iDen & Quanjude Beijing Duck House

The Emperor’s QuanJuDe Beijing Duck Lands a MICHELIN Star in Vancouver

"This One MICHELIN Star fine-dining outpost brings QuanJuDe’s iconic Peking duck to the heart of Vancouver, next to City Hall and Broadway. Opened by Chef Allen Ren to spearhead Chinese fine dining in North America, it stays faithful to the traditional Chinese palace method with an open hanging oven and subtle fruit flavors, while using locally raised Canadian ducks and modern appliances. The centuries-old process—washing the duck, blowing air to separate skin and meat, air-drying at a low temperature for three days, then roasting at 180 degrees for almost an hour—maximizes the skin’s crispiness, and the duck is served with steamed spring pancakes, cucumbers, scallions, and Tianmian (fermented sweet bean) sauce. Beyond the duck, the menu spans regional styles from Sichuan to Cantonese, Huaiyang to Fujian, with favorites like local lobster, sablefish cooked in black vinegar, and a Cantonese-style lamb rack marinated with honey and soy sauce, plus delicacies such as abalone, geoduck, sea cucumber, and fish maw; there are also options like adding caviar to the duck and seasonal local morels and matsutake. The space, with soft jazz, ancient paintings, and an ode to Chaoyang Gate, feels delicately modern and cozy yet distinctly Chinese, drawing on Qing Dynasty palace architecture, and it features iDen, an immersive private room with virtual backgrounds from palaces to forests. Early support from Chef Joseph Tse of Macau’s Three MICHELIN Star The Eight as Chef in Residence helped launch the vision, and the restaurant is a rare find on this side of the world, inviting locals and tourists to enjoy timeless recipes with a subtle Canadian twist." - Michael He