theBeijinger’s 8th Annual Reader Restaurant Awards: Hatsune Wins Best Japanese 7 Years Running

On Monday, March 21, Hatsune took home Best Japanese for the 7th year running at theBeijinger’s Reader Restaurant Awards!

Considering this was theBeijinger’s 8th Annual Reader Restaurant Awards, that’s pretty much a perfect record.

Congratulations to Alan Wong, owner of the Hatsune Empire, for holding it strong and staying on top of the game 7 years straight.  That’s gotta be the longest-running record in town!

Get excited because this year Hatsune will be celebrating its 10 year anniversary in August 2011. If you thought Hatsune’s 9 year anniversary party and Chi Fan for Charity After Party was wild last year, you are in store for a treat this coming August.  Stay tuned for details….

Other big winners from the awards ceremony include:

• Maison Boulud – Restaurant of the Year (Non-Chinese), Best French, Wine List, Most Romantic Meal, Best Service
• Da Dong – Restaurant of the Year (Chinese), Best for Impressing Visitors, Best Beijing Duck, Best for Impressing Visitors
• Capital M – Best high-end brunch, Afternoon Tea, Outdoor Dining,
• Mosto – Best Business Lunch, Best Steak, & MODO got Best New Restaurant

For a complete list of all Beijinger Dining Awards Categories and Winners, click here.

Maison Boulud & Da Dong Collect “Restaurant of the Year”

Dali Courtyard / Capital M

Modo / Agua / Biteapitta

SALT / Gung Ho! Pizza

Michael & Joanna Crain for Culinary Event of the Year: Chi Fan for Charity 2010!

While many of this year’s winners are very deserving of their awards, I was disappointed to see a few of my favorite restaurants without any recognition – Bei (in the Opposite House), Black Sesame Kitchen, Karaiya Spice House, and Madame Zhu’s Kitchen to name a few.  And I am really fed up with repeat winners  - Annie’s winning Best Italian (come on people, it’s not best delivery service), Ganges for Best Indian (really not that great), and Element Fresh for Best American, Best Sandwiches, and Best Affordable Brunch? I only approve of their smoothies and salads and boycott the rest.

theBeijinger’s Restaurant Award Winners vs. LumDimSum’s Votes:

Afternoon Tea

• Beijinger Winner: Capital M

• LumDimSum Vote: Capital M

American

• Beijinger Winner: Element Fresh

• LumDimSum Vote: Chef Too

Beijing Duck

• Beijinger Winner: Da Dong

• LumDimSum Vote: Made in China

Brunch (High-End)

• Beijinger Winner: Capital M

• LumDimSum Vote: Fennel

Brunch (Affordable)

• Beijinger Winner: Element Fresh

• LumDimSum Vote: Vineyard Cafe

Burger

• Beijinger Winner: Let’s Burger

• LumDimSum Vote: Let’s Burger

Business Lunch

• Beijinger Winner: Mosto

• LumDimSum Vote: Alameda

Cantonese (High-End)

• Beijinger Winner: Lei Garden

• LumDimSum Vote:  Zenses, Westin Beijing Chaoyang

Cantonese (Affordable)

• Beijinger Winner: Jin Ding Xuan

• LumDimSum Vote: Heng Shan Hui 衡山汇

Culinary Event of the Year

• Beijinger Winner: Chi Fan for Charity (Nov 6, 2010)

• LumDimSum Vote: Chi Fan for Charity (Nov 6, 2010)

Décor

• Beijinger Winner: LAN

• LumDimSum Vote: Capital M

Dim Sum

• Beijinger Winner: Din Tai Fung

• LumDimSum Vote:  Heng Shan Hui 衡山汇

Family-Friendly Restaurant

• Beijinger Winner: Annie’s

• LumDimSum Vote:  The Orchard

For Impressing Visitors

• Beijinger Winner: Da Dong

• LumDimSum Vote:  Duck de Chine

For a Romantic Meal

• Beijinger Winner: Maison Boulud

• LumDimSum Vote:  Capital M

French (High-End)

• Beijinger Winner: Maison Boulud

• LumDimSum Vote:  Maison Boulud

French (Affordable)

• Beijinger Winner: Brasserie Flo

• LumDimSum Vote: Crepanini

Hot Pot

• Beijinger Winner: Haidiliao

• LumDimSum Vote:  Haidiliao

Hotel Brunch

• Beijinger Winner: Bubbalicious, Westin Beijing Chaoyang

• LumDimSum Vote:  Bubbly Sundays at Senses, Westin Beijing Financial Street

Indian/Pakistani

• Beijinger Winner: Ganges

• LumDimSum Vote:  Punjabi

Italian (High-End)

• Beijinger Winner: Sureño, The Opposite House

• LumDimSum Vote:  Sadler Ristorante

Italian (Affordable)

• Beijinger Winner: Annie’s

• LumDimSum Vote:  LMPLUS (Central Park)

Japanese

• Beijinger Winner: Hatsune

• LumDimSum Vote:  Hatsune and Kagen Teppanyaki

Korean

• Beijinger Winner: Saveurs de Coree

• LumDimSum Vote:  Ai Jiang Shan

Kung Pao Chicken

• Beijinger Winner: Xiao Wang Fu

• LumDimSum Vote:  Black Sesame Kitchen

Late-Night Dining

• Beijinger Winner: Bellagio

• LumDimSum Vote:  Jin Ding Xuan or my local Ch’uar stand

Mexican/Tex-Mex

• Beijinger Winner: Saddle Cantina

• LumDimSum Vote: Casa Latina

Middle Eastern

• Beijinger Winner: Biteapitta

• LumDimSum Vote: Biteapitta

Outdoor Dining

• Beijinger Winner: Capital M

• LumDimSum Vote: Dali Courtyard

Pizza

• Beijinger Winner: The Tree

• LumDimSum Vote: Gung Ho! Pizza

Russian

• Beijinger Winner:  Traktirr Pushkin

• LumDimSum Vote: Traktirr Pushkin

Sandwiches

• Beijinger Winner: Element Fresh

• LumDimSum Vote:  Hercules

Service

• Beijinger Winner: Maison Boulud

• LumDimSum Vote:  Fennel

Sichuan

• Beijinger Winner: South Beauty

• LumDimSum Vote: Madame Zhu’s Kitchen

Spanish

• Beijinger Winner: Agua

• LumDimSum Vote: Agua

Steak

• Beijinger Winner: Mosto

• LumDimSum Vote: The Cut Grill (Fairmont Hotel)

Thai

• Beijinger Winner: Purple Haze

• LumDimSum Vote:  Tuk Tuk

Vegetarian

• Beijinger Winner: Pure Lotus

• LumDimSum Vote:  Samadhi Teahouse

Vietnamese

• Beijinger Winner: Muse

• LumDimSum Vote:  Banh Mi Now!

Wine List

• Beijinger Winner: Maison Boulud

• LumDimSum Vote: Enoterra

Yunnan

• Beijinger Winner: Middle 8th Restaurant

• LumDimSum Vote: Aimo Town

New Restaurant (Chinese)

• Beijinger Winner: Little Yunnan

• LumDimSum Vote: Xu Xian Lou

New Restaurant (Non-Chinese)

• Beijinger Winner: Modo

• LumDimSum Vote: Modo

Restaurant of the Year (Chinese)

• Beijinger Winner: Da Dong

• LumDimSum Vote: Karaiya Spice House

Restaurant of the Year (Non-Chinese)

• Beijinger Winner: Maison Boulud

• LumDimSum Vote: Hatsune

King of Ducks

If there is a visitor in Beijing, regardless if they are here on business or pleasure, their priority for dining should always be BEIJING DUCK.  End of discussion.

Here’s a list of my top 5 picks for Beijing Roast Duck (北京烤鸭):

1.  Made in China – Hands down my favorite duck restaurant. Best duck to ever touch my palette, great overall menu, and beautiful interior design.  Only down-side is that it’s located in a hotel and you need to make a reservation to get a table a few days in advance. A bit on the pricier side, but worth every penny.

2. Xiao Wang Fu 小王府 - If I’m not trying to impress any out-of-town guests and the priority is good value, then I opt for Xiao Wang Fu, a popular chain of duck restaurants with a good selection of classic Chinese dishes for a very reasonable price.

3. Duck de Chine - A place to impress visitors or business clients, the interior is exquisite and I’m sold by their special duck sauce (plum sauce with swirls of peanut and sesame sauce topped with roasted garlic). My mouth waters just thinking about it.  Great food, even better ambiance, so-so service, and expect to pay a pretty penny.

4. Da Dong大董烤鸭店- Often referred to as the Best Duck in Town, I think their duck does not even touch Made in China’s melt-in-your-mouth Beijing Duck.  They claim their duck is more lean and they have a few chain restaurants in town, and have also recently expanded upon their already extensive menu.

5. Li Qun 利群烤鸭店 - Tucked away and difficult to find, but a great destination for the more adventurous tourists on a budget.  Great duck for good value and a very authentic Chinese restaurant in terms of good food served in a poorly maintained establishment and lack of service.

In the past 3 years, I’ve been to many of the city’s top duck restaurants, but when a friend of a friend from high school came into town for only one day, I was eager to impress them with one of the city’s newest additions to the list of top duck restaurants: I introduced them to Duck de Chine, located in the factory-chic setting of 1949.

The setting was elegant, refined and upscale and the menu brings together recipes from both Chinese and French cuisine.  Within the restaurant, you feel like you could be anywhere in the world. The menu was extensive, the food was delicious and beautifully presented, and the duck was superb with the highlight of the experience being the special duck plum sauce with swirls of sesame and peanut sauce topped with roasted garlic. Brilliant. Another highlight of the evening was the Australian Lobster with E-Fu noodles and the Pan-Fried Beef Tenderloin.

Review of Duck de Chine: At 1949- The Hidden City: Courtyard 4, Gong Ti Bei Lu, Chaoyang District, Sanlitun. Opposite Pacific Century Place South gate. 北京朝阳区工体北路太平洋百货南门对面

Best Part:

• Their secret lies in their duck’s unique and innovative plum sauce, which combines sesame and peanut sauce together with roasted garlic. A heavenly combination and a perfect compliment for the Beijing Duck.
• The interior of the restaurant is exquisite and upscale, perfecting for impressing visitors
• The location of the restaurant within 1949 – The Hidden City makes it a great destination for dinner and drinks (just across the way from both Club Decollete & Club Glen).
• The menu is extensive with a lot of variety. Every dish was flavorful, delicious, and beautifully presented

Comments:

• It’s definitely on the pricier end of the list. Our table of 7 including wine and cocktails was over 3,000 RMB.
• Service was not up-to-par with the restaurant’s ambiance and product. There were quite a few mix-ups with our order and the waiter could not get a single drink right the entire night (kept bringing drinks to the wrong people/re-filling the wrong glasses).
• Bathrooms are down a flight of stairs.
• Definitely a place for impressing visitors/clients rather than a destination for locals.