Wise Young
07-24-2004, 12:55 PM
I am sort of surprised by the comments by various members who have gone to Beijing, suggesting that they have eaten very little Chinese food there except for McDonald's. So, let me try to describe some foods that are worthwhile (in my opinion) eating in Beijing before people leave, most within walking distance of the hospital in the Chaoyang district.
1. Beijing duck. This is of course the signature dish of Beijing and, in my opinion, it is really better in Beijing than any other place in the world. Basically, this is a whole duck roasted so that its skin is crispy. Because the duck is a pretty fatty creature, the skin is a bit oily but heavenly. A piece of it is placed in a flat piece of soft dough along with a sprig of scallion, a sweet sauce, wrapped, and stuffed into your mouth with your fingers. Less well-known is their roast geese which I also like very much.
http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/beijing/31300.htm
2. Roast lamb. Beijing is in the north of China and there has long been a tradition of great lamb restaurants. One of the reasons that I know about this is because Dr. Hongyun Huang comes originally from Western China where there are many muslims and they eat lamb rather than pork. The lamb is absolutely tender and often fiery spicy. There is often a muttony smell to lamb meat in the U.S. but this is less common in the good restaurants in China where the meat is fresher. The following is a web review of a restaurant close to the Chaoyang hospital. http://www.beijingscene.com/V05I010/bites/bites.htm
3. Chinese breakfast. A popular Chinese breakfast that probably was originally Shanghainese is available in all Chinese cities. It is composed of either rice porridge (sometimes called congee in the U.S.) or a white bean soup (dao zhang) accompanied by strips of fried bread (yaotiao). The porridge (zhou) usually has a little bit of meat and some other ingredients, cooked for many hours, and is probably the best winter food in the world. Authentic Shanghainese porridge is unbelievably good and has a special egg (beidan). The bean soup can be either sweet, salty (has some soy sauce and the fried bread), or plain. http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2760788-congee_county_beijing-i
4. Dumplings. Beijing is famous for their dumplings. You should get a basket of steamed dumplings (xiao lung bao) which is made with some pork and vegetables wrapped in ultra-thin dough skin and steamed; the insides are very hot but the sensation of biting into one with the tasty soup spilling into your mouth will not be forgotten. There are many many other dumplings. Here is a dumpling restaurant close to the Chaoyang hospital http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2760890-bei_ce_bao_yuan_beijing-i
For night owls, there is a whole street that has 24-hour restaurants Dongzhimen Neidajie. You go to the Dongzhimen subway station. One place serves all-night dim sum (No. 39), another has great ribs (No. 99), a spicy Sichuan restaurant with English menus (No. 87). For those hungry for protein, there is a Brazilian roast meat place. For the more exotic, there is a snake restaurant and a turtle restaurant. For the jet-lagged and hungry, this is the place.
Wise.
[This message was edited by Wise Young on 07-25-04 at 09:16 AM.]
1. Beijing duck. This is of course the signature dish of Beijing and, in my opinion, it is really better in Beijing than any other place in the world. Basically, this is a whole duck roasted so that its skin is crispy. Because the duck is a pretty fatty creature, the skin is a bit oily but heavenly. A piece of it is placed in a flat piece of soft dough along with a sprig of scallion, a sweet sauce, wrapped, and stuffed into your mouth with your fingers. Less well-known is their roast geese which I also like very much.
http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/beijing/31300.htm
2. Roast lamb. Beijing is in the north of China and there has long been a tradition of great lamb restaurants. One of the reasons that I know about this is because Dr. Hongyun Huang comes originally from Western China where there are many muslims and they eat lamb rather than pork. The lamb is absolutely tender and often fiery spicy. There is often a muttony smell to lamb meat in the U.S. but this is less common in the good restaurants in China where the meat is fresher. The following is a web review of a restaurant close to the Chaoyang hospital. http://www.beijingscene.com/V05I010/bites/bites.htm
3. Chinese breakfast. A popular Chinese breakfast that probably was originally Shanghainese is available in all Chinese cities. It is composed of either rice porridge (sometimes called congee in the U.S.) or a white bean soup (dao zhang) accompanied by strips of fried bread (yaotiao). The porridge (zhou) usually has a little bit of meat and some other ingredients, cooked for many hours, and is probably the best winter food in the world. Authentic Shanghainese porridge is unbelievably good and has a special egg (beidan). The bean soup can be either sweet, salty (has some soy sauce and the fried bread), or plain. http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2760788-congee_county_beijing-i
4. Dumplings. Beijing is famous for their dumplings. You should get a basket of steamed dumplings (xiao lung bao) which is made with some pork and vegetables wrapped in ultra-thin dough skin and steamed; the insides are very hot but the sensation of biting into one with the tasty soup spilling into your mouth will not be forgotten. There are many many other dumplings. Here is a dumpling restaurant close to the Chaoyang hospital http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2760890-bei_ce_bao_yuan_beijing-i
For night owls, there is a whole street that has 24-hour restaurants Dongzhimen Neidajie. You go to the Dongzhimen subway station. One place serves all-night dim sum (No. 39), another has great ribs (No. 99), a spicy Sichuan restaurant with English menus (No. 87). For those hungry for protein, there is a Brazilian roast meat place. For the more exotic, there is a snake restaurant and a turtle restaurant. For the jet-lagged and hungry, this is the place.
Wise.
[This message was edited by Wise Young on 07-25-04 at 09:16 AM.]