Yayuan Roast Duck Restaurant 鸭缘烤鸭餐厅

Hidden in City Hotel, this place serves some of the best yet least accessible roast duck in town. You need to wait at least one hour for the bird which is freshly roasted after you order it, unless your lucky stars have flown south for the winter and they are sold out by the time you get there. The chefs, who formerly worked at Quanjude, are very strict when picking ducks: they only use the “cherry meat duck,” one of the best breeds of ducks, whose tiny frame and plump meat resemble the kernel and pulp of a cherry. The roast duck, especially the thick, crispy and full of juicy fat skin, married happily with soft white sugar (which is not on the menu but you should ask for). Wash it all down with some snow-white duck soup, while ignoring the indifferent service (15% surcharge), dilapidated interior and mediocre Hunan cuisine on the menu, and you’re in for both a real treat and a great deal.