Food culture blossoms in China

Tag : persian lamb

From al dente hand-pulled noodles splashed with bracing blackvinegar from Shanxi province in the north, to fingernail-sizedchicken pieces buried in a mountain of dried chilies from Sichuanin the southwest, to the rich, sweet braises of the east, there issomething to pique every palate. Don't forget the street food— handmade pork buns, candied fruit and egg, lettuce andcrisp fried dough rolled in a freshly made flour crepe, a Chineseburrito of sorts.
And that's just from within the country.
Sushi and sashimi? Ocean fresh. Persian grilled meats and stews? Inthe heart of the city. Fish and chips? Beer-batter or breadcrumbs,take your pick. Greek, Vietnamese, Italian, German, French,Ethiopian, Spanish, Singaporean, even kosher ... the list goes on.
"Simply put, we've gone from eating just to fill our stomachs tothe stage where we are open to the complete pleasures of the diningexperience," says Chitty Chung, editor-in-chief of Beijing's Food &Wine magazine.
That includes not only an awareness of a restaurant's environment,the chef's concepts, quality of service, the pairing of food andwine, and nutritional balance, but also a willingness try newthings, says Chung, who recommends Dadong Roast Duck Restaurant notonly for the namesake fowl, but also for its light modern twist ontraditionally heavy Shandong fare.
"People's eyes are opening up and they are becoming moreinternational. They are ready to accept and taste food from otherparts of the world," she says. "The choices are far beyond yourimagination."
So are the numbers.
There are more than 40,000 restaurants in Beijing, 90 percent ofwhich are privately run — a far cry from the few thousandstate-owned eateries that were found on the streets during theearly 1980s, says He Zhifu, secretary-general of the BeijingAssociation for Food and Beverage Industries.
They run the gamut from the simple (mom-and-pop dumpling place) tothe showy (the starkly modern Green T. House, where dishes aredecorated with curling tree branches, and the Whampoa Club, whereroast spring onion ice-cream can be enjoyed in a dining room thatsits beneath a massive glass goldfish pond) to the bizarre (Guo LiZhuang which serves the penises and testicles of various animals— dogs, yaks, ox — cooked in a variety of ways.)
And some of the tastiest — and most authentic —regional treats can be found in the restaurants affiliated to theprovincial government offices that have set up in the capital.
In all, Beijing's restaurants rake in more than US$4 billionannually and the revenues are still growing, a lucrative streakthat has boosted the street cred of the city's food scene and drawnbig names despite tainted product scares last year.
Chef Daniel Boulud — a cult favorite in New York who hasgrabbed headlines for his US$150 ground sirloin burger filled withshort ribs braised in red wine, foie gras and black truffles— has just set up shop in a compound that used to house theU.S. Embassy. Le Pre Lenotre, sister restaurant of the threeMichelin-star Le Pre Catelan in Paris, opened to great buzz in theSofitel Wanda Beijing.
The also-very-French Fauchon is peddling its gourmet treats in ahigh-end mall and Philippe Starck designed the trippy,down-the-rabbit-hole Lan club and restaurant. Last month, Zagat, aglobal dining guide with a fierce hold on the American market,launched its Beijing edition.
"Beijing has a concurrence of circumstance at present," saysMalcolm McLauchlan, general manager of 1949, The Hidden City, acluster of ambitious restaurants overlooking the shady courtyard ofa former factory.