影片
更多
2009-05-17
51 浏览
Due to business commitments, I spent quite a bit of time in Beijing last year. Ate quite a broad spectrum there, from the "modern fusion gimmicks" to hole-in-the wall local restaurants, and yesterday all of a sudden, the yearning beckons.Have been trying to book here a few times to no avail, so it was a pleasant surprise to hit the "jackpot" so easily.It appears that the starters are still the darlings of the show. There is a radish dish on the menu, which we tried in Beijing, and the quality
Have been trying to book here a few times to no avail, so it was a pleasant surprise to hit the "jackpot" so easily.
It appears that the starters are still the darlings of the show. There is a radish dish on the menu, which we tried in Beijing, and the quality here surpasses the place of origin. Radishes normally have a tardy taste, and here, the chef cleverly marinates it with tastefully sinful vinegar to create a pleasant vegetarian appetizer. Nice.
Beijing tends to include a lot of guts and innards in their dishes. Popular roadside snacks include tripes strips tossed in garlic, cumins, and other spices. We tried the pig's ear strips mixed in a variety of spices. The result was fascinating.
Then the main dishes arrived. The cumin mutton comes in cubes, marinated and apparently charcoal broiled totally lacks in character. There's nothing in it which reminds us of Beijing at all. If you are a mutton fan, there is a restaurant in Beijing which makes the most succulent mutton ribs. Drop me a message if you want the name and address and the treat will be something you won't forget in a hurry.
As people in the north tends not to have rice as a staple, most dinners are accompanied by different types of "cakes" or fried dough or "bread". We surveyed the menu and noticed that the deep fried mini-croaker fishes comes with an order of our beloved "bread". Sounds like a twp for one god-send, ain't it?
The result is two things which were never "married" nor were they supposed to.
The fishes are crispy to the bone, yet there is no apparent "tastes" whatsoever. I wonder why tempura can be made into such a delicacy and yet here, there wasn't much point. The "bread" was tasteless as well, and there doesn't seem to be any reason being paired together. Gosh, was I disappointed.
The pork dumplings were bland. The dough is chewy and seem undercooked. The fillings are neither succulent nor tasty. I failed to be impressed.
Seriously, the place DO remind me of Beijing. I did come across faceless and nameless restaurants there which serve mediocre food. I did not mind then because I was a transient and there's always a better possibility tomorrow. However, in the city that I normally reside, and wanting trustworthy restaurants that I can repeat patronage, this restaurant on an eighth floor is not really up to par.
Too bad. Maybe I should fly to Beijing again soon.
张贴