Some say the best thing about visiting China is the chance to try unusual foods. Along with stinky tofu, fermented for months; some of the better known delicacies are sea cucumber with tentacles and feet; Thousand Year Old eggs, preserved for 100 days, and Bird’s Nest soup – the rendered home of the Swiftlet bird, which makes its nest from saliva.
Others say the worst thing about visiting China is the unusual food on offer. With language challenges, placing an order can be nerve-wracking and the results mysterious. One thing’s certain though – the passion the Chinese people have for food and the pleasure they experience when sharing it with others, always makes for a great vibe.
Out for a duck
When in Beijing, it’s mandatory to eat duck. It’s the city’s signature dish, lean duck is BIG and restaurants battle to serve the best. We dined at Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant in Dongcheng, the slick second edition restaurant of the famous Beijing institution.
The star of the show is roasted in ovens placed around a central stage, and half a dozen chefs prepare the prized offering in gourmet theatre style. We selected the banquet, and with 10 people working through 14 courses, our Lazy Susan was flat out coping.
The stewed pork ribs with green plum sauce were delicious and crunchy and the spicy Sichuan chicken, served in glasses, delivered the expected punch. Traditional Beijing snacks provided the surprise element – often sweet, they were served throughout the meal, but the deep fried sweet and sour Mandarin fish in the shape of a squirrel was a little overworked for Kiwi sensibilities.
Our duck arrived towards the end of our meal (too late for serious fans), and while it tasted fine, I thought the presentation disappointing. Tiny pieces of diced duck in a bird’s nest (hopefully not a Swiftlet’s), and roast duck rolled in rice paper DIY-style, for me, lacked gravitas. The presentation didn’t match the drama of the cooking and duck fans would be wise to order from the menu, where there were plenty of good options.
Beijing’s LAN Club – opened in 2006 in a commercial building as an exclusive club with global artistic taste – delivered on drama plus presentation. The seasoned, globe-trotting foodies we dined with were gob-smacked at the beauty and wit of the concept – and that was just the décor.
Designed by Frenchman Philippe Starck, there’s a restaurant, lounge, cigar bar, oyster bar, wine corridor, 35 VIP rooms, a banquet hall, French bistro and uber-opulent loos – all paying homage to opulence. The Chinese love Starck’s extravagant Baroque-style and while the food was amazing (for the price, it needs to be), the Club has celebrity status over individual chefs.
After five days in Beijing, the degustation menu boasting a fusion of the familiar (NZ lamb!), with the unusual, was welcomed by our challenged palates. The hot and sour soup served with Japanese squid egg inspired some fancy spoon work and the pan fried king prawns with long jing tea and kung pao sauce were divine.
Grilled codfish fillet with mushroom sauce went down well but the Beggars Chicken raised a few eye brows. Served in foil, this was a DIY concept (hence the Beggar bit), and accompanied with dishes of spices and nuts. Once we’d adjusted to the concept, playing with taste sensations was fun.
We nearly jumped on the New Zealand rack of lamb. Sliced and layered, tender and juicy, with glazed carrots and a tinge of mint, we were nearly home, and duck made an appearance – rolled in rice paper. We were sad to see the last dish rolled out – a sublime mango pudding formed in a fish jelly mold.
Finding our way out of the building at midnight was challenging and one in our party was lost for awhile. Not a bad place to go AWOL, we thought. www.lan-global.com
Shanghai delights
Shanghai’s Bund, along the Huangpu River, is a major cosmopolitan dining attraction. The higher the restaurants are located in the famous historic buildings, the better the view of the river and we kicked off our three-day League of Nations dining spree here at a Japanese restaurant. (Not advised – Japanese food is expensive here.)
Next night it was paella washed down with a smooth Aussie red in Xintiandi, another cosmo hot spot, and on our last night in town, we visited the French Concession. Pouring with rain, a small Greek Taverna looked warm and busy, so it was off to the Med.
Hong Kong update
Last stop Hong Kong where a peek at Felix, the award winning restaurant at The Peninsula, could have been on the cards, but clashed with our flight home. Japanese chef Yoshiharu Kaji recently joined The Pen to bring contemporary European dishes with Japanese flair to the well heeled diners on the 28th floor, blessed with another Philippe Starck interior.
With menus on iPads, the diners can select from US beef tenderloin with green tea sauce; Chalon duck breast with Szechuan pepper-teriyaki sauce or maybe the olive oil poached Tasmanian salmon with bottarga. Worth saving up and going back for, we reckoned. www.peninsula.com/Hong_Kong