The Duck and Dumpling
I’ve been raring to eat at Duck and Dumpling for a while and finally got my chance during Restaurant Week. It’s small and chic, but not off-puttingly so.
I’d already decided to get the Asian Pear Martini when I found out that their special drink was an Asian Pear Mimosa. I mostly tasted the champagne, the pear flavor was very subtle, but I enjoyed it. My only complaint is the price ($10, the same price as their martinis).
We were brought an amuse-bouche, a ginger and carrot soup in those little soup spoons (sorry, no picture). It was delicious, insanely creamy, and a nice way to start the meal. Because I am woefully unhip, I love the rare occasions when I dine somewhere that serves an amuse-bouche (this doesn’t really happen say at Cookout!).
My friend Beth and I both started with the pork half-fried dumplings (which can be found on the regular menu) and my husband got the black bean rib tips (which aren’t on the regular menu). Both were good. The rib tips were very tender and the black bean sauce was delicious. The dumplings were absolutely stuffed with well-seasoned pork. Very tasty, but almost too meaty for me.
My husband and I both ordered the Poached Diver Scallops in a Honey-Ginger Glaze (the similar dish on the regular menu is $26, so this was a good deal although I’d be interested to see what the other scallop dish is accompanied with). They came in a fried wonton bowl on top of some greens. The scallops were fantastic. Perfectly cooked and the sauce was delicious, sweet but not overly so. Best scallops I’ve had in a long time (although not too surprisingly, scallops don’t keep so well. We had a few left over that we ate the next day and they were not so great.) Beth got the chicken pad thai (also on regular menu) and though I only had one bite, it was tasty and certainly a cut above the usual pad thai.
For dessert I chose the green tea ice cream, Beth got the ginger ice cream, and my husband got the key lime pie. I would say the key lime pie was the winner. Both flavors of ice cream were very subtle, I would have liked a little more green tea flavor.
Service was good, with one exception. We had leftovers boxed for us and had to flag our server down to make sure he boxed the rice, which he originally was going to just take away. And the next day when we opened up the leftovers, the server (or someone in the kitchen) had decided to only pack up the scallops and not the greens that remained on the plates. I really dislike it when someone decides what is worth packing up for me, as far as I’m concerned, everything on the plate should go in the box. A minor irritation.
Chef David Mao stopped by our table to ask how the meal had been. I love little gestures like that, it sets a restaurant apart.
I really enjoyed my meal here and am eager to come back and try offerings from the regular menu.
The Duck and Dumpling
222 S. Blount St.
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 838-0085
