2 weeks in Beijing: part 2 featuring local cuisines

It's my day off today and I wanted to go to the gym and chill for the day.. but I was woken by the worst stomach pain this morning T^T I have been having frequent gastric pain since a long time ago but i have never bothered to go see the doctor about it. I guess i have accepted it to be something normal for me. But today's pain was unbearable, so my brother and his girlfriend had to take me to the doctor.

It turned out to be a gastro-oesophageal reflux.. hopefully the medicine will help. The doctor also recommended that i do a gastroscopy.. *sigh* I feel like a cold is oncoming as well.. How depressing? I also have to start doing an assignment that is due next tuesday.. pfffffff

anyways, since i am at home and trying to get some rest, i thought i would upload part 2 of the 2 weeks in beijing photos, which are all the nice yummy food that i have had in the 2 weeks that i was there. 

First, it's a taiwanese (i think)? tea house called 一茶一座.. which translates to one tea one seat.. we went back there quite a few times.. there is just something comforting and safe about a chain restaurant instead of the small local restaurants. afterall, i am a tourist.

I loved this shaved ice dish. there were tapioca pearls, red beans, jobs tear, peanuts and lots of other condiments, with a black sugar syrup. We went back many times for this but they were always out of ice. 

pomelo green tea. so cooling on a hot summer day.

Iced tea. This was after our 40 degrees celsius trip to the great wall so we were so thirsty and burned and this tea was so so satisfying~~

Next, we had our University alumni dinner at this apparently very famous restaurant called 1949. I loved it!! well.. i have to say, some of the dishes were amazing, but some were just rather average. But it was definitely one the nicer meals in Beijing for me. I did not take too many photos but i do think that the highlight was the Peking duck.

the dipping sauce that was supposed to be swirled like this.

But my sauce failed. Maybe the waitress is not too happy with me for not paying her much attention.

something special... they also served these little buns with the duck, which is a superior textural combination if you ask me.

The next place is a japanese restaurant chain from Hong Kong called Itacho sushi. There is one main reason why I love this place.

Yeap. it is their foie gras sushi: that was only 18 yuan!! Less than 4 aussie dollars ♥ 

Pictured above was the first time i have ever had foie gras. I am in love!!

well.. i obviously went back for more

They also have a joint udon restaurant and they serve really yummy udon. The udon noodles were very bouncy (which is called Q in chinese dialect) and they have so many different flavours. WE tried the curry pork chop, pork bone soup, mentaiko cream and one other that i don't remember. They were all so good!!!

Next, this is probably one of the few local restaurants that we really liked. The name is called "ming fu ju" i remember how to say the name but i don't remember the words for it >__< but it was close to our hotel and was recommended by our supervisor..

This is one of our favourite dishes hands down. Braised vegies in clear broth with prawns. The vegies absorbed all the flavours of the broth, and the prawns were so crunchy and fresh. loved this dish.

this is a stir fried lamb dish. I was not feeling well that day (one of our visits) that i didnt eat too much of this, but i really liked this dish. so fragrant and full of flavours. perfect with a bowl of rice or with a cold beer!!

This dish, potstickers, we ordered twice. there was no meat in them like ordinary potstickers. there were only scallion and eggs, but it was so yummy. The crispiness of the dough and the flavours and juiciness of the filling. loves~~

This next dish was also one of my personal favourites!!! roast lamb served with different sauces and flat bread. the lamb was so tender and full of flavour. the sauce complemented the lamb so well and all wrapped together with spring onion and cucumber in the flat bread~~ it was amazing!!!

last but not least, what would a trip to beijing be without the famous Peking duck.

we tried two versions of the dish. This was the normal set, which comes with meat, skin and condiments, as well as flat bread to wrap it in. We asked them to make a soup out of the remaining duck but we never got that, but we were too full to mind anyways.. it was good Peking duck, the duck was cooked very well but it was a little oily. 

the next time we went back, we tried the deluxe set.

it was a lot more intricate, they separated the skin of different parts of the duck, with all the fat rendered out of the skin. it was so crispy and melt in your mouth, yet not oily at all.

The crispy skin from a different part of the duck, they told us to dip it into sugar....... which is too weird for me. 

unbelievably tender and juicy duck meat. 

Duck meat with skin to be wrapped in flat bread.

all in all, i think that the deluxe set was hands down the winner. Plus it was only marginally more expensive so i think it was totally worth it.

that was it so far. hope you enjoy it~~~ will update again soon hopefully, if i take some more photos and have things to blog about. 

Until next time ♥