Beijing is a beautiful city. These photos were taken at Beihai Park within the Imperial City.
Browsing through Wangfujing Snack
Street was an interesting experience.
There are all kinds of wonderful and
exotic things such as fried bugs, insects and star fish. Anything take your fancy?
You can even buy a packet of pre-packed Peking Duck to take home if your country's custom permits.
A trip to Beijing is not complete until you
try at least one Peking Duck and by that I mean the real thing. A short walk from the markets and we arrived at our next dining destination.
Siji Minfu Restaurant is located in Dengshikou and is rated by many as having the best Peking Duck in Beijing.
It’s busy and crowded with
locals, foreigners and tourists. There were people waiting inside and outside.
One takes a ticket and then waits for a table.
We expected to wait an hour but time ticked by and it approached two hours, then we lost track of time afterwards. Our hungry
bellies were no longer as hungry as we got sick of waiting. But how could one
leave after waiting so long already. We were awfully tired from the day tour
but one must persevere for good food or so we hoped.
They have an extensive menu but
their specialty is the traditional Peking Duck. The menu is in English and
Chinese which makes ordering relatively simple even though the waiters speak
minimal English. All items are affordable and won’t break your wallet.
A complimentary serving of ‘Jujubes
(Chinese Dates)’ arrives at the table first as an appetizer on a bed of dry ice.
The fruit is crunchy and sweet.
This restaurant offers a half size or full size duck. We opted for the 'Half Size Peking Duck (RMB 108.00)'.
The skin is glossy, thinner and crispier than Quanjude. I much preferred the texture of the duck here as there was no greasy or oily aftertaste.
The plate of duck is placed on top of a candle heating element so the meat doesn’t go cold.
Paper thin ‘Pancakes (RMB 6.00)’ are steamed in a basket.
There is a variety of ‘Condiments (RMB 5.00)’ on offer such as ginger, garlic paste and sugar.
The duck is curved table side and then a
demonstration is given by the waiter on the technique used to wrap a pancake.
A light and milky 'Duck Soup' is a nice palate cleaner.
‘Kung Pao Chicken (RMB 39.00)’ was
unfortunately disappointing. A Sichuan spicy stir fry dish consisting of chicken, onions and peppercorns. I
found the sauce used overpowering and it just didn't have that wow factor.
We also ordered a plate of ‘Poached Kai-lan
(RMB 36.00)' as we were craving some greens.
While the food was decent and the duck was delicious, we found that the
waiting time outweighed this and made the experience not so enjoyable. I
recommend going before 6pm to avoid the nasty long waits or be prepared to wait
a long time.
Where?
32 Dengshikou W St,
Dongcheng Qu
Beijing Shi
China 100006
Phone no: +86 10 6513 5141
Opening Hours
7 Days a Week
10:30am – 10:30pm
Website
http://www.sjmfky.com/
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