Description:
Wangfujing Snack Street.. Peking Duck.. Japanese Cravings.. Best Pizza in Town?..
Contents:
Wangfujing Snack Street
Wangfujing Snack Street should be near the top of the to-do list of every food lover who visits Beijing. This narrow alleyway tucked off to the side of Wangfujing Dajie, Beijing’s main shopping thoroughfare, is bustling with hungry visitors elbowing their way through the crowds to check out the goodies on offer at the various street stalls.
Having missed lunch due to over-enthusiastic sightseeing, we dove straight into the masses and joined the search for something edible within. I say this because we passed an awful lot of stalls displaying what some (including yours truly) would be hard pushed to consider food:
I’m ashamed to say we avoided the bugs, grubs, scorpions and starfish and lamely opted for lamb on a stick… although it was very tasty…
A bit further on we tracked down a few more normal-looking items – freshly roasted sweetcorn
Chinese-style chicken doner kebab
And then came across this intriguing stall – where they were freshly preparing little balls in tins loaded with batter, cabbage and octopus, before firing them in the oven and then roasting them over hot coals. I have since discovered that this is Takoyaki, a popular Japanese snack, but it was new to us.
So we joined the queue and took delivery of our hot and sticky octopus balls – they even came in a fancy box… and these guys have their own website – not quite scorpion on a stick, but pretty tasty anyway.
We finished up with some Toffeed Capulin Cherries on a stick, as they seemed to be so popular with everyone else on the street,
before we elbowed our way back out of the throng and continued with our sightseeing.
Peking Duck
We’re just back from a 2 ½ week eating extravaganza around Beijing, Tokyo and Kyoto. We started off in Beijing, where we obviously had to kick off the holiday with some Peking Duck. Da Dong Restaurant is probably the most famous duck restaurant in Beijing, so we of course made that our first stop.
As far as I know, there are three branches of Da Dong Restaurant in Beijing. We opted for the one in Chaoyang as it was within walking distance from our hotel. If you fancy trying it but aren’t staying in the area – it’s right next to Gongtibeilu subway station, so it’s easy to get to.
They don’t take reservations after 6.30pm, so we had to join a queue. It was about a 40 minute wait, but those folk at Da Dong know how to keep their customers happy – we had a comfy seat in the windowed corridor with views out over the street and, more importantly, free drinks (soft drinks, tea and boxed wine) while we waited.
We were fairly famished by the time we were shown to our table and were eager to get immediately stuck into the duck. We ordered half a duck, but were soon distracted by the enormous menu full of other enticing goodies. As it was our first night, we were slightly over excited and, as usual, ordered a tableful of food for just the two of us.
We ended up with Prawns with a Spicy Sauce, which were sweet, spicy, sticky and scrumptious
Australian veal with shallots
And of course some vegetables for good measure.
The duck actually arrived last – presumably as it is the most ordered item on the menu, we had to wait in line. The chef carving our duck introduced himself to us and allowed us to inspect the bird before he set about dissecting it in front of us.
This he did deftly and quickly and the succulent slices were soon set out in front of us, together with the usual accompanying paraphernalia – pancakes, various sauces, and sliced radish, cucumber and spring onion.
It was delicious – well worth the wait and thankfully lived up to our expectations. What exceeded our expectations however, was the quality of the other dishes on the table, in particular those sticky sweet prawns – they were truly fantastic and presented beautifully.
If you do happen to find yourself in Beijing with a duck craving – I’d say you could do far worse than head to Da Dong.
Japanese Cravings
We’re heading to Tokyo and Kyoto in a couple of weeks and so I have been busy reading all the guide books recently. Predictably, the pages I have been concentrating on most are the Food & Drink ones, and as a consequence I have been craving Japanese food like you wouldn’t believe. Thankfully this afternoon, my craving was finally fulfilled during a very satisfying lunch with the girls at Sun with Moon at Wheelock.
One of the girls was running late, so the three of us who were there decided to order a few nibbles while we were waiting. Being a greedy bunch, the nibbles turned out to be rather larger than necessary, but they were all so fantastic, we were glad that we did.
We kicked off with some sushi rolls: Salmon Pink Dragon Rolls (crab and avocado topped with salmon),
and some California Rolls.
And then dug into some Yakiniku – sautéed sliced beef with raw egg, on a bowl of rice. As a secret fan of Yoshinoya’s beef bowls, I was delighted with this – a posher, more flavoursome version and completely delicious.
Once our friend joined us we then ordered some main courses – a Sushi Mori Combo, comprising Tuna, Salmon, Yellow Tail, Cooked Prawn, Grilled Eel, California Rolla and Japanese Omelette; and a Sushi Roll Combo, comprising Soft Shell Crab rolls, California rolls, Diced Grilled Eel rolls and Japanese Omelette.
As sets, these were served with a beautiful Miso Soup, Chawanmushi (a kind of savoury egg custard with chicken) and a choice of side dishes – we opted for the Hokkaido Miso Mini Ramen, which was so delicious we were fighting over the last few mouthfuls.
As if this weren’t enough we also added on a couple more side dishes, justifying this with the fact that we had just shared two main courses between three (and ignoring that we has already shared a few extras beforehand) – some Pork Gyoza
and a Satsuma Age (fish cake).
I’m sure you must be thinking what a completely gluttonous group of girls we are – and you’d be right! But we were also a completely satisfied group of girls when we left Sun with Moon, and will be looking forward to coming back again soon.
Sun with Moon, #03-15 Wheelock Place - http://www.sfbi.com.sg/index_e.html
Best Pizza in Town?
I have often bemoaned the fact that you can’t get a good pizza in Singapore. In fact the situation had become so drastic that I had even resorted to home-cooking pizza in place of picking up the phone and ordering it in (thanks Jamie Oliver!).
All this has changed however, with the discovery of Bella Pizza on Robertson Quay. This homely little place is always packed, no matter what day of the week (except Monday when it’s closed) – and predominantly with Italians… surely a good sign of the authenticity of the cuisine. The staff are super-friendly – from the waiters who wave to me when I walk past (although that’s perhaps a sign that I need to eat less pizza…), to the chef, Antonio, who will sit down at your table to ask you how your day was, and force feed you Limoncello after your meal.
And then there is the pizza – thin crusted, generously topped and perfectly baked… for me this is simply the best pizza in Singapore. The enormous calzone are always a hit with the greedy guys in the group too.
Not that you need them, but if you’re super-greedy like us, their starters are pretty good too – we checked out the Mozzarella di Buffala wrapped in Parma Ham,
and the Melanzane alla Parmigiana which was just outstanding (although don’t expect to eat this as a starter on your own AND manage a pizza).
I’m kind of reluctant to keep singing Bella Pizza’s praises as it’s always a push to get a table at the weekend as it is – but here are another couple of reasons to go there: they do a decent house wine at just $40 a bottle, and a 3-course set lunch menu for just $18.
There… now everyone’s going to want to go and I’ll never get a table again...
Bella Pizza, Robertson Quay - http://www.bellapizza.com.sg/
Still My Favourite Curry Place
I’ve written about Khansama before, but I was there again last week (I often am) and I have still yet to find anywhere to beat it, so I thought it was time to give it another plug. Located up a narrow staircase in the middle of Serangoon Road, this little gem continually churns out fantastic-tasting, great value curries.
It has the most comprehensive menu I have ever come across, and yet every dish that comes out of that kitchen has its own unique flavour. The starter section is longer than most restaurants entire menus, but we seem to have managed to make our way through most of it now – and perennial favourites include the Mixed Tikka starter – large cubes of succulent chicken which have been marinated in a variety of flavours; the Paneer Pakora – squares of paneer stuffed with a chilli paste and lightly deep-fried; and their oh-so-good Onion Bhajis.
For meat lovers, you can’t go wrong with a Mutton Lababdar with its creamy tomato gravy, or everyone’s favourite – Chicken Tikka Masala. If you’re not so good with spice then order yourself the mild Kashmiri Fish Curry plied with plenty of raisins and dried fruit.
Veggies won’t be disappointed here either – the Gobi Manchurian – cauliflower in a spicy sweet and sour sauce should not be missed, nor should the Bindi Masala – okra cooked with tomatoes and spices.
Oh and while you’re at it, make sure to try out their fantastic Tadka Dal, some Garlic Naan and a side order of Cucumber Raita. Yep – you’ve got yourself a feast!
The prices at Khansama have certainly crept up over the past couple of years – gone are the days when we could order anything we liked and still only spend $20 per head. But having said that, during our latest visit we completely over-ordered (as usual) and managed to sink a fair few jugs of Tiger and it was still under $35 per head, so it’s still offers outstanding value for money.
If you’ve not been – do yourself a favour and get down there now… just save a table for me!
Khansama – 166 Serangoon Road – www.khansama.net
Lunch in a Church
The White Rabbit opened up in Dempsey just over a year ago to mixed reviews – diners offered differing opinions about the quality of the food, everyone seemed to agree that the service could be improved… but on the plus side nobody denied that the restaurant had found itself a stunning and unique location.
I wasn’t surprised by the negative press this new restaurant was receiving – this seems to be fairly standard in Singapore. In a city where service can be trying at the best of times, new establishments seem to need a few months to bed themselves down.
A year in and the reviews are definitely improving, so I gathered the girls together and suggested we try out the White Rabbit’s good value set-lunch menu ($30 for two courses, $38 for three).
First things first – the setting is fabulous, and definitely unique in Singapore. The beautifully-restored old chapel’s lofty ceilings and stain-glassed windows provide a bright and airy atmosphere perfect for lunch and, I imagine, a cosy and romantic setting for dinner.
The set menu offers a choice of six starters, and six main courses – with diners able to choose from the exceedingly tempting a la carte dessert menu for a mere extra $8.00. I kicked off with the Salad Printemps – a spring salad of asparagus, mangoes and tomatoes which was perfectly acceptable, but nothing to get too excited about.
For mains I chose the Pan Fried Red Snapper, served with shaved fennel and sauce vierge which was beautifully cooked – the fennel providing a contrasting crunch, and the sauce vierge the right amount of sharpness.
But where the White Rabbit really comes into its own is the desserts. Rather predictably I opted for the Molten Chocolate Cake. While the molten chocolate could have been more, well – molten, all was forgiven as it was served with a fabulous passionfruit sorbet (which my 9 month-old lunch partner was rather partial too also). The White Rabbit Crème Brulee, served with summer berries also got the thumbs up.
But the prize had to go to the Crepes Suzette – flambéed with Grand Marnier at your tableside.
These were so good that one mouthful of our friend’s dessert and we ordered an extra one to share amongst the table.
So thankfully the White Rabbit appears to have overcome its supposed teething problems. The service was attentive (although the restaurant was barely half full so it shouldn’t have been too difficult), and whilst the food wasn’t going to get any of us over-excited, it was well cooked and presented and made for an exceedingly enjoyable lunch. Its selling point however still remains its location – whether you’re planning a business lunch, a convivial dinner with friends or a romantic meal for two, it certainly ticks all the boxes.
Home
|
