Gee Gong

A friend from work raved about “the best deal for Peking duck in the city”. Of course, I had to check this out. Whenever I hear rumors about the ‘best’ anything, it’s a mission that I have to undertake. So after a nice walk downtown and a trip to the museum, I decided to try out Gee Gong.

Aesthetically, Gee Gong is nothing to write home about. It’s simply tables and chairs, but the place is alive with loud conversation, Cantonese television and the loud chopping of the cleaver. Atmosphere like this is common in Chinatown and it’s the reason I love to go there.

After a quick warming up with some tea, I knew what I was there for.

“Peking Duck special, please.”

The servers were attentive and quick. A few minutes after I made my order, I was brought a beautiful plate of glistening meat with crispy skin. It was accompanied by warm wrappers, julienned green onion and cucumber and that signature sauce. Immediately, I began to assemble my first sample of this legendary dish. The thin wrappers envelope the contents wonderfully. Being careful not to overfill the wrappers is a constant battle. The taste was what you’d come to expect from this dish. Tender duck meat contrasted by its crispy skin, crunch from the cucumber and sweetness of the sauce. Wonderful.

The 2 other courses arrived shortly after. There was a light soup with bony duck meat, cabbage, shitake and tofu followed by a duck fried rice with peas, green onion and pineapple. The taste of the other dishes were good, the soup was light tasting and fairly hearty with the tofu. I’m not a huge fan of the bony meat on the duck, but it didn’t bother me that much. The rice is a nice finish and a great alternative in case you get tired of assembling your duck wrappers.

All in all, the experience was good. The price was even better. The whole thing came in at about $25. For the portions, this is easily a dinner for 2. Next time you’re downtown, take a walk to Gee Gong.