2019-09-01_Lonely_Planet_Traveller

CUT

THIS

OUT

AND

TAKE

IT

WITH

YOU

WALKTHROUGH

HISTORY

TEAR OUT GUIDE

PHOTOGRAPH:

APHOTOSTORY/SHUTTERSTOCK. WITH

CONTRIBUTIONS

FROM:

DAVID

EIMER,

TRENT

HOLDEN

BEIJING IN NUMBERS

DATEOFBIRTH:

500,000

yearsago

whenthesouthernareaof

Beijingwasinhabitedby

‘PekingMan’.Its modern

history datesfrom1045 BC

SIZE:

1,600

squaremiles(city)

6,336

squaremiles(metroarea)

POPULATION:

21.4m (city)

21.5m (metroarea)

NUMBEROFUNESCO

SITESINTHECITY:

7

PERCENTAGEOF

POPULATIONWITHTHE

SURNAME‘WANG’:

11%

Eating in

Beijing

ESSENTIALS... Mid-range meal £5–£12 // Tips aren’t expected at restaurants, except in some top-end international places

CRESCENTMOON

MUSLIMRESTAURANT

16 DongsiLiutiaoHutong

Mountyourculinarycameland

traversetheSilkRoadsandsto

thissingularCentralAsianfood

fest.Grilledlambwithcuminand

chilli,bakedflatbreads,hearty

stewsandnoodlesaredishedup

byethnic-minorityUyghursfrom

Xinjiangin thefarwestof China.

To drink:Xinjiangtea,darkbeer,

wineor home-madeyoghurt.

DADONGROASTDUCK

5thfl JinbaoPlace,

88 JinbaoJie

UltramodernDadongsellsitself

onservingPekingduckwithall

theflavourof theclassicimperial

dish,butlessfat– theleanest

roastduckin thecapital.For

some,it’soverpricedandfarfrom

authentic.Forothers,it’sthebest

roastduckrestaurantin China.

Thereareninebranchesin

Beijing;thisis oneof themost

memorable, with its swish decor.

GOLDENPEACOCK

16 MinzuDaxueBeilu,

Weigongcun

Makesureyoutrythepineapple

riceandthetangydriedbeefat

thisunpretentiousandpopular

restaurant(gethereearlyor

reserve).It specialisesin the

cuisineof theDaipeople,an

ethnicminorityfromsouthwest

China,whouseflavouringssuch

as lemongrass,commonto

SoutheastAsia.Thericewineis

a fineaccompanimentto a meal.

LITTLEYUNNAN

28 Donghuangchenggen

Beijie

Perhapsit’sYunnan’sexotic

culinaryallusionsto Southeast

Asia,butthiscrossovercuisine

haslongbeenhelddearby

foreignfoodiesin China.Little

Yunnanplaysto thecrowdwith

light,aromaticdishes,a winelist,

anda relaxed,hutong-chicvibe

degreescloserto ‘datenight’

thanmostlocalplaces.

SHENGYONGXING

5 XindongLu

Setin a beautifullystyled

second-floordiningroom,

thiscontemporaryChinese

restaurantservesnigh-onperfect

Pekingduck,roastedat a higher

temperaturefora lessoilybite.

Upgradeto thefancyoptionfor

gourmetflourisheslikebronze

shardsof duckskincrownedwith

fishroe.Accompanyyourbird

withflawlesslyexecuted

Chinesefavourites,fromspicy

Sichuanstir-friesto crispy shrimp.

YUFUNAN

49 GongmenkouToutiao

Oneof thebestmodernChinese

diningexperiencesin the

capital, Yufunan is an insanely

stylishspicefest,servingthe

sweat-inducingfareof Hunan

provincein anall-white,

modernistspacesqueezed

betweenhutonghomes.Duo

lajiao– spicy,pickledchillis–

dominatealmosteverydish,with

salt,sourandspicelevels all

crankedupto 11.

ZHANGMAMA

76 JiaodaokouNandajie

TheoriginalZhangMama,on

nearbyFensitingHutong,was

sucha hitthatyouhadto wait

upto anhourfora table.At this

newer,biggerbranch,they’ve

morethanhalvedthewait,and

it’sworthit. ThismustbeBeijing’s

best-valueSichuanrestaurant.

Thespecialityis malaxianggua,

a fiery,chilli-lacedwitch’s

brewof eitherchicken,prawns

or ribswitha varietyof tasty

vegetablesin themix.

GREATLEAPBREWING#45

greatleapbrewing.com

Raisea flagonof Beijing’s

originalandbestcraftbeerat

thisindustrial-styledplace.

A chalkboardliststhebeerstyles

ontap,bestpairedwithfabulous

NewYork-stylepizza,available

bytheslice.Also,checkoutthe

amplecheeseburger(double

beef,doublecheese),which

hasbecomea minorBeijing

celebrity.If theweather’sgood,

seekoutthepetite, little-used

roof terrace.

Beijingis a magnificentplace

forallsortsof adventures

• includingculinaryones.
  Withupwardsof 60,000
  restaurantshere,youcantry
  thefinestlocaldishes,aswell
  aseatingyourwaythrough
  every region of China.

Astreet

vendor

specialising

in pork tripe

Good-value

Sichuan eats

Thecapital’stoppurveyor

of historytoursin English,

BeijingPostcardshostswalks

andtalksledbyDanish

co-founderLars.‘Beginner’s

Guideto theForbiddenCity’

walksstartat theirgalleryon

a hutong(old-stylelane)in

Dashilar(bjpostcards.com).