very juicy, sweet and chewy.
Every time a customer orders, Mr. Thang will pour hot oil over the entire duck for one minute, helping the duck skin become golden brown and crispy, making it more beautiful.
The broth for the duck noodle soup is simmered from duck feet, duck wings and marrow bones, combined with lemongrass, ginger, onions, etc. The simmering time is from 3 - 4 hours to help the broth have the right amount of sweetness, fat and aroma.
For the mixed roasted duck dish, the owner uses the juice secreted from the duck's belly after roasting, without adding any other spices.
"The sauce for the mixed vermicelli dish is very important, it is the essence of the roasted duck, very fragrant and full of salty and sweet flavors. When enjoying, customers can dip it in soy sauce to enhance the flavor of the dish," said Mr. Thang.
According to the owner, each duck can make 8 bowls of mixed noodles or soup. On average, the restaurant sells about 70-80 ducks a day, of which about 50 are used to make noodles.
Mr. Hiep (29 years old, Cau Giay) has been a regular customer of the restaurant for nearly 4 years. He often eats duck vermicelli at the restaurant because he is satisfied with the sweet broth and the well-marinated duck meat. "I come here several times a week. Both the mixed vermicelli and the vermicelli soup are to my taste, the duck is cut into thick pieces, the portion is full, and the price is reasonable," he said.
Quynh Nhu (19 years old, Cau Giay) and her group of friends came to enjoy Cantonese roasted duck vermicelli. "This is the second time I've come back here. I find the duck meat here is marinated just right, dipped in a delicious dipping sauce, the meat is not mushy, and the skin is crispy," Nhu said.
Each bowl of duck noodle soup costs from 35,000 to 50,000 VND. Each roasted duck at the restaurant costs 220,000 VND, other dishes cost from 30,000 to 220,000 VND.
The restaurant is quite spacious and clean, with more than 10 tables, serving about 50 guests at a time. In the evening, the restaurant adds tables outdoors to serve customers.
The restaurant opens in two time slots, 11am - 2pm and 5:30pm - 9pm. In the evening, the restaurant often runs out of food early. The busiest time is around 12pm - 1pm and 7pm - 8pm. During this time, customers have to wait 10-15 minutes.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/chu-quan-ha-noi-cho-vit-tam-hon-20-gia-vi-quang-khan-ban-70-con-ngay-2330910.html
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