THERE is a branch in Beijing and another in the northern English city of Manchester. Both serve delicious Peking duck - and there the similarity ends.
The Beijing version of the Quan Ju De caters to thousands of diners each week in a rumbustious blue-collar atmosphere; the food, rather than the service, is of paramount importance.
In Manchester, some 13,000 kilometres away as the duck flies, a newer and more elegant version of the Quan Ju De dispenses duck to yuppie gourmets. Fine French wines accompany the meals, with gentle piano music tinkling in the background.
The international up-market transplant was masterminded by Hong Kong-raised restaurateur David Lau Hoo-man. He liked the idea of opening a flashy Peking restaurant in England, but realised gaining permission to use the Quan Ju De name would be no easy feat.
''It took two years to finalise the arrangements,'' said Lau, 45. ''I gained permission to use their trading name, expertise and personnel. The roast duck restaurant is a must in Beijing; it's on the tourist itinerary along with the Great Wall. It is so famous that people go to pay homage to it.'' The original Quan Ju De is a basic, spit-and-sawdust-type diner with little finesse and the kind of haphazard surly service that state-run enterprises have made their speciality.
Over in Manchester at 44 Princess Street, the only mainland Chinese likely to be able to afford the prices of the Quan Ju De are state-paid diplomats working at the local consulate. The cost for a meal is around HK$300 a head - a month's wage for the average Chinese peasant.