When I first began thinking about moving to China, one of the main ways I narrowed down which cities to look at was through researching local cuisines.
Every region in China has its own hugely varying delicacies, cooking techniques and unique flavours. Chongqing is famed for its mouth-numbing hotpot, Nanjing for its duck blood soup and Hong Kong for dim sum, but what is Beijing’s main culinary draw?
There is, of course, no better place in the world than Beijing (formerly romanised as Peking) to tuck into some crispy Peking duck. Upon learning that we would be flying into Beijing, I made sure this was top of my bucket list. (I have been known to plan an entire trip itinerary based around my stomach)
As is often the case when trying to be adventurous in an unknown city, knowing what you want is a lot easier than actually finding it. Luckily, a friend of mine stepped in with a great recommendation. We took our friend’s advice and arrived early before tentatively stepping inside the restaurant, which looked a little fancier than those we are accustomed to.
We ordered a few dishes: an incredible beef brisket and egg fried rice which was easily the best rice I have ever tasted and a side order of crisp, crunchy vegetables, before moving onto the main affair, the roast duck.
Peking duck is carefully dried and brushed in a sweet marinade before being roasted over fragrant wood chips. It is carved by the chef and eaten wrapped in pancakes with spring onions, cucumber and a special duck sauce. This has always been a favourite dish of mine from my local Chinese takeaway and I could barely wait to experience the real thing.
The rice and vegetables, which were cooked to perfection, arrived first, which only added to the anticipation leading up to the main event. The duck was brought out by the chef, who then proceeded to expertly slice it in front of us. We were given a selection of sauces and pancakes to accompany and we constructed tasty parcels of goodness that oozed with flavour.
If you are heading to Beijing then I highly recommend that you check out Siji Minfu it also has another branch called Peking Chamber which is equally just as good.
How to get there
Take the subway to Dengshikou, this is the nearest stop. If you walk up Dongsi street to Dengshikou street and turn left it is on this street a couple of blocks away on the left. It is not too far from the Forbidden city, so if you are heading there for the day you could venture for an early dinner at Siji Minfu.
Alternatively take the subway to Dongsishitiao leave at exit A and turn right down the main street. You will then come across it on your right. You will probably notice the hoards of people outside as it gets pretty busy.
My advice is to go to at a slightly different time, for instance 3pm (missing lunch and dinner) so you can get a seat straight away.
What to eat
It goes without saying that you should sample the Peking duck, which can be eaten by the half or whole. There were also an abundance of other dishes on the menu, which is laid out very well in both English and Chinese with some pictures and recommendations. I would suggest trying the beef brisket rice as well, the hot stone cauliflower, Mongolian lamb, mushrooms but after having a good scout around the place, I feel confident saying that everything we saw looked delicious!
Price
We found the price to be quite reasonable for the type of restaurant it was. It was expensive by Chinese standards, but cheap by Western standards and it worked out at about £25/30 for everything, including beers for 2 people.
IF YOU LIKE IT, PIN IT!
Moving to China? Download a VPN now. Use my favourite VPN provider…….
