Southwest Chinese dishes:
South Silk Road
This restaurant is decorated in a modern style, in line with that of the owner, Fang Lijun, a Chinese cynical realistic painter. The stairs leading to the second floor are made of glass and metal, creating a surrealistic effect.
One of the Yunnan style dishes is the "frog skin", made from tree bark lichen. It is crisp and freshly fragrant. The place is also frequented by artists and people in the entertainment field. There are plenty of modern art books for sale.
Recommended dishes: Zhongdian yak hot pot, Wuchang fish with Yunnan sauce.
11:30am-11:30pm. 12-13, A19 Lotus Market, Qianhai Xiyan, Shichahai, Xicheng District. 6615-5515.
Dali Courtyard
The business card of this restaurant is made in the form of a train ticket. The restaurant is adapted from a courtyard house, with an open-air yard and separated dining areas in four directions, each decorated in a different style.
The owner is the chef and the dishes are adapted Yunnan and Guizhou styles, which are delicate and tasty. Dali god's crab, for example, is placed on a banana leaf with rich flavors of mint, fresh chili and cilantro.
The place does not have a menu. It cooks according to the number of guests. The dishes change everyday. Recommended eats are the roasted spring chicken on charcoal and the oil-spray sea bass.
11:30am-2pm, 6:30-11pm. 67 Xiaojingchang Hutong, Gulou Dongdajie, Dongcheng District. 8404-1430.
Sifangjie Yunnan Restaurant
The dishes here include traditional foods from different ethnic minorities in Yunnan. The most typical Yunnan dishes steamed chicken in a porcelain pot () and cross-bridge rice noodles () are authentic and tasty. There are also a number of original choices, such as dishes made from flowers, fungus, fruits and vegetables, lake fish and beef and mutton from the mountains. The restaurant's various fungus dishes are also worth trying, an example being tiger claw fungus with flattened bean curd.
10am-10pm. A16 Ancient barn groups, Nanxincang International Mansion, 22 Dongsi Shitiao, Dongcheng District. 6409-6400.
Yuelu Shanwu, Gongti branch
Offering Hunan cuisine, this restaurant is elegantly decorated. The traditional steamed fish head with preserved chili is tender, with the chili from Hunan, both fresh and nicely spicy. Other dishes to try include soft-shelled baby turtle, and mashed eggplant.
10am-2:30pm, 4:30pm-3am. 100 meters inside the lane opposite Bellagio, Gongti Xilu, Chaoyang District. 6551-0806.
Southeast Asia
Lau Pa Sat
This Singaporean restaurant offers a combination of South Chinese, Malaysian and Indian dishes.
The signature dishes are Laksa and curry chicken.
11am-11pm. 1/F Business Building, Xingfu Ercun, Chaoyang District. 6417-0952.
French
La Mansarde
Known for its good Breton crepes and galettes in a very French setting.
11am-2pm, 6-10:30pm. 29 Haoyun Jie, Zaoying Lu, Chaoyang District. 5867-0255.
Firstar
Candle-lit dinner with piano playing in a romantic modern setting.
11am-1am, 18 Xiaoyun Lu, Chaoyang District. 6460-1981.
Shanghai/Hangzhou cuisine
Mei Mansion
Set in a courtyard house, the food and decor here is reminiscent of Mei Lanfang, Chinese Peking Opera master of the 1930s. You don't have to order as meals are arranged by the chef according to the season.
10:30am-2:30pm, 5-10pm. 24 Daxiangfeng Hutong, Xicheng District. 6612-6847.
Xinjishi
This restaurant offers classic Shanghai and new style dishes that concentrate on fresh ingredients, moderate and original tastes.
11am-2pm, 4:30-9:30pm. 1-1 Beifengwo Lu, Haidian District. 5184-9999.
Diaotai Restaurant
The owner intends to bring the picturesque views of Tonglu, a popular tourist destination in Hangzhou, to his restaurant. The chef from Tonglu cooks up authentic Zhejiang cuisine. Two examples are hand-shelled dragon well shrimps, and dry-fried bean curd peel.
10am-midnight. To the southwest of Yuyang Hotel, Xinyuan Xili, Chaoyang District. 6466-9599.
Korean restaurants
Songluyuan
Authentic Korean food cooked up by a Korean chef. Marinated beef with bone, seaweed soup and chicken soup with ginseng are good choices.
11am-2:30pm, 5-10pm. North gate, Aricultural Exhibition Center, 16 North Eastern Third Ring Road, Chaoyang District. 6503-4258.
Aijiangshan
This elegantly decorated Korean restaurant offers barbequed meat, as well as a variety of hot pot choices.
11am-10:30pm. North gate of Side Park, Jiangtai Xilu, Chaoyang District. 8456-9336.
American
One East on Third
Seasonal American dishes in a warming American style atmosphere.
Noon-2pm (Mon-Fri), 6-10:30pm (Mon-Sun). 2/F Hilton Beijing, 1 Dongfang Lu, North Eastern Third Ring Road, Chaoyang District. 5865-5000 ext 5030.
Fusion
The Olive
Spacious and brightly lit, this restaurant offers European foods with an emphasis to original tastes and ingredients.
9:30am-11pm. 17 Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District. 6417-9669.
Rain Club
This place tailor-makes Chinese dishes, but also offers a Western grill on the second floor.
10am-2pm, 5pm-9:30pm; 9:30pm-2am as a bar. Southwest corner of Nanxincang International Mansion, 22 Dongsi Shitiao, Dongcheng District.
Japanese restaurants
Muhe Teppanyaki
The chefs here cook up seafood, meat and vegetables cooked with an entertaining show of cooking skills. The walls display a collection of the owner's artworks.
11am-2pm, 5-10pm. 25-26, 1/F A block, Wangjing International Business Center, 9 Wangjing Jie, Chaoyang District. 5920-3200.
(China Daily 02/07/2007 page8)
