A Chef's Chopstick Challenge {Beijing Street Food} #Part 4

Posted on Monday, June 03, 2013 by

Dinner

Although many street food stalls may be getting ready for another shift at night, dinner in Beijing is definitely marked by the hums of the steam and sizzle of 70,000 restaurants showcasing the country's best regional cooking. Diners can eat their way through China without leaving the capital city. Scrumptious sweet and sour duck laid out on a platter of ribs drenched with black bean sauce will make your mouth water, but don’t splash out on your entire trip allowance yet!


Here’s my list of Beijing’s best eateries made for all budgets for you to get your evening fix of true Chinese cuisine.

 1. Duck de Chine (全鸭季)



In a city famed for roast duck, Duck de Chine stands neck and feathers above the rest.


What started as a father-son restaurant has now flourished into one of Beijing’s prized places for duck. After 11 years in preparation, a renowned recipe for the perfect Peking Duck will leave your wallet empty once slices of duck dipped in homemade hoisin sauce and folded into gently steamed pancakes reach your taste buds. The results can’t be refuted. And with the dazzling surrounding scenery and elegantly decorated building, Duck de Chine never ceases to awe.



Even the price of your food will leave you dumbstruck but for true value, who can dispute?

 

Address 


                   Duck de Chine                    Duck de Chine 

              56 Dong Xinlongjie                   东兴隆街56号

              Dongcheng District                       东城区

                         Beijing                                   北京



2.   Spicy Little Thing (Crayfish) – Ghost Street


Red, fiery kerosene lanterns that’ll take you back in time to the early days of Beijing’s streets, traditional courtyards filled with diners; reminiscent of the emperors and empresses who once dined in that same spot. This enclosed hub of historical nightlife located on Gui Street (AKA. Guijie in Chinese) is completely different from the normal ‘clubbing’ and ‘drinking’ scene which we normally associate that word with.

For Beijingers, its more than the food and the drink - it’s a way of life.

Although it’s known as “Ghost Street” because of the ghostly spectacle of the grocery and produce night market formerly located there, Gui Jie is now one of the most alive places you can find in the city.

Stretching over one kilometre from Dongzhimen Bridge to Jiaodaokou Dongdajie, this is the only street in Beijing that truly never sleeps. Gui Jie is a 24-hour celebration of Chinese cuisine, with hungry patrons arriving anytime from noon to 4am to chow down on the street where some of Beijing’s best loved specialities were created. Home to more than 200 restaurants, you can sample almost anything here, from Spicy Sichuan Shuizhuyu and Mesmorizing Malatang to the rich taste of Grilled Seafood Chuan’er and the renowned Peking Duck. This spot surely hits the benchmark to be considered as one of Beijing’s most unique streets.

The structure of Guijie Street is like a dumbbell - bigger both ends and smaller in the middle. Restaurants at the ends are flourishing businesses, but the centre area is rather dull. Either way, this guide will lead you to some cultivating cuisine regardless of the stereotypes of the shops.


Here is my guide to eating out on Ghost Street for all food-lovers:

1.   Best Place for Spice

For the hot pot experience, there is none which can compete with Jingui XiaoShanCheng; a chain restaurant from Sichuan which serves up some of the best seafood found in Beijing within the medium price range bracket. What more could you ask for? It is most renowned for its ‘Ma la xiao,’ the nickname for Guijie’s Spicy Crayfish. At a meagre ¥6 each, seafood lovers who were disappointed with Beijing’s mainly pork precedence can eat their fill. With 3 exquisitely ornamented adjoining courtyards and large private rooms, this is the must-go-to location for old Beijing ambiance.

TIP:

Always make reservations on the weekend as although the restaurant itself can hold a staggering 400 customers, it is also always full.


Average Price: Less than ¥100 per couple.


Address 

No. 253 Dongzhimen Inner Street     253号东直门内大街
                Dongcheng District                 东城区
                        Beijing                                北京

*If travelling by taxi, print out the Chinese address and make sure to show it to your driver.

Opening Times: 24Hours!
Telephone: +84 6407-6570

Subway


Take Subway Line 5 to Beixinqiao and exit from Exit D.
Turn right as soon as you exit the station and walk up the road until you reach the main road. (Dongsi North Street)
Once you reach the main road, turn left and walk up the road until you reach the intersection.
Turn right and cross the bridge to the other side of the road.
Turn right again and walk up the street until you see the bright lanterns in the picture above. - It shouldn't be hard to miss!

Bus:

Take any bus which goes towards Jing Zhuang (静安庄).
From that bus stop, get the 201 towards Jijiamao (纪家庙).
       - The bus service runs every 10 minutes so the wait shouldn't be too long!
Get off at 交道口南.
Head north up that street (In the opposite direction as the bus) and turn right.
Walk straight up the road until you reach the bridge. Then follow step 5 under the Subway heading.

2.   Best Chuan’er

Alcohol and good food is one of the main reasons that Xiao Yu Shan never seems to lack customers and now that it has recently installed a new roof and four gas burning fire places to keep you warm while you enjoy a cold draft beer (¥8), no matter the weather, there will never be an excuse to resist popping over to this garden and grabbing a pint. In addition to great chuan’er (Kebabs), grilled seafood is the speciality here. You can pick the fish, shellfish (¥8), shrimp (¥48) and turtles live directly from the tank to ensure you get fresh food.

{See an example of 'La zi ji' on the top right}.

Make sure that you try their ‘La zi ji’, (Chicken with Peppers) as time and time again, the La zi ji is served at an outstanding standard: nicely crisped on the outside and almost juicy on the inside, swimming in a sea of red dried capsicums. Honest to goodness, this spicy heaven is most definitely worth the trek to the Dongzhimen area of Beijing.


Address 


XiaoYu Shan                                             渔山
No.195 Dongzhimen Inner Street      195东直门内大街
Dongcheng District                                  东城区
Beijing                                                         北京

Opening Times: Every day from 10.00am – 8.00am
                            -      Yes, it is open overnight!

Bus:

Take any bus which goes through Dongzhimen Bridge (静安庄).
Then get either the 106 | 107 | 117 | 635 towards Wuluju (五路居).
       - The bus service runs every 10 minutes so the wait shouldn't be too long!
Get off at Dongnei Xiaojie. (东内小街)
Head north up that street (In the same direction as the bus).
On your right, you should see XiaoYu Shan (渔山).

Subway

Take Subway Line 2 to Dongzhimen Station (东直门站) and exit from Exit A.
Head west as soon as you exit the station and walk up the road until you pass the 3rd bus stop.

Keep walking up the road until on your right, you see XiaoYu Shan (渔山).


So that’s it for the ‘A Chef’s Chopstick Challenge’ series. If you just happened to open this post and haven’t seen the others, go to my Frugal Feast page here to find the previous posts. Keep watching that blog-roll for some more Beijing Tourism posts!


Any questions, just drop a line!

3 comments: Leave Your Comments


  1. Good one. Like your blog. If you ever need service on your furnace please visit us at rheemteamcomfort.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies


    1. Found your blog. It is full of really good information. Thank you for sharing. If you ever need service on rheemteamcomfort.com. We would love it if you would have a look at some of our blogs and let us know your thoughts.

      Delete


  2. Found your blog. It is full of really good information. Thank you for sharing. If you ever need service on tankless water heater repai please visit us at rheemteamcomfort.com. We would love it if you would have a look at some of our blogs and let us know your thoughts.

    ReplyDelete