The New and Improved 1949 Duck de Chine Jinbao Jie

This place is gorgeous. I was so in awe of my surroundings that I spent 30 minutes just wandering around taking photos of everything.

If you have ever been to the original Duck de Chine in 1949 Hidden City in South Sanlitun, the decor of both venues run in similar themes with the same red lanterns hanging from the ceilings and green/teal floral paintings along the walls, but this layout is even better. Housed in a large siheyuan with an open courtyard in the middle surrounded by clear glass walls with views into the kitchen, bar area and dining space, this is really a space you can explore.

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Star Shaanxi Burgers 肉夹馍: Qin Tang Fu 秦唐府陕西名吃

A very popular eatery already, Qin Tang Fu Shaanxi Restaurant 秦唐府陕西名吃 is always packed with hungry diners grabbing quality Shaanxi on-the-go (I say this not because it’s fast food, but because people here eat really fast)!

It’s also quite funny to walk in to a restaurant and see everyone practically squatting down on miniature tables and chairs (like they are made for children rather than grown adults). It may not be the most comfortable furniture to dine, but it’s traditional Shaanxi style and the folk art decorated throughout is lovely and the place is always buzzing with chatter and good vibes.

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The Hutong & CHP: Insight to Beijing Through Tastes

Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center (CHP) and The Hutong are teaming up to bring you an new educational culinary event called a ‘Taste of Beijing’.

“Savor the wonderful flavors and exquisite tastes of Beijing while learning more about the ancient city through its famous traditional dishes.”

They will be teaching guests how to cook three traditionally treasured Beijing dishes, using fresh and seasonal local ingredients, and explaining the story behind each of the three recipes.  The three traditional Chinese dishes will include Ma Doufu (stir fried fermented tofu paste), Jiemo Dun (mustard paste with cabbage), and Zhajiangmian (Beijing style noodle with soybean paste).

Passionate foodie and chef Suer Zhou will be hosting the class this Saturday, August 6 (the next class will be held on Saturday, September 17).

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Healthy, Handmade Dumplings: Jiao Lai Jiao Qu 饺来饺去饺子店

After my last review on my choice dumpling spot Bao Yuan Dumpling House 宝源饺子屋, I made bold claims of finding one of Beijing’s top dumplings houses. But then my good friend and LumDimSum fan May Cheng (owner of my favorite spa, Hummingbird Spa Retreat) offered to introduce me to her favorite dumpling house in Beijing called Jiao Lai Jiao Qu Dumpling House 饺来饺去饺子店。

We set a date and met at Hummingbird and she arranged a car (so VIP status) to her favorite local dumpling spot.  I had no idea where it was, what it was called, but May raved about the quality ingredients and freshness of the dumplings.

After about a 30-minute car ride through bad traffic, we arrived at the Joy City Mall on the east side of Beijing (past east 4th ring road), we climbed the tallest escalators I’ve ever witnessed, and we entered dumpling house Jiao Lai Jiao Qu 饺来饺去饺子店.

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Color Me Dumplings: Bao Yuan Dumpling House 宝源饺子屋

Dumplings should look as delicious as their insides taste. I’m not sure if dumplings died purple, green, and orange will actually appeal more to your taste buds and although the colors do not affect the taste of the dumplings, they certainly make the whole “jiaozi 饺子 experience” a whole lot more colorful.

Bao Yuan Dumpling House 宝源饺子屋 (click link for Time Out Review) is known for their brightly colored dumplings and extensive range of fillings.  With options for both meat-lovers and vegetarians, there is something for everyone.  I particularly enjoyed with vegetarian dumplings with everything from smoked beancurd, celery, mushrooms, eggs, chives, cabbage, carrots and cellophane noodles.  With unique ingredients like lotus root, eggplant, mushroom and carrot, you should try at least several different combinations and with an order of 6 priced between RMB 6-12, you can afford to try as many different combinations as you like!

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欧记专业麻辣烫: Mighty Malatang

Most of the malatang I’ve had in China has either been from street venders or in the basement of a shopping center.  Eating in a restaurant devoted specially to malatang was an entirely new experience for me.

A restaurant all about malatang, 欧记专业麻辣烫 (Ouji Zhuanye Malatang) is a recent discovery for me and it is seriously good.  All their offered ‘malatang ingredients’ are laid out for customers to select from (ranging from RMB 1 to 2 depending on if it’s a vegetable or meat) and sauce is awesome.  If you’re a fan of super legit local cuisine, this is your place because they do not mess around.

Two of us ordered a mountain of vegetables and tofu and a couple quail eggs and the total came out to be about RMB 30 total.  See photo below for the massive quantity of food we ordered for such a small price.

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Sadler & Le Quai: Dining Without Frontiers

On Saturday, March 19, Kenny Fu from Le Quai and Riccardo La Perna from Sadler Ristorante teamed up to create an unforgettable 6-course Italian-Chinese Culinary Wine Dinner.

I was the first to walk in to this event and the set up was stunning – beautiful table settings with fresh flower centerpieces, bottles of wine laid out and the chefs taking a final break before the other guests start arriving.

Pre-Dinner Set Up in Sadler Ristorante:

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Jingzun: Affordable Beijing Duck Alternative

With several branches around Beijing, JingZun Peking Duck Restaurant 京尊烤鸭店 is consistently packed with both expats and locals on a daily basis.  It’s not the best Peking duck in town, but it’s very affordable and they offer many other tasty dishes for incredible value as well.  Menu is extensive and easy to order with pictures and both Chinese and English text (or should I say Chinglish text).

If you want to go all in for throw down for the best duck in town, then Beijing’s best is still Made in China hands-down.  Duck de Chine in 1949 also succeeds in making a big impression on guests with its extravagant decor and excellent service.  But if you want to go the casual, local route, then Jingzun is a great alternative choice.

LumDimSum Snapshots of Jingzun’s Interior:

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