AppetiteforChina's Profile
Western Baked Goods in Beijing
I love the macarons and petits fours at Comptoirs but am less enthusiastic about their breads. Still, it was still my go-to place in Beijing, for lack of better choices. Jenny Lou's and April Gourmet will occasionally have decent multi-grain loaf bread.
Diana
www.appetiteforchina.com
What to order in Ming Court?
I ate at Ming Court a few months ago and remember loving their crispy-skinned chicken stuffed with glutinous rice...it comes with a bunch of fried lotus chips that are delicious without being oily. The dim sum is also good. The restaurant not "touristy" (in the tacky sense) as much as cleaned up and modernized for the jet set and business traveler crowd...after all, it is a part of the Langham. Still, I also saw a bunch of locals there enjoying food at a leisurely pace.
Macarons in HK?
You can also try Sift, which specializes in cakes and cupcakes but also has macarons. They have a new location in Wanchai (51 E. Queensway). Other locations are on Graham St. in Central and in Horizon Plaza at Ap Lei Chau.
mushroom stems
I always trim because the stems, especially on shiitakes and portabellos, are too woody and fibrous. I'll keep the stems on button mushrooms, but only if I'm not worrying about appearance and if I'm cooking them (as opposed top putting them on salads.) For stocks I'll throw shiitakes right in.
Vegetarian Mains?
Eggplant parmesan is a good bet, if your husband likes eggplant. Tastes meaty because of the sauce and cheese. Or vegetarian lasagne. Do a search on epicurious.com or foodandwine.com for the recipes.
Is Feijoda available in HK?
You can try Macau Restaurant, which has locations all over Hong Kong. They serve okay Macanese-Portuguese food, although if they have feijoada it would be slightly different than the Brazilian version.
Dumplings in Shanghai
Yang's Fry-Dumpling, which another commenter had mentioned, has another location on Huanghe Lu north of People's Square. It's right across from Jia Jia Tang Bao (the soup dumplings), so you can try the two most famous Shanghainese dumplings in one go.
Here are some photos of the fried dumplings. Just ask for the "shen jian bao", since the menu is in Chinese.
http://appetiteforchina.com/pan-fried-meaty-and-juicy
Vietnamese in Beijing or Shanghai
No problem. I'm still reading the thread and since I just moved to Shanghai, I'll check out your recommendation on Taikang Lu. I haven't found a place here yet for good Vietnamese coffee, either.
Zuma vs. Bo Innovations
Definitely try Bo Innovation. It's rare to find such a creative interpretation of Chinese food. My favorite dish on the tasting menu is a caviar and quail egg in a crispy taro shell, one of their signature dishes. I also had a fantastic dessert of sesame ball with melted chocolate, but don't know if the dessert portion has changed.
Beijing wine bars
Try La Baie des Anges in Houhai. Or Aria down in CBD. Generally I've found the wine bars in Shanghai to be a bit better, though.
Beijing--Maison Boulud
I heard that right after their (very) soft opening in June, they were had tasting menus for 160 or 170 RMB as a way to test out their offerings. Of course, I found out way too late, after their prices tripled or quadrupled.
quanjude vs bianyifang, beijing. birds?
Agree with the bad flavorings at Bianyifang. I forgot to mention that the skin was extremely chewy as well as being dry.
Health food in Beijing?
I think the store in Oriental Plaza is called Green Dot. It's a Hong Kong-based company. You can find natural fruit juices, organic berries and nuts, and packaged grained like quinoa, lentils, etc. The grains are also at almost every Western supermarket in town. This is not a place to really go grocery shopping though; it's just good for picking up dry goods and snacks.
But I would agree...Beijing doesn't have much in terms of organic-type foods. Lohao City is probably your only source and it's expensive. Carrefour carries organic pork, but that's about it. There is an organic farm in Beijing (Agrilandia), but you have to travel out to the north 6th ring road. And De Run Wu Farm, run by Buddhists, has a store in Shunyi, though I have never been.
quanjude vs bianyifang, beijing. birds?
Both those places are overrated. Bianyifang has possibly the worst duck I have ever tasted in Beijing; skin too dry and meat too fatty at the same time.
I would suggest Huajia Yiyuan on Ghost Street (Guijie) as the best duck in town without spending a fortune. Da Dong is delicious, but worth it if you don't mind spending a lot. I have heard that the new Duck de Chine in Sanlitun in good too.
Vietnamese in Beijing or Shanghai
Le Little Saigon is just north of the Drum Tower, on the west side of Jiugulo Dajie. The interior is nice, French bistro style. The Vietnamese coffee is good but the pho just so-so.
I went into Lugar once and thought it was just a bar. You're right...it does have a "boy's night out feel." Didn't know it served food too.
Vietnamese in Beijing or Shanghai
Hmm...I didn't have high expectations for Vietnamese food in Beijing, but I thought maybe there was at least one place to get good pho and coffee. When a craving hits, you just obey it. I'm also a "when in Rome" kind of girl, but since I live in Beijing, not traveling through here, I might as well try to find a place.
Thanks for all your suggestions!
live music while you eat/drink?
Try Cornelia Street Cafe (16 Cornelia Street.) They have live music a few times a week, usually jazz, a Mediterranean-style menu, and a 25 dollar prix fixe.
http://www.corneliastreetcafe.com/
Affordable, delicious caterers for Manhattan wedding?
You should check out The Works Catering, which is associated with the Housing Works Used Book Cafe in Soho. (They do other venues, of course.) Their menus are pretty Mediterranean and Pan-Asian. I don't know the exact prices, but they seem to be as affordable as you can get for Manhattan for the quality.
http://theworkscatering.com/
Vietnamese in Beijing or Shanghai
This may be a long shot, but does anyone know of a good, authentic Vietnamese restaurant in either Beijing or Shanghai? Not the overpriced places, so less than 150 rmb per person, and preferably with good Vietnamese coffee.
And if anyone knows of ANY place that serves good Vietnamese coffee, like a cafe, that would be great too.
Thanks!
Best cheap eats in E.vill/U.Square area?
The Hummus Place one St. Mark's between 1st Ave and Ave A is delicious. Very cute, cozy restaurant. www.thehummusplace.com
Maoz Falafel is right at Union Square on the East Side. A take out place, but you can get cheap falafels and pile on your own toppings at the salad bar.
I also agree with SEA Thai...it's definitely more trendy, not very "authentic", but the food and drinks are good and cheap.
Best Dessert Dishes in China
The best fried milk I have had is at the White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou. (It was served as a dessert.) That was about 9 years ago, so I don't know if they still have it.
I also second the fried mantou with condensed milk. Seems to be more of a northern thing.
Last night Yuxiang Renjia, a Sichuan restaurant in Beijing, I had sweet corn fritters that tasted kind of like they should be from the American South. It wasn't a dessert, but could have been.
Hong Kong's Times Square as a little shop that is famous for their steamed milk and egg custards. I liked the egg one, but not the steamed milk.
Asian fusion for casual business dinner
My pick for Asian fusion would be Asia de Cuba (237 Madison.) It's Asian and Latin. Their calamari salad with hearts of palms is still one of the best things I have ever eaten in New York.
The atmosphere is definitely upscale trendy, but prices aren't over the top. Entrees are mostly in the 20-30 range.
Union Square Recommendations?
For New American I really like Craftbar. It's on Broadway a couple blocks or so north of Union Square. They're softshell crab appetizer is very good if they still have it.
I would definitely recommend both Bird Bath and City Bakery as excellent for cookies and just about any other pastry item.
Hangzhou Report
I had seen posts on this board asking about whether the 150-year-old Lou Wai Lou in Hangzhou is has gone downhill, so I thought I would post on my experience at that restaurant and one other from this past weekend.
It was my first time to Lou Wai Lou, so I can't comment on how it compares to before. What I can say is that I wasn't too impressed with the food. The beggar's chicken, which came with beef wrapped in the same lotus leaf, was too dry for my liking. A crab meat in orange cup on the menu seemed interesting, but it just seemed like some crab shreds pureed with oranges (and not enough crab to justify the 78 kuai price.) I also ordered a red wine pear appetizer, which I thought would be poached, but it was just red wine poured over raw fruit. The only dish I really liked was a shugu (tree mushroom) cold appetizer. Perhaps other dishes like Dragon's well shrimp and dongpo rou would have been better. The view from the second floor patio over the lake is exceptional though. Try to get a seat out there if you can.
I had a better experience (food-wise, not view-wise) at Grandmother's Kitchen (Waipo Jia.) There are a few locations around town, and it's a local favorite. I went on Saturday night and the wait was about 45 minutes for 2 people. The shrimp in Dragon's Well tea was good, if a bit starchy. Appetizers like quail eggs and pork with sticky rice in lotus leaf were tasty too. I tried to order the dongpo rou, but the kitchen was out. Instead, the waiter recommended the house-style red braised pork with smoked fish, which turned out to be very succulent, with a delicious sweet sauce.
I posted a few photos here: http://appetiteforchina.com/eating-in-hangzhou
One place I wanted to try but didn't get a chance was the Shangri-La, which a few people on this board had recommended. Their beggar['s chicken required 6 hours advanced notice. Maybe it would have been better than the one at Lou Wai Lou.
Lou Wai Lou
30 Gushan Road, west side of West Lake, Hangzhou
0571-87969682
Grandmother's Kitchen Waipo Jia)
6-1 Macheng Lu
Hangzhou
0571-88051987
Best bread in Beijing, Bruno Bakery
Comptoirs de France definitely has great pastries, though I haven't tried their breads.
I have passed by Cafe Bros in Wudaokou lots of times but have always dismissed them as some run-of-the-mill trying-to-be-Western bakery, like Tous les Jours. I guess I should give their crepe cake a try.
Tonkatsu Ramen in Hong Kong or Shanghai?
Thanks for the suggestions so far. I will have to check them out and report back.
Tonkatsu Ramen in Hong Kong or Shanghai?
I'm going to HK this weekend. In addition to Cantonese food, I have a serious craving for really good tonkatsu ramen. It seems like the likeliest place in China to find a good authentic bowl. Can anyone recommend a good spot?
I'll also take suggestions for Shanghai too, since I will be there next week.
Thanks!
Vegetarian Backpacking for 1 Month
I live in Beijing and recently had vegetarian friends from London visit. They said that, surprisingly, it's not too hard to keep vegetarian in China. They order a lot of vegetarian dumplings, and noodles and rice with eggs and tomato. They also seek out Buddhist restaurants, of which there are quite a few in China.
In Beijing, you can try Pure Lotus Vegetarian or Still Thoughts. Mirch Masala on Nanluoguxiang (a hip hutong with tons of restaurants and cafes) is an Indian restaurant with a big vegetarian and vegan menu. You can also search this site: http://www.beijingveg.com/ for other vegetarian spots.
Nervous Newcomer to Beijing
Too weird, just saw that someone else posted a link to my site's restaurant recommendations.
Anyway, if you're staying in CBD, definitely check out Din Tai Fung and Bellagio at Shin Kong Place. Din Tai Fung is Shanghaiinese-style soup dumplings (though it's Taiwanese-owned) and Bellagio is Taiwanese food. Both are very Western friendly, with English on the menu and nice atmosphere. Meals at both would run you about $15 US per person.
If you like Sichuan food, try South Beauty. There are a few locations around town. Rather upscale, but still inexpensive by Western standards.
Hope this helps!
