 | |  Beijing Eats!
Bring Your Appetite to Beijing As
an international city, many cultures and tastes are represented in Beijing's
world of dining. As the Olympic games draw near, Beijing's restaurants have
transformed from a melting pot of regional cuisines to one of international
foodstuffs. Beijing's best chefs have spent the early part of 2008 cooking
up plans for the coming Olympics, which is sure to bring a plethora of new
treats to the table. However, for dinner, I think traditional Chinese
cuisine would be an ideal choice for you when you visit China. Below, you
will find my (Personal Assistant: Apple Zhao's) picks for best restaurants. Each
restaurant has several dishes of regional-featured flavor to offer.
Best Shaoxing foods: Xianheng
 Everybody
comes here for the food. Start with hand-peeled bamboo shoots, then try the
fried, dried fish with spring onions, bound pork and three crisp vegetables,
lettuce, water chestnut and preserved lettuce). Wash it all down with yellow
rice wine.
Best Northeast Chinese Cuisine: Shuangfu
Most restaurants in this style are classified as a hodgepodge of ordinary homestyle foods for people who are not culinarily
critical. And this place also fits that bill. But what makes the difference
is the food's quality and homey, country-style décor. Sample horse
hoof-shaped baked buns with pork stuffing while they're hot; then
try smoked pork spine with bone and stewed chicken with wild
mushrooms-to be accompanied with their strong, 40-degree
Chinese liqueur, or Harbin Beer.
Best Local Xinjiang: Urum-qi's Beijing Office's Xin-jiang
 Expect plenty of mutton dishes, such as hand-torn lamb rack and sautéed lamb chops with black pepper. The naan and homemade yogurt are must-tries. Also get some Korla pears, grapes, hamimelon and red jujube from Qarkilik at reasonable prices.
Best Taiwan: Shin Yeh
The décor is a bit more formal than the Bellagio, and the food is totally different. Baked karasumi, a naturally dried fish roe, and baby abalone are the most expensive of its specialties. But the restaurant has plenty of more reasonably priced dishes, such as small dried fish with crisp peanut, sautéed oyster cake, sautéed pork liver and braised chicken in casserole.
Best Fusion Presentation: Jewel
Jewel takes the fusion of Chinese and Western foods to new heights. Beautiful glassware, Japanese-styled hotpot and glass goblets are used to make dining here a fun, aesthetic and enjoyable experience. Worth trying are their dimsum platter, abalone shabu(hotpot), deep-fried shrimp with spicy breadcrumbs and sautéed celery with gingko nut and bean curd.
Best Comfort Food: McDonalds
Dining is an integral part of Chinese culture. When you come to Beijing there is no reason not to have bites of those foods special offered with regional flavor, and only in Beijing can you taste so many dishes cooked and served with delicacy. With the help of a MyChinaCityGuide Personal Assistant you will find them quickly. You also could request to personalize your restaurant lists, our Personal Assistants can help you find great restaurants within a price range you specify, which would ease your trip in China.
And if you're palate isn't as adventurous as the rest of you, we can always take you to one of the thousands of McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, or other fast food eateries.
See you soon! ---Apple (applez@mychinacityguide.com)
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