New York City: DaDong (May 2018)


DaDong (May 2018) - Authentic Cuisine in a Modern Space

My spouse and I and three family members dined at DaDong for lunch on a Sunday afternoon in late May 2018. DaDong is open daily from 11:30 am until 11:00 pm. You can make a reservation using the online Open Table system.

DaDong NYC is the first non-Chinese location for the restaurant that first opened in Beijing in 1985. It has since expanded to include 10+ restaurants in Beijing and 6+ in other Chinese cities including Shanghai and Chengdu. The restaurant enterprise also offers some fast-food outlets and even a venue aboard a cruise ship. The restaurant’s name is derived from the owner’s first name (Dong), and the prefix “Da”, means “big” in Mandarin, a reference to the chef’s tall height.

DaDong NYC opened in December 2017 in a modern building that sits between West 41st and 42nd Streets (between Broadway and Sixth Avenues). Technically, the restaurant’s address in 3 Bryant Park; however, this restaurant is not located ON Bryant Park (although it is within a half block). The restaurant entrance is accessed from a “pocket park”, a pedestrian-only space that runs between the numbered streets mid-block. An Equinox gym faces 41st Street, whereas the restaurant offers windows on 42nd Street. DaDong occupies nearly 13,000 square feet on two floors of The Cube Building that can accommodate over 400 guests at a time. The elegant second-floor dining room features a large bar, above which sits a suspended gold sculpture. In addition, the restaurant also offers a nearly 4,000-square foot outdoor space and several private dining spaces. An elevator transports guests between the levels. In the dining rooms, a neutral color palette provides a blank canvas for contemporary Chinese art. 

DaDong serves modern Chinese cuisine. The restaurant is world-famous for its Peking duck; the restaurant’s chef even developed a proprietary wood-burning oven (converted to gas for its Manhattan location) to prepare them, and he works with an Indiana farm to properly raise the birds. Spain’s famed chef Ferran Adria, France’s Alain Ducasse, and the UK’s Heston Blumenthal are fans of DaDong. In its Chinese locations, it reportedly offers a 280-page menu, which has been blessedly condensed for the Manhattan site. The executive chef has worked at NYC’s Atlantic Grill and Blue Fin..

Our group shared a variety of dishes: sweet and sour pork ribs (our least favorite dish), steamed crystal vegetable buns (our favorite), pan-seared buns, dumplings, cold avocado noodles (a very small portion), Beijing Zhaijiang noodles, seared cauliflower (another favorite, but rather spicy), and a whole duck (served not only with traditional pancakes, but also with alternative sesame buns and condiments of garlic paste, melon, and sugar). Disappointingly, the restaurant was out of two items that we ordered (the Iberico ham-wrapped sticky rice and the Brussel sprouts). To add to our frustration, we were surprised to learn that the restaurant does not offer a Bloody Mary as a beverage option, even at weekend brunch time. 

Our meal at DaDong was satisfactory; the service was good, and the food was tasty, but we wish that the restaurant had been properly provisioned.
























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