DINING FEATURE
BY SHAWN ARRAJJ
DISHES TO TRY
“SINCEWE ARE MAKING IT FRESHANYWAY, WE THOUGHT WEMIGHT AS WELLMAKE IT IN FRONT OF YOU.” DUCK N BAO CO OWNER DARREN REN
Grilled pork ribs and shrimp ($18.95): Bone-in pork ribs served with jumbo shrimp, mixed vegetables and rice cakes in a house sauce.
Pork soup dumplings ($8.95): Six seasoned pork and hot soup steamed dumplings.
A dumpling bar at Duck N Bao allows customers to see their soup dumplings being made as they order them. (Photos by Shawn Arrajj/ Community Impact Newspaper) DuckNBao Sichuan native brings hometown authenticity to Cypress restaurant C ustomers who go to Duck N Bao for a bite to eat likely have some idea of what they both the avor and the texture. “We put in the e ort, and its
of them. “Since we are making it fresh any- way, we thought we might as well make it in front of you,” Ren said. The Cypress location, which opened in December 2019, is weath- ering the pandemic, and owners said they are looking to open another location in the Memorial area this spring. Although Ren said the pandemic has been tough, especially since the restaurant was only three months old when it was forced to shut down, the Cypress community has been supportive. “Cypress has welcomed us with open arms,” he said. “Most custom- ers are returning customers, so we must be doing something right.”
PekingDuck ($25.95-$45.95): Duck prepared for 36 hours, served with pancake wrap, onion and cucumber.
giving us great results,” Ren said. “The only way to serve customers is to not cut any corners.” Xia was born in the Sichuan prov- ince of China, and he said cooking styles from his hometown heavily in uence the menu. Workers at the restaurant follow three principal guidelines: food that is handmade, served fresh and authentic to how it is made in Sichuan, he said. “We try to bring original Chinese food, not American-style Chinese food,” Xia said. The restaurant o ers a full bar as well as a dumpling bar where customers can watch the dumplings they order be made by chefs in front
are getting into: The restaurant’s two most popular items are in its name. However, the Spring Cypress Road eatery’s co-owners, Darren Ren and Leo Xia, said they are trying to take their o erings beyond what many Americans expect from a Chinese restaurant by focusing on original avors and authentic preparation. Peking duck, the restaurant’s main staple, can take up to 36 hours to prepare, Ren said. The soup dumplings are made very delicately, he said, and they cannot be pre- made and frozen because it a ects
DuckNBao 17333 Spring Cypress Road, Ste. H, Cypress 832-653-7572 www.ducknbao.com Hours: 10:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. daily
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CY FAIR EDITION • FEBRUARY 2021
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