Trip Down Memory Lane

It has been a trip down memory lane on 2 fronts: dining expeditions and belated blogging.

Of late, I have been re-visiting places that were part of my early initiation into Beijing's dining scene. Perhaps it was a case of too much of a good thing or the early euphoria had worn off.  I very quickly moved on to other (new) gastronomic pursuits and only recently had the opportunity to re-visit these old favourites:

• Let's Burger: an earlier preferred place for comfort food like burgers and fries which I had discovered during my very first trip to Beijing. While it continues to rank high in terms of nostalgic value, I have since had better burgers in this city. 
• Baoyuan Dumplings (宝源饺子屋): a great place for dumplings with more fillings than one can imagine and at very reasonable prices too.
• Black Sesame Kitchen: offers private dining focussed on sichuan home cooking. While I do enjoy their 家常便饭, I somehow always feel that the experience isn't quite worth the price tag. In any case, it remains a great option for friends who are visiting in Beijing as it offers a nice ambience, friendly service and an above average meal. Absolutely love their pork and pumpkin pan fried dumplings as well as the black sesame ice cream with caramelized bananas. 

Let's Burger: as you can tell we went alittle over the top when it came to the complementary sauces for our cheese and fries.  

Baoyuan Dumplings: eating multi-coloured dumplings never fail to make me happy while I discovered a new dish, fried honey chicken which suited my need for salty and sweet. 

Located along Nanluoguxiang, walking to Black Sesame Kitchen is an experience in itself. 

Feast at Black Sesame Kitchen [from top-left, clockwise]:  pork and pumpkin pan fried dumplings, beef and black bean stir fry, five flavoured eggplant, garlic stir fried snow peas, red braised pork belly.

Continuing with [from top-right, clockwise]: Chongqing spicy chicken, candied bananas and black sesame ice cream, garlic stems and shredded pork

While it was always nice to visit these old haunts, it was the company that mattered more and the conversations we had, the laughter shared were the highlight of my meals.

In terms of belated blogging, made an effort to complete my updates on the challenge of making friends and my cheongsam adventure. It might have been challenging trying to recall what I had wanted to say or even remembering some of these earlier experiences. Nevertheless, it was good for me to re-visit these memories.