Lunar New Year with Doris & Her Famed Peking Duck

Back in December 2020, Doris Wang, owner of the China King restaurant in Chinatown,  had to close her restaurant. The pandemic was largely to blame as she lost about 90% of her business. One of her claims to fame was her exquisite Peking Duck, which is truly missed. Fortunately, some people were able to experience her Peking Duck once again, at a pop-up celebration for the Lunar New Year. 

Last evening, Frenchie Wine Bistro owner Sandrine Rossi invited Doris to hold a one-night-only, Peking Duck Popup, to celebrating the kickoff to Chinese New Year -- the Year of the Tiger. Sandrine's favorite cuisine (after French) is Chinese. “I lived and worked in Beijing for 18 months in 2013-2014 as an engineer,” she says. “Doris’s incredible food reminds me of that special time.” 

The dinner cost $88 per person (including tax and gratuity) and included two Starters, three courses of Peking Duck, and Dessert. This was a very reasonable price for the quantity and quality of the food. We also ordered some wine, the 2017 Chateau Musar "Hochar Pere et Fils" ($55/bottle), an excellent red wine from this famed producer in Lebanon. 

Frenchie Wine Bistro is a cozy little spot on Tremont Street, with tables to the left side and a bar to the right. There is also a small dining room at the end of the restaurant. During the course of the dinner, Doris, and one of her sons, were hard at work in the kitchen, which is visible from the dining room. By 7pm, the restaurant was full of guests eager for Peking Duck. 

The dinner began with the two Starters, including Scallion Pancakes, "Homemade, multi-layered and pan-fried crisp. Served with ginger-soy." These were a delight, thicker than many other scallion pancakes because of the multiple layers, and with a great crispiness to them. The added layers added a bit of chewiness to the interior, a nice contrast to the crispy outer layers. A nice way to start the meal.

The other Starter were Shumai, "Steamed, homemade Dim Sum, stuffed with ground pork and shrimp." These were much larger than the usual Shrimp Shumai you find at other Asian restaurants. And they were dense with the pork and shrimp mixture, providing a juicy and flavorful taste. Definitely more complex than the usual Shrimp Shumai and another excellent Starter. 

The Signature Peking Duck Three-Wave began with "Sliced, crispy duck skin, served with homemade pancakes, julienned cucumbers, scallion brushes, and hoisin sauce." This was my favorite dish of the night! An ample portion of tasty pieces of duck, with plenty of crispy and flavorful skin (who doesn't love crispy, duck skin?), and two duck legs. The pancakes were very thin, almost like crepes, and held together well with the scrumptious duck and fillings. As I've often said, I think duck legs are better than chicken legs, and these duck legs delivered. This dish is one reason why Doris has received so much acclaim. 

The next course included "Shredded duck meat, wok-fried Chinese rice noodles, julienned carrots, pea pods, scallion, and bean sprouts." The noodles were nicely chewy, bathed in the flavors and with more of the tasty duck bits. Once again, it was a hearty and delicious dish, with a nice variety of textures and flavors. 

The last duck course was the "Duck bone soup with young tofu and napa cabbage." It possessed a very tasty broth, and the tofu was silky and soft. The duck bones had little bits of meat still on them, which you could chew off if you so desired. 

For Dessert, we received Fried Sesame Donuts, which were filled with a sweet red bean paste, and which is also a traditional Chinese New Year snack. A nice way to end the meal, with a bit of sweetness within the chewy donut, enhanced by the nuttiness of the sesame seeds. 

What an amazing dinner, and I was pleasantly stuffed at the end. The first course of Peking Duck, with the crispy skin and pancakes, will probably be one of my Favorite Dishes of 2022. Boston is a lesser place without Doris Wang and China King, and I fervently hope that Doris starts a new restaurant in the near future. Or at least, does more Pop-Ups. 

For more info on the history of Peking Duck, in the local region and Chinatown, as well as info on Doris, check out my prior article.