Beijing’s Best Eggplant Noodles 茄子面

Just around the corner from the Bespoke/Outdustry office, you can find some of the best Eggplant Noodles or 茄子面 qiezi mian in Beijing.

For only RMB 7, you get fresh, hand-pulled noodles topped with saucy dices of eggplant. The restaurant also offers a variety of other rice, noodle and dumpling dishes, but their Eggplant Noodles are by far their restaurant specialty.

*Restaurant interior is a bit grim, so I’d recommend to place your orders to go.

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“Dragon Meat in Heaven, Donkey Meat on Earth”

Eating donkey meat has long been a part of Chinese history and in comparison to other meats such as beef, pork or lamb, donkey comes out on top in terms of its taste and it also claims to be healthier because donkey meat has less fat and is higher in proteins and minerals such as calcium, iron and phosphorus due to the donkey’s predominantly grass diet.

Although donkey is not a meat commonly consumed outside of China, I would definitely recommend everyone to try it at least once as it has quite a unique texture and taste. If donkey meat is something you’d be down to sample, the best place in town is Wang Pangzi’s Donkey Burgers (王胖子驴肉火烧) located on Dongsi 13 tiao (and there are several other locations around town with their main branch on Gulou West Street).  With only a few tables and stools scattered in a small room just to the left of the kitchen, the venue is a typical hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant in terms of bad hygiene and very local clientele…but the only difference that their walls are lined with photos of donkey propaganda promoting donkey meat as healthier and a better meat option.

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LumDimSum Discovery: Mian Dui Mian 面兑面

Pork Noodles topped with Peanuts & Scallions (RMB 10)

There’s something to be said about a simple mound of noodles. It’s loved across cultures all over the world. Call it pasta, call it noodles, at the end of the day, it’s all starchy-goodness.

And while noodles are served in practically every Chinese menu in the world, only a few will highlight it as their signature dish.  Mian Dui Mian 面兑面 offers a simple menu with 3 noodle dish options -pork, braised beef or braised pork intestines – all range from RMB 10-18.  To compliment the noodles, there is a small selection of side dishes including pickled cucumber salad and marinated egg to name a few.

Out of the three noodle options, almost everyone in the restaurant, including our table, all ordered the same dish – Noodles with Pork Sauce topped with Peanuts and Scallions. I think that this exact noodle dish is what Marco Polo must have conjured when he took Asian-inspired noodles to Italy to eventually become Spaghetti Bolognaise.

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Chapter 1 of Ginger & Spice: Tasting Stories

Chinese food has a bad reputation of being unhealthy and too oily.

Let Ms. Shanti and Ms. Shauna prove this all-too-common myth wrong.

Fellow foodie & creator of showshanti, Shanti Christensen‘s blog features a collection of home-style recipes from her travels all around China and she is finally compiling all her healthy recipes together into a cookbook showcasing healthy Chinese food using sustainable and artisan practices.

Teaming together with Shauna Cho of Paper restaurant, this unstoppable team is on a mission to “educate appetites on how to enjoy Chinese food using fresh wholesome ingredients by hosting food-related courses and community events.”

Join them as they are just beginning their story – Chapter 1: The Launch.

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Ignite the “Red Capitalist” in You

If you’re a regular follower of LumDimSum, then you probably know that I’m normally ALL about the food. Restaurant reviews are usually dominated by food shots, but upon visiting Red Capital Club for the first time, the beautiful, traditional courtyard space and the authentic, historical furniture and decor can not be ignored.

“It’s easy to feel nostalgic at Beijing’s Red Capital Club. Communist manifestos cram shelves, photos of the Chairman and Politburo pals packs walls, and the seating is in stuffed chairs from Marshal Lin Biao’s office.” – FORTUNE

LumDimSum Snapshots of Red Capital Club’s Design & Decor:

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A Plethora of Personality: Madame Zhu’s Kitchen

Located in the basement of Vantone Center, I was not quite sure what to expect.

As I entered the double door entrance, I took myself on a tour of the space before heading to my table. The immediate things that caught my eye as I walked around the space was the strong sense of personality and style.

The walls are covered with playful portraits of people goofing around with food. There is art everywhere, quirky statues randomly dispersed around the venue, tall shelves stacked with magazines fashion and art magazines, and I am a sucker for the painted white brick walls, accentuated by black frame doors.

The center of the space is a typical restaurant seating style, but there are also beautifully adorned private dining rooms all around the exterior of the space, each one unique and original. 

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HAIL to Hai Di Lao Hot Pot

The wait was long and after tough negotiations, we argued our way down from 30 minutes to a sincere promise of 20 minutes.

We were given complimentary snacks – raisins, kumquats, shrimp chips, and sweet lemon water while we sat on stools in a little waiting area, inclusive of games and the first floor even has an area to get your nails did…but we did not (against my will).

20 minutes, on the dot, we were led to our table and given red aprons to wear (SO clutch when you eat hot pot) and piping hot towels to wipe our hands as soon as we sat down.

The self-serve sauce station was superb with an extensive variety of chili sauces, onion, garlic, Thai chili, Korean hot pepper paste, seafood and meat sauces and they even include spicy fen, congee and sweet potato. Back at our table, we were served more complimentary appetizers and unlimited amounts of chrysanthemum tea, sweet lemon water, etc. The service was quick and the staff were all surprisingly, genuinely friendly and helpful.

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Orient Kitchen: An Asian Element Fresh

My experience dining at Orient Kitchen last night was comparable to my previous experiences at Element Fresh when it first opened in the sense that it was an overall satisfying and enjoyable and yet I find it rather taxing to pick out something particularly unique or distinctive about my experience.  On the plus side, Orient Kitchen features an irresistibly tempting menu and a buzzing atmosphere, for a quick, satisfying meal.

I was impressed to walk in and find the newly opened Sanlitun Village restaurant fully booked, so Candy and I waited about ten minutes before a table opened up. The menu was well designed with pictures to accompany every dish, which comprised of an extensive selection of Chinese and South-Asian fusion cuisine. The interior is cozy and welcoming with both casual booth seating and high-stool seating and the entire place was full of energy.

Come time to order, we went a little overboard.  Everything on the menu looked incredibly appetizing and I think we ordered enough for four. Every dish we ordered was satisfying and well priced from the Hot and Sour Noodle Soup with Dumplings (RMB 25), Pan-fried Froglegs with Chili Peppers (RMB 32), Spinach with Sesame Sauce (RMB 14), stir-fry tofu and eggplant (RMB 35), mushroom stuffed vegetable rolls (RMB 35), pork pancake (RMB 40), and our Chinese dried date tea (RMB 16). For six dishes and two drinks, our total bill was very reasonable at RMB 206.

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