After thirty years, Tokyo’s Ishingo still ticks along with the same level of service and cuisine. This is a simple preparation that takes a few days to get the duck’s skin to a crispy crunchy taste. The meat is eaten with a light pancake, scallion, hoisin and sweet bean sauce.

But what is it that makes the skin so perfect, the meat so juicy and moist: the answer is process. First the birds are specially slaughtered and cleaned, and a small slit is made under the wing so that the cavity can be emptied, and again filled with water during cooking. Air is used to make the duck’s skin balloon away from the meat by a small incision made at the neck. Then the fat is rendered by boiling water and maltose and sugar glaze is applied to the duck, left to stand for 24 hours. The duck is hung to dry is cooked in a wood burning oven’s intense radiant heat. The end result you’ll see.

Before you watch the video, it is important to note that the pancake, must be translucent and not opaque, heavy or interfere in any way with the crispy skin.