Out for Dinner: There is plenty to choose from at Old Beijing, but you can't go past the Peking Duck

Many would be overwhelmed by Old Beijing’s colossal menu. Not me; I have a method. I select what jumps out – gauging the waiter’s facial expression as I go – and then subtract dishes until his face returns to normal. 

“You can always order more,” he says as if this were my first rodeo.

It would be rude not to order Peking duck here. Our table of chefs and MasterChefs approve of its brittle skin and supple flesh, perhaps because master Chen Xu has cooked nearly half a million roast ducks over 30 years.

Xiao long bao are Old Beijing’s other signature dish, with five varieties including jet-black truffled soup dumplings and a red seafood version, with each dumpling presented on individual wooden stands with handles. 

The regional diversity of the chefs is clear from the spread of ornately presented dishes: Shanghai scrambled egg whites are fluffed up with crab meat, saucy Cantonese XO pipis are best with youtiao Chinese “churros” for dipping, and soft poached chicken with Sichuan chilli crisp over thin noodles packs the perfect amount of heat.

Housed in QV in the former home of Red Spice Road, Old Beijing is also a solid lunch option, with noodles, rice dishes and a dozen dumplings priced between $13.80 and $17. 

This 200-seat restaurant with six private dining rooms now has a dumpling-making viewing window, hand-painted paifang-like structures over the tables and a licensed bar (try a Sichuan sour made with Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin). We skip the walk-in wine cellar for now and order a bottle of Geelong By Farr Chardonnay from the 188-strong list.

“Actually,” I pipe up as the waiter turns on his heels, “we’ll get some more dumplings too, please.”

QV, 31-37 Artemis Lane, Melbourne
oldbeijing.com.au

What’s nearby?

Right next door is Thai Town, one of my favourite Thai restaurants in Melbourne. The playful fit-out is inspired by bustling night markets and lunch is a steal (traditional salads, curries, stir-fries, noodles and soups all under $15). Dinner is a trip around Thailand without the airfare. thaitownqv.com.au