(This venue is closed.) The menu is a collaboration between a Hong Kong-born owner and a chef, of Mexican and Salvadorian descent, who has traveled through and cooked in China and Southeast Asia. One happy consequence: char siu married with flavors from both East and West.
This rendition of Cantonese spit-roasted pork is less heavily lacquered than some, so it readily pairs not only with a traditional sauce featuring finely chopped scallion and ginger but also with an apple-beet-ginger puree, and with a jalapeno-cilantro sauce tweaked with tamarind and palm sugar. Choose your own favorite, but I'll maintain that the pairing of char siu and apple-beet was long overdue.
The house-made scooped tofu is coarser than the usual silken stuff, the better to accept vigorously mixed accompaniments. These may vary; on this occasion they included salted turnip, scallions, roasted peanuts, and black vinegar that had been sweetened and reduced. The "after" photo gives some sense of its nontraditional, syrupy texture. Also: lotus leaf glutinous rice with shiitake mushrooms and lotus seeds; market greens (not shown); coconut custard with persimmon jam, dragon fruit, and a cashew-coconut crumble.
(Note: These items are available as a set menu ($40), during dinner from March 2 to March 15 only, though certain individual items may also appear on the regular bill of fare. My meal was arranged by TableHopping.NYC and provided free of charge by the restaurant.)
2 Duck Goose
400 Fourth Ave. (at 6th St.), Gowanus, Brooklyn
347-987-4808
www.2DuckGoose.com
