Beijing Restaurants
Overview of Beijing Cuisine
Beijing is not only the collective place of Chinese gourmet food but the distributing center of gourmet food all over the world. Thousands of restaurants and years-old shops and famous shops as well as hundreds of old and famous restaurants and exotic restaurants are arousing gourmets’ desires.
In Beijing, there are not only different kinds of local traditional cuisines such as roast duck, instant-boiled meat and snacks as well as cuisines with national characteristics like old royal dishes, home-made dishes, Muslim dishes, plus exotic gourmet food like French- style food, American fast food, Japanese cuisine, Korean cuisine, Southeast Asian dishes and Indian food. All these cuisines will feast your taste bud.
Beijing cuisine is the first choice when you come to travel in Beijing. Its cooking method includes “fry, bake, boil, braise, roast, steam, stew and stir” and it taste crispy, fragrant and delicious. There are many delicious Beijing cuisines like Beijing roast duck, instant- boiled mutton, crispy chicken, Saixianggua (materials are pear, cucumber and pastry), Fenghuangfaguo (materials are fish, chicken, vegetable, seafood and egg) Wulongtuzhu (materials are quail egg, and sea cucumber) and mandarin fish, especially Beijing roast duck and instant-boiled mutton which are known to all. When you come to Beijing, you must have a taste of them.
Beijing Roast Duck
Beijing roast duck is a kind of famous food in Beijing which is known as “Tianxia Meiwei” (delicious food in the world) and famous all over the world for its tender meat, mellow flavor and fat but not greasy characteristics. The past gourmets have many points while eating Beijing roast duck which can be classified into four kinds. First is season. Winter, spring and autumn can be the best time to eat roast duck. Second is slice method. Make sure every slice has meat and duck skin and thin but not fragmentary. Third is condiment. Sweet soybean paste and onion, together with cucumber strips or green turnip strips can make you feel not greasy. Fourth is assistant food. Lotus-leaf-like pancake can be unfolded into two pieces, in which mashed garlic, soy, cucumber strips are spread and ate with roast duck slices.
Recommendation places: Quanjude and Pianyifang are the most famous two restaurants and the best places to have a taste of Beijing roast duck.
Instant-boiled Mutton
Instant-boiled mutton has had a long history in Beijing. There are two characteristics: one is selective materials and thin slices and the other is exquisite condiments and proper mixture. While selecting mutton, first of all, one should select salted mutton which not only have no so much smell of mutton but fat and tender meat. Second, one should select mutton with more lean meat and less fat meat and mean of sheep’s rear leg will be the best and then tenderloin and steak piece. Sauce and condiments can be modulated by your own. There are more than 20 kinds of sauces and condiments listed on the specified table. “Sesame paste” and “Beijing fermented bean curd” are independent condiments which can remove smell of mutton. It is also free for you to choose coriander, chili oil, rice wine and sesame paste. The most important cookers are charcoal and bronze pot which is deep in cavity and open in month. Charcoals are put inside. Instant- boiled mutton will be offered when chrysanthemum is yellow and maple leaves are red, it is common seen in the restaurants in Beijing.
Recommendation places: Donglaishun restaurant and Nengrenju Restaurant
Donglaishun restaurant: 5F, APM building, NO. 138, Wangfujin Street
Nengrenju restaurant (Qianmen): No. 135, West Street, Qianmen, Xicheng District
Royal Feast of Complete Manchu-Han Courses
It can be divided into six feasts which are named after famous feasts of Qing Palace. Famous dishes of Manchu and Han ethnic groups are collected. The materials are all selected from sea and land with different kinds. There are 196 dishes with cold, hot and meat types, 124 dishes of desserts and the total number is 320.
Recommendation places：Fanshan Restaurant: 1, Wenjin Street, Xicheng District, inside the East door of Beihai Park
