| OUR JIA CHANG CAI/HOMESTYLE RECOMMENDATIONS |
|
|
 朝阳区新源西里中街19号Xinyuan Xili Zhongjie, 19 hao
Chaoyang District, north of Dongzhimenwai area near Canadian and Australian embassies
Tel: 010-6460 6711
$: Dinner for 8, including duck, under 400rmb; Duck 98rmb (68 for half a duck), including all condiments and you can take home the carcass or have it made into soup
Xiang Man Lou is an excellent place for casual dining that compromises nothing on quality and taste. It has an excellent and reasonably priced Peking duck, and nothing we have tried so far has disappointed. Like all good restaurants in Beijing, XML suffers from its success in that there are too many people trying to get in; it’s a competition to get a table. They only honor reservations until 6:30PM, and are ruthless about giving your table away if you are late, so be prepared to eat early or wait on the sidewalk with half of Beijing. In addition to the duck, try the eggplant in claypot (shao qie zi, sautéed dragon beans (si jiao dou or long dou) and crispy fried tower of potato threads (tu dou si)
烧茄子 shao qie zi: claypot eggplant
炒龙豆 chao long dou: sautéed leng dou
东城区东直门内大街235号
235 Dongzhimennei Dajie
Dongcheng District
Tel: 010-6405 1908
$: lunch for four, 143rmb
This is an extremely pleasant place to have lunch where you can fully enjoy the quiet courtyard setting. Marketed as homestyle cooking, Hua Jia Yi Yuan goes beyond the same old standards and brings to their menu creative but well-executed choices. Two duck dishes to try are a crispy fried duck meat and sticky rice “cake”, and duck meat rolled in tofu skin with chives. The eggplant with abalone sauce was also fragrant, savory and complex.
酒舅久韭煎鸭 jiu jiu jiu xiang jian ya: crispy fried layered duck meat and sticky rice cake
小王府 - Xiao Wang Fu
Location near Kerry Center:
朝阳区光华路东里2号楼
Directions: This location can be a little hard to find. If you are driving west on Guang Hua Lu from the Third Ring Road (Dong San Huan), just after you pass the Kerry Center complex on your right, look left for the next small alley (they has been a lot of road construction so you may need to drive up further and U-turn around to turn down the alley now). Xiao Wang’s is about 50 meters down the alley. Some people refer to this as the China World location, as it can also be approached from the south on the same alley.
 Ritan Park location:
日坛公园内; Ritan Gongyuan Nei; Bei Tian Men dong ce
Inside Ritan Park, North Gate, towards the east
Chaoyang, near Jianguomen
Tel: 010-8561-7859/5985
$: Prices slightly higher than Kerry Center location; duck is 138rmb.
What we think
Their great duck roasting oven is showcased right at the entrance to Xiao Wang’s. While you might not go there just for the duck, it is a consistent and reliable accompaniment to a casual meal of jia chang favorites. The Kerry Center location has a homier Chinese family restaurant feel to it, whereas the Ritan Park location is more upscale and with a view over Ritan Park. On a summer or spring evening that isn’t too hot, the rooftop tree-shaded deck at the Ritan Park location is a marvelous place to eat al fresco. After your meal, you can walk it off in Ritan Park, which is one of Beijing's nicer spots.
清朝豆苗 qing chao dou miao: sauteed baby pea shoots
北京烤鸭 beijing kaoya: Peking Duck - you can order a half-duck here just like any other dish, so if you don't want or need the whole Peking Duck experience, this might be just the ticket.
水饺 shuijiao: steamed pork dumplings, served in plates of 12. Some might think it incongruous, but a few shuijiao, a half a duck and some pea shoots is a pretty tasty way to sate your hunger.
二锅头 erguotou: powerful, cheap baijiu, rice liquor. Comes in funny little medecine bottles; order one to see how real Beijing people like to accompany their jia chang cai!
Xiao Wang's also does many Sichuan favorites very well.
 三里屯南路59 号,
三里屯区
San li tun nan lu 59 hao
59 South Sanlitun Street
Sanlitun district
Tel : 010-6585 6245
$: Dinner for four, 148rmb
Directions: Head south from Gongti Beilu, away from the Sanlitun bar strip. The restaurant will be on your right/west side, across the street from Beer Mania and next to a slightly sketchy looking hole-in-the-wall place.
A good cheap and cheerful option if you find yourself in Sanlitun (a neighborhood with few Chinese characteristics or non-expat oriented restaurants) and wanting simple but good homestyle food. No frills, but reliable and packed with local Chinese most nights. If you are a bit more adventurous and want a super cheap meal, head next door to the little hole in the wall place for some dumplings, noodles or other simple fare eaten alongside off-shift security guards and migrant labor foremen. They know good, cheap food.
烧汁牛粒鲜蚕豆 shao zhi niu li xian can dou: beef with fava beans 
朝阳区,日坛公园东北角
Chaoyang qu, ri tan gong yuan dong bei jiao
Northeast corner of Ritan Park
Chaoyang
Hours: 11AM-2PM; 5-10PM
Tel: 010-8561-7643
$: Modest lunch for two, 150rmb; duck 198rmb including condiment set
www.xhyj.net
Though the cooking here is good, the prices reflect the proximity of the neighboring diplomatic compounds and heavily expat clientele. Although it is an upscale restaurant, it is often called the ‘hole in the wall’ place because the entrance is an actual hole in the wall, a traditional doorway through the Ritan Park wall. The menu boasts specialties of four regions: Sichuan, Shandong, Guangdong and Huaiyang/Shanghai. The kitchen seems to juggle all four, though the tastes
芝麻脆牛肉 zi ma cui niu rou: crispy beef with sesame |
