Bistro Na has all the red flags for a restaurant that doesn't live up to the hype. The dining room is beautiful, full of ornate carvings and imperial Chinese decor, including ceiling-height alcove displaying traditional ethnic instruments. The service is swift and polite, and all staff seem perfectly bilingual. The menu is a bound book, with every, literally every luxurious dish that's ever been associated with traditional Chinese cuisine.
There's a small wine list to start, and that includes some teas as well. An iced Yuzu Lemon Tea is perfect for a hot day. It's not too sweet and you can taste every little bit of the fresh citrus rind.
Jellyfish Salad is a slow starter, with crunchy medusa-heads in a light dash of vinegar. Tastes better the next day, IMO, when everything has had a chance to marinate.
Na's Spicy Chicken is so tender and carries a spicy kick. Just spicy enough to make your mouth water for more.
The kitchen comps up a mysterious dish, these gooey strips of jellied, candied carrots. Seemingly simple but the flavor and texture are an all-consuming combination.
Stir Fried Pea Sprouts with Mushrooms are our token green vegetable, fresh and fried just right. A big bland as there's just a hint of salt but a good contrast for what to come.
DUCK. Peking duck requires a phone call at least two days in advance, but there's no doubt you'll make it. This crispy, fat-dripping, golden-brown wonder is first presented in its entirety, followed by a chef with a rolling tutorial.
The skin on the breast is to be eaten immediately, dipped in hoisin sauce and sugar, made to melt in your mouth.
The rest of the skin is supposedly less crispy but when it's so hot and fresh, it's really not far off.
Each pancake is paper-thin and as chewy as humanly possible, made to hold exactly two pieces of meat, a smear of hoisin, and a couple pieces of everything else.
They'll prepare the remaining duck as a dry-fry or a soup for a little extra or you can opt to take it home for free. They wrap it and bag it and leave you to do as you please. I opted for the take-home, but I'm sure what they did was better.
I have to say, I am impressed. It's a long menu with many difficult dishes, and it's hard to make any of them so well, nevermind all of them. That said, whether you decide to eat here should be determined by the experience you want to have. The food is authentic but it's the luxury version and it's a lot cleaner than your childhood memories, to the point that there is some sterility to the experience. If you're shooting for grandma-nostalgia, you'll want a more down-to-earth establishment. But if you want the best duck in town, you know what to do.
