LISTINGS - The Rough Guide to Beijing - page 208

beef or lamb, and a disc of ripped-up bread. It's far, far more delicious than it may sound, and
backpacker-friendly at just ￥ 28. Daily 11am-11pm.
YONGHE GONG AND AROUND
GHOST STREET
Nicknamed “Ghost Street” ( 簋街 , guĭ jiē ), a 1km-long stretch of Dongzhimennei Dajie is
lined with hundreds of restaurants, all festooned with red lanterns and neon - a colourful
and boisterous scene, particularly on weekends. Note that staff in these restaurants will
probably speak little or no English, and few places will have an English menu though
plenty have a picture menu. It's an atmospheric place, for sure, though when the crowds
arrive in the evening the whole street can resemble a car park.
Crescent Moon 弯弯月亮 , wānwānyuèliàng 16 Dongsi Liutiao 010 64005281; Dongsi
subway (lines 5 & 6); map . You can't really go wrong at a decent Xinjiang restaurant as long
as you eat meat. Stick with classics such as roast leg of mutton, hand-pulled noodles and ke-
babs and you won't be disappointed. Daily 11am-11pm.
Huajia Yiyuan 华家怡园 , huājiā yíyuán Beixinqiao Toutaio 010 64058440; Beixinqiao
subway (line 5); map . This secluded courtyard restaurant, with songbirds and pleasant out-
door seating, is an excellent place to sample Beijing duck - a bargain at ￥ 108. It's one
hutong north of Ghost Street , where there's a second branch. Daily 10.30am-4am.
Jin Ding Xuan 金鼎轩 , jīndĭng xuān 77 Hepingli Xijie 010 85968887, jindin-
gxuan.com.cn ; Yonghegong Lama Temple subway (lines 2 & 5); map . A stone's throw from
Ditan Park, this four-storey place is amazingly cheap considering the lavish-looking exterior.
Choices include shrimp and pork dumplings ( ￥ 19), Sichuan noodles ( ￥ 12), wonton soup
( ￥ 16) and breakfast-style dough sticks ( ￥ 5; see A real Beijing breakfast ); you'll need a few
things to fill up, but it shouldn't come to much. Leave room for the mango pudding ( ￥ 8).
Daily 24hr.
Red Capital Club 新红资俱乐部 , xīnhóngzī jùlèbù 66 Dongsijiu Tiao 010 84018886,
redcapitalclub.com.cn ; Zhangzizhonglu subway (line 5); map . Imperial cuisine in an envir-
onment of pure communist kitsch - an old state guesthouse decorated with Mao memorabil-
ia; there's even a red-flag limo parked out front. The dishes are all the favourites of Chinese
modern and historical leaders; don't miss the roast beef favoured by Genghis Khan. All this
irony and decadence will set you back about ￥ 350 a head. Daily 6-11pm.
The Veggie Table 吃素的 , chīsù de 19 Wudaoying Hutong 010 64462073; Yonghegong
Lama Temple subway (lines 2 & 5); map . Organic vegan food makes this place absolute
heaven for a certain chunk of Beijing travellers and expats, though even for carnivores
it's pretty darn tasty. Couscous, curries and meze (including superb hummus) are on the