Local Houston Eats: Peking Duck with Bao Buns

Craving tender roasted duck with thin crispy skin, we drove to Bellaire Boulevard, on Friday afternoon right after work, to avoid the crowd and long wait. The authentic dish comes with tortilla-like pancakes, but my family and I prefer having it with bao buns. Hai Cang Harbor is a Chinese restaurant that does Peking duck well.

Peking duck with bao buns at Hai Cang Harbor restaurant

We ordered a whole duck that came with ten fluffy steamed bao buns. Except the drumsticks, they have deboned, cut and separated the skin from the duck meat. I put it together like a taco… a layer of duck meat and skin, julienne scallions and a spoonful of sweet hoisin-based sauce. A bite into the stuffed bun gave a combination of different flavors and textures. It was sweet and savory, soft and crispy at the same time. I like that the meat was tender and juicy. The skin was crispy like potato chip. There are restaurants that serve this dish with a thick layer of fat underneath the duck skin. So, it is not good when you bite into the stuffed bun and taste the chewy skin. It is better to share this with family and friends than eating alone. If there is meat left over, you can order more bao buns.

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