BREAKFAST –Ā Du Yi Chu
Go local – Start the day in the century old shao mai shopĀ at Qian Men Da Jie
The menu isĀ small –Ā just a couple ofĀ dumpling choices and appetisers.Ā IĀ went straight for the highly recommended san sianĀ (Mixture ofĀ pork, prawn &Ā sea cucumber) Ā shao mai.
SAN SIAN SHAO MAI – The dumplings arrived piping hot after 20 minutes (freshly made upon order).
Overall –Ā Better thanĀ your average shao maiĀ andĀ aĀ quick immersion to the local food scene.
LUNCH –Ā Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant
You justĀ can’t miss eating the “national dish” when you are in Beijing. I went to the highly raved Da DongĀ to searchĀ for the best peking duck in town.Ā Da DongĀ won many awards in recent years as one of the most innovative Chinese restaurants. They claim toĀ serve a leanerĀ peking duck as compared to their competitors. I was very excited to give it a try as I prefer peking duck with lesser fats like the one inĀ Imperial Treasure.
Peking Duck – TheĀ skinĀ was decently crispy butĀ it had a gamey taste which I did not like. Da Dong’s duck is better than Quan Ju De in my opinion but definitelyĀ not a winning bird (like Imperial’s) that would make me go back over and over again.
Complimentary fruits – Fresh fruits with elaborated (Read: exaggerated)Ā presentation.Ā Ā They alsoĀ served a complimentary hawthorn sorbet in a fancy wine glass.
Overall – AĀ decentĀ Chinese restaurantĀ withĀ pretentious presentation of its dishes.
DINNER –Ā S.T.A.Y (Simple Table AllenoĀ Yannick)
This is my best meal in Beijing!
PETIT FOURS…..NOT.Ā šĀ TheseĀ were the amuse bouche served at the start of the meal – cod fish coated with squid ink and small Chinese radish! Look at the cute lazy Susan and chopsticks. Localized French fine dining anyone?
EPICUREAN DEGUSTATION MENU–
[LEFT] SMOKED SALMON TART with schrenki caviar and sour cream – It tasted like what it looked but thereĀ was a crispy biscuit below the salmon which enhanced the overallĀ texture of this dish.
[RIGHT] DUCK FOIE GRAS TERRINE with passion fruit coffee jelly and toasted brioche – I like the simplistic presentation of this dish.Ā The passion fruit jam went well with the foie gras.
[TOP LEFT] FENNEL SOUPĀ with spanner crab meat
[TOP RIGHT] PAN SEARED SCALLOPS with black truffle carbonara pasta
[BOTTOM LEFT] BRAISED CODFISH with sate spice, morels andĀ green asparagus fricassee
[BOTTOM RIGHT] KORE BEEF FILET with fondant potatoes in seaweed butter
All good but not great. If i have to pick my favourite- that would probably be the scallops.
[LEFT] Dessert Library
[RIGHT] Pastry Chefs at Work
The concept of a dessert library isĀ intriguing –Ā It’s a place where you can choose your desserts, interact with the chefs and watch them assemble your sweets.
THE PASTRYĀ RIBBON – Selection of two desserts from the pastry library
[LEFT] MILLEFEUILLE with praline cream & caramelized hazelnut
[RIGHT] RASPBERRY LEMON SOUFFLE MERINGUE with raspberry compote and fresh mint cream
The desserts were well plated and tastedĀ heavenly.Ā S.T.A.YĀ reduced the sweetness of the desserts served inĀ the Beijing branch to suit the Asian palate.Ā Perfect forĀ people (like me)Ā without a sweet tooth! š
Overall – A pleasant fine dining experience. I will happily revisit S.T.A.Y in my next trip to Beijing.
The 7 month old BKT shop offers a wide variety of items. They also serve the dry version of BKT that I’m definitely going to try in the next visit.
My BKT Meal – The soup was decently flavourful and peppery. The meat was tender but with too much fats for my liking. I shall get the premium loin ribs the next time. The soup is refillable and the server will go around refilling every 10 minutes. I like the fact that the refilled soup tasted as good as the original bowl. I can’t say the same for some other BKT shops – sometimes the refills tasted really diluted. š¦
Twice as Delicious 