Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 15 Dongzhimenwai Dajie, mains ¥10-30; 11am-2pm & 5-9pm; Dongzhimen)
In-the-know locals pile
into this no-nonsense apartment-block restaurant to gobble and slurp their way through its
authentic Běijīng-grub menu. The speciality is
bàodǔ
(boiled lamb tripe; ¥13/25). If that's
something you feel you can't, er...stomach, then plump instead for a delicious
niúròu
dàcóng ròubǐng
(beef and onion fried patty; ¥8). The blanched vegetables are popular side
dishes; choose from
chāo báicài
(blanched cabbage; ¥4),
chāo fěnsī
(blanched glass
noodles; ¥4) or
chāo dòng dòufu
(blanched tofu; ¥4). And if you haven't ordered a meat
patty, grab a
zhīma shāobing
(roasted sesame- seed bun; ¥1.5) instead. True Beijingers
will also nibble on
jiāo quān
(deep-fried dough rings; ¥1), washed down with gulps of
dòu zhī
(sour soy milk). But you may prefer to go for a bottle of
píjǐu
(local beer; ¥5). No
English spoken, no English menu, no English sign.
DIN TAI FUNG$$
|CHINESE DUMPLINGS
( Dǐng Tài Fēng; 6553 1536; 6f, Shin Kong Place, 87 Jianguo Lu , dumplings ¥20-70, noodles ¥30- 50;
11.30am-9.30pm; ; Dawanglu)
Over 20 years ago, the
New York Times
picked the ori-
ginal Taipei branch of this upmarket dumplings chain as one of the 10 best restaurants in
the world. That's no longer true, but the dumplings here are certainly special. The
xiǎolóngbāo
- thin-skinned packages with meat or veggie fillings surrounded by a superb,
scalding soup are especially fine. Din Tai Fung also does Shànghǎi hairy crabmeat
jiǎozi
(
stuffed dumplings) and
shāomài,
as well as excellent soups and noodle dishes. Com-
pletely nonsmoking, it prides itself on being kid friendly and is packed out with families
at weekends. It's on the top floor of the posh Shin Kong Place Mall, along with a host of
other restaurants.
BELLAGIO$$
( Lùgǎng Xiǎozhèn; 6551 3533; 6 Gongrentiyuchang (Gongti) Xilu, mains ¥30-60; 11am-5am; ;
Chaoyangmen)
Despite the Italian name, this is a slick, late-opening Taiwanese restaurant
conveniently located next to the strip of nightclubs on Gongrentiyuchang Xilu (Gongti
Xilu). During the day and the evening, it attracts cashed-up locals and foreigners. After
midnight, the club crowd moves in. The large menu includes Taiwanese favourites such as
three cup chicken (¥46), as well as a wide range of vegetarian options. But the real reason
to come here is for the wonderful puddings. The shaved-ice cream desserts are rightly
renowned. Try the red beans with condensed milk on shaved ice (¥29) and the fresh
mango cubes on shaved ice (¥36). The coffee is top-notch, too.
|TAIWANESE
XIǍO WÁNG'S HOME RESTAURANT$$
|CHINESE MIXED
