A Royal Feast at Decoy

By Hillary Latos

Peking duck has been around since the Imperial era of China. It was served on special occasions to notables and royalty, and throughout the years little has changed to China's national dish revered for its delicate preparation to achieve a thin crispy skin seasoned to perfection with thin slices of meat served in buns with scallions and hoisin sauce. Decoy is the latest Asian fusion gem underneath Red Farm in the West Village created by Asian food connoisseur Ed Schoenfeld and chef Joe Ng who have based their concept around this notable dish which has been roasted to perfection. Because only a limited number of ducks are prepared nightly, even if you're royalty scoring a reservation may take a while but it is well worth the wait.

Diners are seated on a long wooden communal table where you can see all the tempting delicacies your neighbors have ordered to influence your decision. In keeping with the theme of the restaurant, ducks are featured prominently in the décor whether they are feasting on a banquet in a still life painted mural along the exposed brick wall or decoys hanging on the light fixture.

The best way to experience the tasting journey is to partake in the $65/person family style prix fixe menu with a group of friends that offers a small plate per person, whole Peking duck and a side dish. Every small dish is layered with unexpected flavors. Recommended favorites were the spicy braised oxtail dumplings, fresh Kumamoto oysters with yuzu ice, foie gras tarts topped with strawberry providing a decadently sweet twist, Katz's crispy pastrami triangles and the savory shrimp stuffed shisito peppers. Treating food as art, the uni topped sweet potato noodle salad is served in a large uni shell over steaming dry ice providing a dramatic presentation. To experience Chef Ng's culinary range order some of the main courses like the tasty lobster chow fun with soft wide noodles, or the lightly crisped sweet and sour shrimp.

To complement the Asian fusion flavors of the menu, the cocktail menu was designed to infuse sweet and spicy and leave a lingering effect. Try the trio of craft shochu cocktails using fresh ingredients like rum, pineapple, rhubarb and cinnamon or gin, jasmine peach tea and yuzu, or guava juice and Cherry Herring. A favorite was the Smoke 'n Spice with a thai chili mezcal with pineapple, Sriracha bitters, and aperol which will leave you craving for more, which is how you will feel after feasting here.

529 ½ Hudson Street

NY, NY 10014

212.691.9700

decoynyc.com