During my travels in Beijing I ate Peking duck pretty much every other day. We visited fancy restaurants specializing in the dish as well as run of the mill ones. When the BF’s mom made reservations to Dayali, a restaurant chain from Beijing known for their Peking duck, I had high hopes.

Atmosphere: The plaza where the restaurant is housed has limited parking. It was a little challenging to find a spot but I find that’s a common issue in Markham. The white walls, chandeliers and vases does provide an elegant backdrop. The decor felt like the owners were aiming for a clean look but the room is overcrowded with tables. With so many chairs, it was hard to get out of your seat. People were also crowded at the front of the restaurant waiting so it was a bit of a fire hazard trying to leave.

Service: Service at the restaurant was fine, nothing to write home about either which way. We did have the VIP card, which for $20, saves you about $2 – $3/dish. This meal alone we saved about $10 so just one or two visits makes the card worthwhile. Each dish arrived quickly, tea was refilled and we got the bill when we were ready. No real fuss. The servers did start clearing the table the second we stood up and reached for our jackets. I understand there’s a line but waiting a minute until we had walked away wouldn’t have hurt.

Food: For starters, we ordered the minced pork and scallion stuffed Chinese pancake and deep fried pumpkin battered with salted egg yolk. The pancake had a flavourful filling and was crispy when it was first served but did get soggy after a while from all the oil. The pumpkin was cut like fries and so sweet. It tasted more like sweet potato and the batter was dusted with sugar as well. It was still a good dish and a great serving size. I preferred the same dish from Chili Secrets, which was richer and thinner slices of pumpkin.

Of course we had to order a Peking duck. On this visit we went with the “normal” roast duck, which was served pre-cut with wrappers, julienned scallions, cucumbers and sauce. Next time, I’d like to try their “gold medal” roast duck, which comes with more  toppings, and is said to be a better duck. I wish they were clearer on what makes a “better” duck, guess we’ll just have to try it ourselves. The duck was good with a crispy skin and the wrappers were nice and thin. It wasn’t the best I’ve ever had but a solid plate.

Additionally for proteins we had the Szechuan style lamb and leek sizzling plate, and “Shui Zhu Yu” (water boiled fish). I loved the lamb. The meat was tender, gamey and was perfect with the leek flavour. Again the dish was heavy on the oil but that’s what made the lamb so flavourful. The lamb was my favourite dish of the night and with the VIP discount is priced at <$10.  At Dayali, the style of “Shui Zhu Yu” is with a clear oil bath, which looked far spicier than it actually was. Each piece of fish (I think they were basa fillets) was tender and I liked the plentiful bean sprouts at the bottom of the pot. Personally, I would’ve enjoyed the dish spicier but this version is more tastebud friendly.

Over a year ago I tried to go to Barque without a reservation and on a Friday night. After an hour of waiting, we called it a night and moved on. I’ve since learned my lesson! Reservation is a must and not just a few days ahead either, a week at least if you’re looking for a table of more than 4 (I’ve failed at booking several times in the past year for large parties 2-3 days ahead of time). It’s just a testament to the sustained popularity of Barque, 2 years after opening.

Atmosphere: We visited Barque on a Sunday for “Family Night”, where there is a themed set menu instead of the usual a la carte menu. There are two seatings, 5:30 and 8:00 and you’re able to order as much as you’d like of each dish for the set price. People began queuing up outside the restaurant by 5:00 (us included). We started off seated at the bar, but was moved to a table because there was a mix up with the reservation. The restaurant interior is filled with natural wood decor and a few long long tables that would be great for large groups. The noise level was on the louder side with the restaurant being full capacity. Servers seemed a bit rushed and there was a hectic energy.

Service: The main impression I got from the service that night was inconsistent. It was a busy night. The bartender was really friendly, asked about any food allergies and tried her best to find out if the menu had dairy and accommodate us for the dessert course. However the offer was to substitute the planned rice pudding for gelato, which was still dairy based. I was a little confused and wasn’t sure if she meant sorbet but no she did mean gelato. I really appreciated the effort! With the family night format, the timing of when everyone received each course varied by table size. While we received our appetizers quickly, we were one of the last tables to get our mains. Also, our server described the dishes to the table next to us, but just left our plates and walked away. Good thing I have good hearing. Then when I wanted to order seconds of our favourite dishes, it was hard to get anyone’s attention. So yes, inconsistent.

Food: The food really was the highlight of the night and three dishes won me over. A bucket of spiced popcorn was at each table to munch on while everyone was seated and pursued the night’s menu. I finished our bucket, every last one of the lightly buttered, airy kernels. The theme of this “Family Night” was Indian and featured pork samosas, pakoras, smoked lentil dahl, vegetable biryani, a light salad, eggplant and bitter melon curry, smoked tandoori chicken, tamarind ribs, goat vindaloo and mango rice pudding.

The pork samosa, lentil dahl and biryani were mediocre. Indian is obviously not their specialty and I found these dishes to be ok fillers. For the proteins, the ribs were heavily spiced and salty. I liked the chicken, but ours was still a little pink near the bone. The BF has a sensitive stomach and had a few rough days after. We’re not exactly sure what caused it, but this may have contributed.

My favourite dishes by far were the goat vindaloo (pictured below, served in cast iron pan) and the eggplant and bitter melon curry. The goat was flavourful, gamey, tender and fell apart in the sauce. I ordered a second helping and would have happily forgone the other dishes to have more stomach real estate for more of the vindaloo. This is the dish that still makes my mouth water looking at the pictures. I also really enjoyed the use of bitter melon in the curry and the two strong flavours complimented each other without overpowering either.

Dessert was also a hit. The rice pudding was creamy and served warm. I loved the peanut brittle on top and the buried chunks of mango. I finished both servings at our table and had to resist asking for another.

I feel like I need to re-visit Barque and taste their a la carte menu. Family Night was a great experience. The dishes were hit or miss but I love the concept and you get to try dishes not normally part of the chef’s repertoire. I’d love to re-visit Barque and taste what’s tried and true.