CHINA | 2008 BEIJING OLYMPIC GAMES
A guide to restaurants in Beijing
Where to eat in Beijing during the Summer Olympic Games
Beijing's 'Bird's Nest' Olympics stadium
TELEPHONES:
To call the numbers below from the U.S., dial 011 (the international dialing code), the country code (86), the city code for Beijing (10) and the local number.
WHERE TO EAT:
Here are a few spots worth trying, in a range of prices and styles. Hotel restaurants are not included, because they are easy to negotiate.
The Courtyard, 95 Donghuamen Ave.; 6526-8883, www.courtyardbeijing.com. Chef Rey Lim offers a sophisticated menu in a drop-dead romantic location a short walk from the Forbidden City. The food is similar to the cuisine served in stylish restaurants in Los Angeles, with a strong Asian accent. The Peking duck appetizer with scallions, turnips and cucumbers was wonderful, as was the halibut entree, pan-fried with Asian spices and served with vegetables in a tofu-skin roll. There are hundreds of wines on the list, but just one from China. About $120 for two for a three-course dinner with wine.
Gold Mountain City, 15 Xiao Yun Road; 8451-8913. If possible, go with a group to this Sichuan hot pot restaurant (one of many around Beijing), so you can order lots of ingredients to cook at the table. A server will place a huge bowl, divided in two sections, over a burner at the center of the table.. In one half of the bowl, there's an astonishingly hot pepper broth. In the other, there's a flavorful wild mushroom broth. When the broths come to a boil, add whatever ingredients you've ordered: several kinds of greens, paper-thin slices of beef, tofu, seaweed and many other possibilities. Under $10 a person.
Drum and Gong, 104 Nanluoguxiang Dajie; 8402-4729. Near the Drum and Bell towers, and not far from the wonderful Lama Temple, is a narrow street where old and new collide. Lots of young Westerners, clutching their Lonely Planet guides, pass by a man hammering out dented tin teapots. Drum and Gong straddles both worlds with a long menu that includes flame-fried kidney in chili sauce and bullfrogs, as well as a spice index and little indicators that mark dishes popular with foreigners. The asparagus with white water lily buds was fresh and light, and the broad rice noodles with vegetables felt like comfort food. Under $10 per person.
If you're tired of Chinese food, check out the menus along Nanluoguxiang for cafes offering BLTs, fish and chips or Indian food.
Xiao Wang's Home, Ritan Park; 8561-7859. Two visits to this restaurant, popular with both foreigners and the Chinese, bookended our stay in Beijing. With a lovely location in Ritan Park, including some outdoor tables, and a large menu of home-style dishes, it's an easy and family-friendly introduction to China. The peanuts in vinegar and cucumber pickles are terrific with a beer before dinner. The shrimp and leek dumplings and the green beans with pork disappeared from the platters in a flash. Our sons loved the squirrel fish, a whole fish cut so that when fried it curls to resemble a squirrel. About $25 for two, with beer or wine.
Vineyard Cafe, 31 Wu Dao Ying Hutong; 6402-7961. This is the place for a full English breakfast on a Sunday morning: eggs, pork sausage, bacon, mushrooms, beans, grilled tomatoes, potatoes. And the setting is charming, with comfortable chairs in a plant-filled courtyard. The homemade apple juice really tastes of apples. The Vineyard also serves quiches, salads and other brunch dishes. Coffee is served in a French press. Brunch for three is about $20.
Chuanban, 5 Gongyuan Tou Tiao; 6512-2277. Adventurous diners will have fun at this busy restaurant associated with the government of Sichuan, the southwestern province with a deeply respected cuisine. No one spoke English, but the menu has photos. The pork dishes are standouts, and the spicing is strong. In "The Last Chinese Chef," novelist Nicole Mones talks about the importance of texture in Chinese cooking; to understand that notion, order the goose intestines. They had little taste but a unique and not unpleasant texture. Reservations are not accepted, and there's often a line. $10 to $16 a person.
Jing Wei Lu, 181 Dianmen West Ave.; 6617-6514. We ducked into this restaurant just as lunch service was ending, but though no one spoke English, we were treated wonderfully. Ordering from pictures, we had fragrant cabbage cooked with star anise and red and green peppers, served in a small wok. A beef dish was flavored with cumin and served with small puffed bread, distantly related to pita. The scallion pancakes were terrific. It was great fun to watch the dozens of employees sit down with metal trays for their own lunch. Under $10 per person.
Peking duck is an institution, and be glad for that. Be glad also for Li Qun Roast Duck Restaurant, which would be impossible to find but for the hand-painted wall signs pointing the way. The restaurant is in an old building, full of tiny rooms, all a bit ragtag. The food, however, is another matter. The waiter showed us our whole roast duck and then expertly carved it into small slices. "I just watched a man rip off the head of my duck," our son remarked. The duck was moist and delicious, the skin crispy. It's served with the traditional thin pancakes, slivered spring onions, cucumber and plum sauce. For dessert, we had apple fritters and fried potatoes covered in sugar syrup -- both served so hot that a dish of water is provided to dunk pieces to cool them down. Reservations are essential; order ducks ahead too. 11 Bei Xiang Feng Zheng Yi Road; 6705-5578. About $10 a person.
Source, 14 Banchang Hutong, Kuanjie; 6400-3736. The beautifully renovated building is a perfect place for groups to celebrate in rooms set off by wooden screens or at tables in the courtyard. The set menu of Sichuan dishes -- a hugely popular cuisine in Beijing -- frequently changes. Our 10 dishes, including sausage, chicken and fried rice, arrived in a nonstop parade. About $25 a person, with plenty of beer and soft drinks.
Noodle Loft, 20 W. Dawang Road; 6774-9950. Before going to a second-floor table at this popular Shanxi cafe, stop by the enormous boiling pots on the first floor to watch cooks deftly slice bits of dough with a chopstick to cook "one chopstick noodles." The shredded carrot salad is refreshing, but the noodles, in many shapes and styles, are the main attraction. For dessert, try the yam in sea buckthorn sauce, a gold-colored sauce with red berries. Under $10 a person.
The Tree, 43 Bei Sanlitun Nan; 6415-1954. When you're homesick for familiar food, head to this cozy cafe for some of the best pizza in Beijing. (It's a little tricky to find, tucked away in the Sanlitun neighborhood, but ask just about any expat.) Toppings include Italian ham, artichokes and other vegetables, even pineapple. It's easy to see why it can be hard to get a table. There's a good selection of Belgian beers and a decent house wine. Under $10 a person.
Beijing is huge, with plenty of options for a caffeine jolt. Two especially inviting places are Comptoirs de France Bakery and Sequoia. The first is sleek and modern, with impeccable French pastries and homemade ice cream in addition to coffees and juices. The second feels like an American coffee bar, with seating inside and out, near one of the city's embassy neighborhoods. It serves sandwiches and muffins. Comptoirs de France, 89 Jianguo Road; 6530-5480, www.comptoirsdefrance.com, plus two other locations.Sequoia, 44 Guanghua Lu; 6501-5503. Under $10 per person.
Around the world in 248 days -- by motorcycle
It’s being billed as the longest supported motorcycle expedition in the world. The 248-day ...
Read more »
Taking restless Southern California on vacation
Los Angeles Times e-mail newsletter, delivered every Thursday
wherever it appears.