Dongpo Kitchen Brings Spice to Universal CityWalk
Restaurant group Meizhou Dongpo originated in China and added stylish Dongpo Kitchen to Universal CityWalk
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CategoryEat & Drink
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Written byJoshua Lurie
High-end restaurant group Meizhou Dongpo originated in China and also runs outposts in Century City, Arcadia and Baldwin Park. On August 6 the company added stylish Dongpo Kitchen to Universal CityWalk, featuring a streamlined menu.
Their modern space features a big plexiglass-framed patio with marble tables. Inside, a circular dining room houses a trickling faux stone fountain, shelves of green pottery and a central ring of sound-dampening panels that surround swaying brushes with decorative Chinese lettering.
Dongpo’s signature dish is Beijing-style roast duck that requires six hours of prep work and 45 minutes of slow roasting. Each order comes with rice pancakes, shredded scallions and cucumbers, diced vegetables, sugar and hoisin. Duck is also available in sliders, salad and egg rolls.
Other popular offerings include two flavors of Sichuan-style pork sausage that were apparently quite popular with athletes during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Chefs and spices visit every few months to make massive batches of sausage for all LA locations. Lighter links are heavier on cane sugar, and darker sausages lean on chilies.
More dishes that harken back to China’s Sichuan province include Sichuan dumplings submerged in chile oil and dan dan noodles with either beef, pork, chicken or mushrooms. Mapo tofu and spicy diced chicken tossed with dried chilies and tongue-numbing Sichuan peppercorns also end up on a lot of tables.
Dessert allows your palate to take a sweet transition back to stasis with sticky rice ball soup, house-baked coconut cake and red bean pancakes served with brown sugar sauce.
100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, 818-358-3272
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