Restaurants

Michelin Star chef creates exclusive menu at local Chinese fine dining restaurant

A luxury fine dining experience from China’s Qing Dynasty has been brought to Vancouver courtesy of the QuanJuDe Beijing Duck House 全聚德.

By Jessica Kirby / July 8, 2022

The lobster course, one of eight courses to be featured at QuanJuDe Beijing Duck House 全聚德.

A luxury fine dining experience from China’s Qing Dynasty has been brought to Vancouver courtesy of the QuanJuDe Beijing Duck House 全聚德. Located in one of the most well-known pockets of the city, on 12th and Cambie, the restaurant has become famous for appealing to all of the senses.

Opening its doors at the start of 2020, Executive Chef Allen Ren has been sharing the best of Chinese cooking for the past two years. Now the team at QuanJuDe is preparing for a once-in-a-lifetime dining experience.

From July 8-18, Executive Chef Allen Ren will be cooking alongside a Three-Star Michelin Chef for the next nine consecutive days. Chef Joseph Tse will be the Chef in Residence for ten days, collaborating with the kitchen staff to make a creative and impressive eight-course meal.

From humble roots

Three Star Michelin Chef Joseph Tse and QuanJuDe’s Chef Allen Ren

Cooking in a Vancouver restaurant is familiar to Chef Joseph. He lived in Vancouver in the early 90s and spent four years here, before moving to Calgary with his young family. His love for food began as a boy, when his father told him, “You are a hungry boy. You should be a chef so that you can eat everything in the kitchen.” Since that conversation, cooking has been Chef Joseph’s purpose in life, working in the top kitchens in Hong Kong, China, Macau, Sweden, and Switzerland.

When curating the menu for QuanJuDe, he focused on using a variety of ingredients and on special ways that the ingredients complement each other.

Today, QuanJuDe is most known for its roast duck. It’s the same roast duck recipe that was used in the restaurant when it was first established in 1864. The recipe originated during the Qing Dynasty and was regularly served to the royal family in the forbidden city. When politicians and dignitaries visit China, it is QuanJuDe that they are taken to for the Chinese fine dining experience. In China, the restaurant has hosted Barack Obama, Henry Kissinger, Richard Nixon, and Fidel Castro over the years.

Introducing Chinese fine dining to Vancouver

The first of eight courses in the special menu.

It was back in 2017 that Chef Joseph had his first conversation with the Vancouver owner of QuanJuDe. The two men were standing on Cambie Street, looking at the construction site, imagining what the future restaurant could be. It was then they decided that one day they must bring Chef Joseph to the restaurant for a stint. With his experience as a Three Star Michelin Chef, Vancouverites could finally have the privilege of experiencing true Chinese fine dining.

From July 8 to 18, for lunch and dinner service, Chef Joseph will be sharing his eight-course menu with residents of Vancouver. For any self-proclaimed foodie, this is an occasion that is not to be missed.

The Kanto Diakon with dried scallop.

The eight-course meal will feature everything from fresh scallops and spot prawns, to short rib and king crab. There will be an emphasis on creating art through food and focuses on the presentation. When asked what his favourite dish is, Chef Joseph says with a smile, “Everything is my favourite because I love to eat.”