Not Duckin' the Subject: A Roast Duck Comparison - Sam Woo times 2, Jasmine Express, and Yum Cha Cafe

I don't know how many times I've been asked for a recommendation for the "best take-out roast duck in San Diego." And boy do I hemm and haw, and when I finally do make a recommendation, I preface everything with so much "fine print" that it ends  up reading, or sounding like one of those automobile adds. The reason that I've become rather gun shy with regards to roast duck, Chinese BBQ, and even Dim Sum recommendations in San Diego, is that, well, if anything, these offerings have proven to be consistently.....inconsistent. Which is why a place like Yum Cha Cafe may do rather well here. If it's going to be inconsistent, it might as well be cheap.........

If I'm going to do  roast duck comparison, I might as well have a baseline. So I think this place is as good as any:

 

Yes, it is Sam Woo, but no it is not in San Diego. This location of Sam Woo Barbecue is in Alhambra, and in my opinion has one of the better, most consistent take-out Roast Duck in SoCal. Yes, there are several Sam Woo's, Irvine, San Gabriel, and the City of Industry/Rowland Heights location was fairly close to where we lived. But not all Sam Woo's are created equal. This older location has always been good.

 

But oh my have the prices gone up over the years. Half a duck here is $9.25!!! More expensive than anywhere in San Diego.

 

What makes the duck here so good? First, the skin is not overly tough. Second, the duck is neither too meaty and dry, nor just skin and bones and tough. Saltiness does not overwhelm the duck, even though "jus" is ladled over the duck. And it is not greasy in the least.

 

The Missus's typical response after the first bite is always, "what's the big deal....." But She'll always go back for more. The flavoring is subtle, with a very mild-sweet finish.

Sam Woo Barbeque
514 W Valley Boulevard
Alhambra, CA 91803

Sam Woo San Diego:

Compare this with Sam Woo(aka "Sam Woo the Killer Whale")  in San Diego. Surprisngly, a half roast duck here in San Diego is cheaper than in Alhambra ($7.50). I had made up my mind to never get roast duck from here a while ago; but this place gets Ed from Yuma's  stamp of approval, so I decided to give it another go. 

 

The duck has a tendency to be bony and tough. The skin is hard, and the "jus" is really salty. I don't mind the rather brusque service, but there a real disregard for the customers here. It wasn't always that way, but I've noticed it getting worse every year. Take for example the simple take-out container housing the duck:

 

It was covered in a variety of Chinese BBQ sticky-oily drippings and hand prints...I made out a thumbprint on one side of the container, that belongs in one of those CSI shows,  but the photo didn't come out. If this happened to some little ol' Chinese lady in Alhambra or San Gabriel, that duck neck would have ended up shoved up.....well you get the picture.

Sam Woo BBQ Restaurant
7330 Clairemont Mesa Blvd Ste 103
San Diego, CA 92111

Jasmine Express:

Is the place I usually recommend in San Diego, thoughitiswithafewreservationssinceI'vegottensomeprettylousyduckfromhereattimes. Jasmine's little take-out stall roast duck (which does not resemble the duck served in the restaurant) was surprisingly even cheaper than Sam Woo's ($7.25 - half duck).

 

You can just see the inconsistency of the roast duck, if you compare this rather good roast duck I purchased in November of last year.

 

Even though the chopping technique was on the sloppy side, the flavors were pretty good.

Compared to the duck I purchased for this post a few weeks back.

 

This one was a bit on the greasy side, and tasted rather bland. The duck served at Jasmine is usually more meaty than the version at Sam Woo SD.

 

Jasmine Express
4609 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Yum Cha Cafe:

**** Yum Cah Cafe has closed

Just for giggles, I thought I'd grab a half duck from the new Yum Cha Cafe, which turned out to be the most expensive of the three San Diego Roast Ducks ($8.25)!

 

The skin was tough, the meat on the dry side, and the rich duck flavor was lacking.

 

You may be better off having something else.

 

Yum Cha Cafe
6933 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

So there you go. Holding my feet to the fire, I'd usually recommend the roast duck from Jasmine Express, or even take-out from Golden City, but those recommendations are not without reservations. Since I've been doing this food blogging thing, I've posted on a bunch of places that do Chinese BBQ, but there's one place missing from my list. That place is Tom's Chinese BBQ on University. When we first moved to San Diego back in 2001, the roast duck was pretty good. But the quality and flavor got worse and worse, until it just wasn't worth the effort....so maybe, just maybe, one day soon after I recover........  

Comments

[Porta Rickin Rick]

Hmmm, they look pretty good for SD. I haven't been there in a minute, but Tom's BBQ in City Heights used to be pretty good years back. I agree with the inconsistency, but the guys at Sam Woo are always really nice to me. All smiles and jokes and lessons on how to eat the duck (as if it were complicated). What about Cam Ky?

[Eileen]

It's 10pm and I am so craving for roasted duck. What did you do to me, Kirk?! I like the duck and the sausage (the soft fatty kind) from Alhambra Sam Woo a lot! Maybe I'll go get a 1/2 duck this weekend. ^^

[yummieyummy]

I haven't try roasted duck at Jasmine Togo yet, I'll give it a try since I'm just near by. I used to order a lot of togo or even eat at Sam Woo, though I know it's not the cleanest place and the service is not always nice. But I still go there because I understand how hard it is to work all day at a busy restaurant. Recently, they've just pushed it too far. I came to order the roasted pig for my wedding, I don't know why they gave me such hard time, so I ended up going to Tom BBQ =( Haven't been back to Sam Woo ever since.

Happy Mardi Gras to everyone at mmm-yoso!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kat]

everything looks good from this side of the internet :)

[ed (from Yuma)]

It's all better than the roast duck in Yuma (what roast duck?).

Last time at SamWooSD, my regular guy wasn't there, so I got the skinny old duck reserved for the great unknowns. I just need to channel a Cantonese grandmother and yell, "No, not that duck - that one over there." Oh well, next time.

[Pam]

Kirk! You & the Missus were just down the street from us in Alhambra...next time you better give us a call! Jacob wants to meet his Uncle Kirk! :)

[janfrederick]

Just in case you missed it (hope you don't mind Kirk): "though it is with a few reservations since I've gotten some pretty lousy duck from here at times." ;)

Man, I'ma gunna hafta git me sum dat in dah near fucha.

[Kirk]

Hi PRR - How to eat duck??? Actually, one of the links at the end of the post goes to my post on Cam Ky.

http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2007/09/cam-ky-chinese-.html

Hi Eileen - That location of Sam Woo's is the model of consistency for us. Enjoy your duck!

Hi YY - Fat Tuesday, on Wednesday to you, the Hubby, and your sister. I'm hoping to see you guys soon!

Hi Kat - Even the stained container?? ;o)

Hi Ed - What's the old saying...."In a town of blind men, the one eyed man is king."

Hi Pam - I'll make sure and do that next time!

Hi Jan - LOL! I did that on purpose..... I guess no one gets the joke. ;o)

[Shirley]

Hi Kirk! I've not commented here for a while. And I'm apologizing now because this is a long post. I moved to Germany in Dec '08 and will be here for the next 3 years of my life. The only way I'll get some good Asian, Mexican, etc. foods is when I come home on vacation. Oh well, the price I will pay for a laid back-good paying job that will also pay for my adventures in Europe. Yehey!
Regarding roast duck, have you ever heard or tasted of dried roast duck? I bought one at the 99 Ranch Market in Richmond, CA which is located in the SF Bay area. I was at the market on a Saturday late morning and I saw a long line in and around the dim sum counter. I asked a lady in line about what people were waiting for and she said that they were all waiting for the dried roast duck to be put out. I decided to get in line and was lucky to get the 2nd to the last one available! It was good and not fatty, not tough and very tasty. I've asked at the Clairmont Mesa 99 Ranch and at Sam Woo's but they told me they've heard of it but they don't sell it. And the men behind the counter at Sam Woo's told me that yes, it's better than regular roast duck. I wonder why they don't tell the owner(s) to start selling dried roast duck? But if you ever get a chance to order it, you won't regret it.
I miss San Diego!

[Green Turtle]

Does Sieu Sieu BBQ (the little place down the street from 99) have good roast duck? I hear their wonton (w/ shrimp) soup is really good.

[Carol]

You know me, Kirk. I am so about the roast duck! But I have to agree that the duck at Jasmine Express has been very fatty and greasy these past few months. Been there 4 times and only 2 of them had really good flavor, but all were very fatty. Even 1 seemed liked it was undercooked (yuk).

Also, we learned that it's better when I buy the duck rather than da Mister. They seem to give him the gringo runt duck most of the time.

[Dennis]

Hi Kirk.. Oh man that photo of Sam Woo in Alhambra brought me back a lot of memories. I've had the duck at Jasmine Express a few months back and was similar to your recent experience. Since I prefer one with more flavor maybe why I find myself at Sam Woo in 99 Ranch.. Where's that bowl of rice!? :)

[Chubbypanda]

Roast duck is like roast pig; it's all about the skin. I'm with the Missus. By the time I get to the meat, I'm wondering that the big deal is. However, if you keep the bones and make a ramen stock... Soooo gooood...

[RONW]

Kirk, remember when frozen roast duck was available in the freezer sections of grocery stores, then for some odd reason it wasn't?

[Kirk]

Hi Shirley - Nice to hear from you....I'm always wondering what happens when folks just suddenly stop commenting. It is good to know you're well. If you knew the name of the "dry roast duck" perhaps then I might know....sounds delicious. I hope you enjoy the fruits of Europe! And don't be a stranger, ok?

Hi GT - You can find my post on Sieu Sieu here:

http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2008/09/sieu-sieu-bbq.html

I thought the BBQ Duck was better than the Roast Duck.

Hi Dennis - To me Sam Woo is a salt lick with tough skin....but hey, if you enjoy it, by all means....

Hi CP - Then again if you've ever had the perfect dark meat from a roast pig.... To me it's the sum of the parts. But they don't call you CP for nothin'! Good to know you're live a kickin'.

Hi RONW - I remember them being called "San Francisco Ducks" for some reason

[nhbilly]

I miss roasted duck period.

[cp]

What a great, and exhaustive, review of duck in town!

Also, I published a review on review of the Linkery’s burger on A Hamburger Today. http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2009/02/the-linkery-burger-review-san-diego-california.html

[stephen]

Kirk,
Thanks for the exhaustive post on Roast Duck.
What is your opinion on the lack of great duck in San Diego? Cooks don't know how to cook it?
They are apathetic about the whole thing? It's difficult to find quality duck? Too time-consuming? Just curious.
Thanks

[Kirk]

Hi Billy - You should be able to get some in your part of the woods I'm sure....

Hi Colin - Nice post.

Hi Stephen - A combination of lack of competition, lack of population, lack of cooking talent, lack of a lot of things.....

[nhbilly]

BBQ any time any Asian BBQ I would have to be up too early.