However, the Spring Cypress Road eatery’s co-owners, Darren Ren and Leo Xia, said they are trying to take their offerings beyond what many Americans expect from a Chinese restaurant by focusing on original flavors 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 premade and frozen because it affects both the flavor and the texture.
“We put in the effort, and its giving us great results,” Ren said. “The only way to serve customers is to not cut any corners.”
Xia was born in the Sichuan province of China, and he said cooking styles from his hometown heavily influence 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 offers a full bar as well as a dumpling bar where customers can watch the dumplings they order be made by chefs in front of them.
“Since we are making it fresh anyway, we thought we might as well make it in front of you,” Ren said.
The Cypress location, which opened in December 2019, is weathering 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 customers are returning customers, so we must be doing something right.”
Duck N Bao
17333 Spring Cypress Road, Ste. H, Cypress
832-653-7572
www.ducknbao.com
