(cityweekend.com.cn)
Updated: 2008-02-27 15:17

In a recent awards ceremony, Dianping.com, the largest restaurant rating site in China with 700,000 users in Beijing alone, selected ten of Beijing’s best "foreign restaurants," according to their users. The restaurants on the list aren't all what your average expat would consider a “greatest hits” lineup: Banana Leaf comes in first, followed by Moscow Restaurant, Hannashan Korean BBQ, Matsuko, Kiev, Tasty Steak, Wangpin Steakhouse, Grandma’s Kitchen, Very Siamand Cat Eye Pizza. So why the disparity between the local and expat perspective?

We called up Li Xue, Senior P.R. Manager of Dianping.com seeking answers. “A foreign restaurant has to find the balance between being authentic and compromising for the local stomachs. People want authentic cuisine but their stomachs can only handle limited amount of change.” What are the other popular western restaurants that didn’t make the list doing wrong? “Don’t ask me,” says Li, “go see what our users are saying.”

So we logged on to find out what the local Beijingers think about expats’ favorites. “No Chinese on the menu,” “Even the waiting staff can’t read the menu or explain,” “No blood in meat please,” “Should I put my pizza on the table or my table on the pizza?” ...Are Chinese diners really that hard to satisfy?

We called up Shi Lei, manager of Tasty Steak, for some tips. “The thing is,” says Shi, “Chinese people don't naturally crave steaks. For them satisfaction is about a fresh and trendy dining experience rather than bolting down a piece of meat. We offer modern and hip environments and set menus that are easy to order for someone who isn't familiar with western food.”

Despite all the difficulties, some expats’ favorites are reaching out. “We really want to get Chinese people in Alameda. They are good customers,” says manager Daniel Aldana, “Currently we don’t have Chinese on the menu because we change it every other day. We are training the waiting staff to explain the menu and we are hiring a company to be in charge of promoting Alameda among the local population.” As foreign restaurateurs are reaching out, so are Chinese gourmets. Gabi Alves, proprieter of SALT, told us: “I have been approached by Chinese dining critics with local radio and magazines asking me to introduce SALT to their audience. And I am happy to do that. Also they give very good advice on attracting more Chinese people into my restaurant.”

Both Western and Chinese-run restaurants are working on cooking up the right recipe for success. At this point, the main missing ingredient is more time.