Da Dong is to duck what Lucas-Carton in Paris is to Nouvelle Cuisine: the epitome of how to prepare, cook and serve duck in a magnificent way.

The restaurant decor is a modern take on the 70s. It's a big place, with a very large common room and like so many big restaurants in Beijing, lots of small private rooms you can book for the evening with a minimum order guarantee. The restaurant is well lit and very clean. I can't say the same of many local restaurants. You access it by an elevator, just like you access the famous Tour d'Argent in Paris by an elevator. The reception girls lead you to your seat very quickly, no wait.

The feat starts with the menu: the photos of the dishes are absolutely impressive. Each dish is a composition like a painting. Extremely creative. It reminded me of a ryokan I stayed at in Kyoto, where each dish was created like a landscape. Absolutely stunning. Da Dong puts the same level of effort in their presentation, it's gorgeous.

My date and I ordered ... duck (what else?) accommodated in several manners. At Da Dong, you pick the duck you will eat from those that hang next to the oven. It's a ritual: pick your entire duck, and this specific duck will be cooked only for you.

Each dish was a discovery of how duck can taste so differently depending on spices and cooking style. French and Chinese chefs prepare duck in a very different way. Whereas in the French culinary tradition a magret (filet) will be pink inside and a confit will be as melting under the tongue as well-cooked pulled pork, Chinese cuisine prepares duck well done but tender. This is the case of Imperial duck and roasted duck dishes. Certain dishes are so roasted, they crack under your teeth.

In the Imperial style of cuisine, skin is served apart from the meat. You wrap it in a small rice flour galette together with Chinese onions, and dip this "soft taco" in a deep brown slightly sweet soja sauce. To die for.

A specialist slices the meat of the Imperial duck before your eyes on a tray table, and serves you the various parts of the duck in stages. It's a long ceremony dedicated to celebrating the many tastes of duck.

Da Dong has an impressive wine list which includes many French wines but also New World wines from Argentina and Chili. My date and I weren't into wines, so we had a high-class tea to accompany the meal.

Prices are commensurate with the experience, though relatively reasonable compared with fares in 5-star restaurants in other large cities.

Da Dong is a feast for the eye, the nose and the palate. It is a very specialized slice of an incredibly rich Chinese culinary tradition. If you never tried duck, don't go to a cheap duck place; go to Da Dong. If you are a duck connoisseur, go to Da Dong too. You will be "enchanté".