Mao in Seocho: Authentic Peking Duck in Seoul
+ Things I ate on a subsequent visit.
It's just past June, but the weather is already sweltering, and being a Monday, I inexplicably have no energy. My lunch crew was also slumping, so we needed something nourishing to recharge. So, despite it being lunch, we decided to splurge on an appetizing dish and headed to 'Mao'. I believe Mao's main branch is in Itaewon, but quite a few branches have popped up. Today, we visited the Seocho branch near our office.
It's a place that mainly sells Peking duck, known by various names like Beijing kaoya, Beijing duck, or Peking duck. Even though Mao is a branch, the sound of the staff speaking Chinese as soon as you walk in makes you feel like you've traveled to Beijing. Taking a seat and looking at the menu, there's a prominent drawing of Mao Zedong. To Koreans, he might just be the second-in-command of the commies, but to the Chinese, isn't he the hero of heroes? Of course, with China's national image having fallen so much lately, I don't feel particularly inspired by it. Still, since Chinese owners opened a restaurant under Mao Zedong's name, I'm looking forward to it.
Whether in Shanghai or Seoul, whenever I ordered Peking duck, it always seemed like the duck had been on a strict diet. Since there were four of us, we didn't hesitate to order a large size, plus an individual meal for each person. Peking duck is a dish that naturally takes a long time, but today it felt like it took exceptionally long. After waiting about 20 to 30 minutes, the side ingredients for the duck came out, and finally, the Peking duck was served.
After the Peking duck and then the jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles) came out, it was time for seal-clapping and taking photos. And when I finally took a bite, wow! I felt alive again. Duck is softer than chicken, and with the skin made so crispy, it tasted just like chicken grilled over real charcoal. No, saying that makes it sound like I'm comparing it to fried chicken, but it's on a level that you wouldn't dare compare to mere chicken. Wrapping it in a wheat pancake and taking a bite feels like eating a Mexican quesadilla, but the filling doesn't crumble; instead, you get to chew on duck with a fantastic texture.
I almost regretted coming at lunch because I really wanted to eat this with a cold beer or some very strong liquor. If there's one downside to this place, it's that the servers are incredibly laid-back, perhaps because they are Chinese. They don't come right away when called, and the food comes out really late by Seoul standards. If you have to strictly keep to your lunch hour, it might be a bit difficult. The price is quite high for lunch, but if you're craving a special meal once a quarter, I highly recommend the Peking duck at Mao.