Pingyao (平遥) Trip Preview

This weekend, I will be traveling to Pingyao (平遥) in Shanxi Province (山西) for a short trip. On April 1st, a new railway connecting Beijing and Taiyuan (太原) started operations. A trip that used to take eight hours now only require three hours. An hour and a half away from Taiyuan is the UNESCO World Heritage Site Pingyao. According to the UNESCO site:

Ping Yao is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a traditional Han Chinese city, founded in the 14th century. Its urban fabric shows the evolution of architectural styles and town planning in Imperial China over five centuries. Of special interest are the imposing buildings associated with banking, for which Ping Yao was the major centre for the whole of China in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

We will be staying at a very interesting inn - Yide Guesthouse (一得客栈). The website looks amazing. I can't wait to take photos of both the exterior and interior of the inn.

We'll also be visiting Qiao's Compound (乔家大院) where the movie Raise the Red Lantern (大红灯笼高高挂) was filmed. Another stop on our trip will be Grace Vineyard, maker of arguably the best red wine in China. I managed to arrange a tour of the vineyard as well as wine tasting for the weekend.

Will definitely report back on Shanxi cuisine, which is most famously known for its noodles, including Dao Xiao Mian (刀削面) and Cat's Ear noodle (猫耳朵).
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Where I Ate This Last Week 3-19-09

"Where I Ate This Last Week" is a somewhat-weekly review of where TMF ate during the last week. These are restaurants that don't necessary add up to a full review, but is worth mentioning. For previous weeks of this series, please see here.

Muse - Located next to Suzie Wong's, Muse bills itself as a French-Vietnamese restaurant. I found the food to be unmistakably Vietnamese, and quite authentic Vietnamese at that. The Muse Special, at 90kuai, is quite a bargain. Served on an over-sized plate, it features beef and chicken kabobs, egg rolls, vermicelli noodles, vegetables, and lettuce wraps. It's quite a meal by itself. The pho here is as authentic as one can find in Beijing, and I want to go back to try the banh mi (vietnamese sandwiches on French baguette).

Saveurs de Corée (韩香馆) - Pretty good Korean restaurant in Nanluoguxiang (南锣鼓巷). Quaint location, and a nice rooftop area to take in the Nanluoguxiang scene. Prices aren't as cheap as they should be, and portions are small. The kimchi fried rice is a highlight, as is the pork or beef bbq. For a set menu price of 158kuai (~$20), it should comfortably feed two people.

Fan Qian Fan Hou (饭前饭后) - A Taiwanese restaurant next to Da Dong in Dongsi Shitiao. The menu features home cooking recommended by semi-celebrities and local businessmen. Most of the dishes are well-made, and probably better than Bellagio. I would say cheaper as well. The location, obviously, is not as good as Bellagio's Gongti Xilu corner. I recommend the spicy stir-fry mushrooms (辣炒蘑菇).

Mosto - Another visit at brunch to what is becoming my favorite non-Chinese restaurant in Beijing. I finally had the sophisticated version of steaks and eggs and the meat was juicy and tender. The South American scrambled eggs tasted just as good as last time.


Xinjiang Islam Restaurant (新疆伊斯兰饭庄) - This is the restaurant at the official Xinjiang Province Administrative Office (新疆驻京办事处), the Xinjiang version of Chuan Ban (四川驻京办事处) restaurant that everyone raves about. The Xinjiang restaurant is not bad either. One of these days, I want to do a series on all of the provincial administrative offices. The usual Xinjiang fare can be found here, including na'an, lamb kabob, laghman, etc. This particular visit wasn't as memorable as previous visits had been, perhaps due to the extreme crowd that gathered on this particular Saturday morning that led to a thirty-minute wait for the lamb kabobs. But generally speaking, if you're in the neighborhood (zoo area), this is a good bet.

Chuan Cheng Yuan Spicy Dry Hot Pot (川成元麻辣香锅) - Spicy dry hot pot is all the rage in Beijing, and it's difficult to walk through any commercial area without running into one. Chuan Cheng Yuan is a chain that gained popularity at its small and suffocating Jianwai SOHO location. Thankfully for the claustrophobics among us, there is now a larger and nicely-decorated space in the new VIVA mall. A spicy dry hot pot is exactly what it sounds like: the customers pick the ingredients, which consists of everything you would see on a hot pot menu, and the ingredients are cooked in a big wok along with spices and herbs and the entire wok is presented at the table. Chuan Cheng Yuan's menu features an interesting item: frogs. I've previously had frogs in hot pot at the frog hot pot specialist Huo Feng Huang, but it was the first time seeing it on a spicy dry hot pot menu. It definitely added to the flavor of the pot and an interesting aspect to the meal.

Jing Shang Ting Ramen (井上亭) - Boy is this place difficult to find. Not knowing the exact building number of Jianwai SOHO in which the restaurant is housed, I walked around Jianwai SOHO looking for a sign and finally saw their logo with a panda eating ramen plastered on a third floor window. Perhaps it's a good thing that the restaurant is hidden, because otherwise it would be filled with people due to its great ramen. The restaurant oozes authenticity, from the handwritten Japanese menu on the chalkboard to the Japanese-speaking chef. One can specify the hardness of the noodles with each bowl of ramen. The soup's flavor is spot-on, although the too thinly-sliced pork pieces leave something to be desired. They also serve a mean fried rice and fried chicken nuggets.

Muse
1 Nongzhan Lu, Chaoyang Park west gate
农展馆南路1号, 朝阳公园西门

Saveurs de Corée (韩香馆)
29 Nanluoguxiang (mid Nanluoguxiang)
南锣鼓巷29号, 南锣鼓巷中部
6401-6083

Fan Qian Fan Hou (饭前饭后)
A13 Gucangqun, 22 Dongsishitiao Lu, Nanxincang, Dongsishitiao
Next to Da Dong Roast Duck
东四十条22号南新仓古仓群A13
6405-9598

Xinjiang Islam Restaurant (新疆伊斯兰饭庄)
7 Sanlihe Lu, Xicheng
西城三里河路7号

川成元麻辣香锅
3rd floor, VIVA Mall, Shuangjing, Chaoyang District
朝阳区东三环中路65号富力广场南区3楼323号

Jing Shang Ting Ramen (井上亭)
3rd floor, Building 12, Jianwai SOHO
建外SOHO12号楼3楼
59000774

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Beijinger's Annual Reader Restaurant Awards Revealed!

The results for the Beijinger's Annual Reader Restaurant Awards are out. I first wrote about it here when the ballot was opened to the public. I was actually offered tickets to the award ceremony by a kind friend but couldn't make it. It looks like fun times.

The shocker of the awards: Element Fresh for Best Non-Chinese Restaurant of the Year. Over Mosto, and Maison Boulud wasn't even in the top three. How is that possible? Element Fresh is basically a gourmet fast food chain that originated in Shanghai. How does it win Restaurant of the Year?? It's popular, sure, but I don't know if I would even put it in the top five restaurants in Beijing. Big disappointment.

Double shocker: Best Burger? Let's Burger. I expressed outrage at the mere fact that it is even INCLUDED on the ballot, but to win?

Besides from those, the other choices look okay and I look forward to trying some of the winners soon.

Lastly, I am dying to try the winner of the Best Brunch (hotel) category: Taste in Westin Chaoyang. I heard it's a great way to spend a lazy Sunday.

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Old Beijing Snacks (4): Nai lao (奶酪)

This is the English version of an article written for Boom Beijing. The Chinese version can be found here.

For previous entries to the Old Beijing Snacks series, please click here.

The Old Beijing Snacks series has already introduced three dishes, all of them are appetizers or main dishes, and now it's time for a dessert. Nai lao (奶酪) is another snack that can trace its origins back to the imperial days. Although the Chinese word for nai lao is the same translation as the English word cheese, nai lao is not the same as cheese.

Nai lao and cheese shares the same Chinese name, but that's where the similarity ends. Cheese is made with cow milk or other animal milk. The milk is acidified and addition of the enzyme rennet causes coagulation. The solids are then separated and pressed into final form. Nai lao is made using fresh cow milk and coagulated with rice wine. The milk is then baked in an oven for an hour and then chilled in a refrigerator. In actuality, just like cheese, nai lao was imported from outside of China. In the Qing Dynasty, the Mongolians brought dried nai lao as tribute to the emperor. The emperor then ordered the imperial cooks to improve on the nai lao and made it what it is today. Nai lao has a smooth, cool taste and is a perfect dessert for a hot summer day.


There are two great nai lao shops in Beijing, Nai Lao Wei (奶酪魏) and Wen Yu Nai Lao (文宇奶酪店). Nai Lao Wei has a bigger reputation and more history, but both make great nai laos.

Nai Lao Wei (奶酪魏) has a history over one hundred years, with the founders having honed their nai lao-making skills in the imperial courts. At Nai Lao Wei, besides the original "gong ting" (宫廷奶酪), there are also flavors such as chocolate, coconut, almond, blueberry, etc.

Wen Yu Nai Lao (文宇奶酪店) is located in Nanluoguxiang (南锣鼓巷). A small store, it is always packed and the wait can last longer than an hour. Wen Yu also has a type of snack from Guangzhou, "two-layered milk" (双皮奶) that is made by boiling milk to create two separate layers and is served with red bean.

Nai Lao Wei (奶酪魏)
202 Guan An Men Nei Da Jie, Xuanwu District
宣武区广安门内大街202号

Wen Yu Nai Lao (文宇奶酪店)
49 Nanluoguxiang, Dongcheng District
东城区南锣鼓巷49号
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