Good Eats in Beijing

Although it's been a mere 2 months since I moved to the Capital, it has been a fruitful eating season as we sought to uncover different genres and dining experiences. While not hawker centre cheap, prices are fairly reasonable (by Singapore standards) in view of the dining environment and quality. First up, some good old comfort food as we dug into burgers, pizzas and pork knuckles.

One of my favourite default places for a burger is Let's Burger or their sister outlet, Let's Seafood at Sanlitun, our convenient chill out place when we don't want to venture too far from home. Although we have attempted to be adventurous by trying their pastas, would suggest sticking to what they are best known for, hearty burgers and thick cut fries. Another plus for me is the variety of sauces that one can have with your calorie laden meal while chilli sauce (辣椒番茄酱) is readily available. In case you are wondering why this is worth celebrating, the chilli sauce (that we are used to) is not that accessible in China. So yes, this is a BIG deal for me.

All in all, it's Handburger at cheaper prices which I'm happy to return to whenever the burger craving hits. For Relish fans, you might find their burgers less gourmet.

Love their thick cut fries with spicy Mexican sauce while their deconstructed burger was slightly disconcerting (note to self, don't ask them to cut it up for you) and the seafood pasta was so-so at best.

Decided to opt for something Mexican which was OK but I was distracted by the blue cheese burger that was sitting at the counter. The cheese fries and onion rings were great tummy fillers although some might find the onion rings a tad too oily.

Was rather amused by the children and adults cooling down at the water fountain on a hot summer day. Even spied a few ang moh youths suntanning by the side. *amazed* 

In the spirit of hunting down noteworthy burgers, tried Fatboy (equivalent to Carl's Junior) one evening and I was shocked to pay S$20 for a set meal. While it was a substantial burger, couldn't quite justify (to myself) paying this price for a fast food setting:

Ed's quadruple stacked burger which he devoured rapidly...

Off and on, I  we would also have a craving for craft beers and bar food. After a very disappointing dinner at Paulaner's one evening, we stumbled upon this German restaurant (while I remember the location, can't seem to google the name) which offered a much much better experience. It was a satisfying meal and I would return for their pizzas and freshly brewed beer anytime.

Good enough German fare [from top-left, clockwise]: Black forest ham pizza, pork knuckle, honey roasted chicken wings and apple pie tasting dessert 

As a big fan of brunches, I have been trying to find a good replacement for House without much success to-date. However, if one is yearning for a hearty American breakfast, Chef Too, an award winning restaurant has a good spread while their steaks are apparently very good. Inevitably, we would end up here whenever we are in the mood for a substantial breakfast:

Just another idyllic Saturday [top-left, clockwise]: complementary cinnamon buns, Mexican cookout for Ed and a simple omelette for me. Finishing off with a humongous sundae... 

Lazy brunchers that we were, returned again to try their burger while the club sandwich was way too huge for me. While both items were decent, once again, not quite House.

As you can see, have been trying to do my bit for visitors by hunting down the goodies as well as faithfully uploading our foodie escapades in my Facebook album, 中国小吃. While a few followers have commented it appears to be more 小吃 than 中国, can I just say in my defence, Beijing is a really cosmopolitan city!

I promise though, more Asian to come...