Unknown Chapter - Christchurch Central - Christchurch, New Zealand.

New Zealand was never really on my bucket list as I believed it shared so much resemblance to Australia. My initial thoughts were why go to a country that was so alike when I could go overseas to another country for an entire different cultural experience. I was proved entirely wrong in this case and my speculation went out the window. That's what I love about travelling, it opens your eyes and mind.

Driving from Christchurch to Queenstown just showed how beautiful the country was and how everything looked like it came from a photo in a book. 

Touching down in Christchurch after a short 3 hour flight from Sydney, we made our way to our rental car provider. Travelling in the south islands of New Zealand  is best done via driving as public transport is not widely available and taking a tour every day is probably not viable. 

A short drive to the city centre and we were in Christchurch Central. After the major earthquake they had back in 2011, the city was left badly damaged and till today they are still rebuilding the city. I hear it’s very different to how it used to be back before the earthquake. This is the remains of the famous church. 

The town is relatively quiet on a weekend with not much people in sight. However, there are people around, just not as much as there are on weekdays. There is definitely no shortage of cafes and restaurants to choose from in this city though. 

Our first lunch in Christchurch was probably my favourite meal of the entire trip. The café was right behind the hotel, having only opened less than a few months ago. We didn’t want to go too far given it was already too late into the afternoon and was approaching dinner time.

Unknown Chapter is a coffee roaster who brews their coffee on site.  The space is airy and filled with plenty of natural light from the floor to ceilings glass windows.

Lunch service was closed so we decided to have a light meal from their display cabinets. 

The freshly baked goodies and desserts on display looked delicious but I held myself back and stuck with a savory option to save stomach space for dinner. 

The 'spicy sausage roll' was served on a plate with a small side salad and their own home made tomato relish. A huge sausage roll that was much bigger than the frozen ones I’m accustomed to. The layers of pastry were flaky and buttery. The meat was moist and well seasoned with a light spicy kick.  Just so delicious especially eaten with their tomato relish which was also one of the best I’ve tried out of this trip.

The ‘American sandwich’ containing corned beef, cheese and pickles encased in a toasted bread was pretty awesome too in terms of flavour and tastiness. 

As their coffee beans are freshly roasted on premises it does make a difference.  The 'cappuccino' is strong but smooth and packs a punch. It is much more bitter than the coffee we get back in Sydney and a cup will definitely wake you up.

A spacious and relaxing cafe in the CBD that’s not too crowded with a decent menu on offer for breakfast and lunch. If only we had so much time we could just sit there and watch the world go by. 

Where?

254 Saint Asaph St

Christchurch Central 8011

New Zealand

Phone no: 027 201 5996

Opening Hours

Daily

6:30am – 5:00pm

Website

www.unknownchaptercoffee.co.nz

Siji Minfu Restaurant 四季民福 - Dongcheng - Beijing, China

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/

Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant 全聚德 - Qianmen - Beijing, China

Continuing on with the China travel posts, we now move onto the city of Beijing. The city I have wanted to visit since I was a child.  Beijing is the capital city of China and a highly populated city behind Shanghai. It retains a lot of the old and ancient architecture whilst also combining the new and modern.

We stayed here for a total of five days.  Visiting the tourist sites was part of our agenda which included places such as the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and The Great Wall of China to name a few. 

A city so rich in culture it’s fascinating to be able to witness this in a span of a week. Seeing the Great Wall of China was beyond my imagination. The sheer size and scale of it cannot just be observed in pictures. It’s part of the Seven Wonders of the World for a reason and if you haven’t been, do attempt to make a visit to this historical site. 

When one asks what to eat in Beijing, the answer would usually be along the lines of Peking duck. It originates from Beijing and is the one thing that must be eaten when one is in town. There are an abundance of restaurants to choose from and choosing one might be quite a challenge. From my research, these three places including ‘Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant’, ‘Li Qun Roast Duck Restaurant’ and ‘Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant’ have rated highly on a number of lists.  

The Chinese people and even tourists are willing to queue for good food. If there is a queue at the front of a restaurant, that says a lot.

So on a wet and miserable night, we braved the rain and lined up for Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant.

There is the restaurant on one side and there is an express restaurant on the other which serves only the Peking Duck and side dishes. We joined the line for the express and waited for about 15 minutes before getting a table.

It’s one of the oldest establishments, having opened since 1864.  There are multiple branches across China with the original branch being located in Qianmen. With a history of over 150 years, it’s sure to be awesome right? Each duck is roasted in ovens fired by fruit tree wood which gives it a unique fragrance and taste.

It’s bright, noisy, loud and crowded inside. A casual restaurant that is by no means formal which is what we like. You get the local dining experience.

We queued up for the express restaurant. The menu is in both English and Chinese. The waiter could not speak English but we managed to point at what we wanted and got what we wanted despite the language barrier.

The ‘Pickled Cucumber’ is a cold side dish with hints of vinegar. I didn’t really like this as the sourness was too much for me but it’s a nice balance to the duck to be consumed later on.

We ordered the ‘Whole Peking Duck’. Each duck is carved near the table and one can observe the technique used to slice the thing layers of that crispy skin and meat. The waiter points at the duck carver and I quickly rush to catch a photo opportunity. 

Four generous plates of meat with skin arrive at the table. 

The skin is glistening, slightly fatty and crispy. One bite and the skin melted in the mouth. The meat is juicy and flavoursome. Oh so good!

A stack of paper thin pancakes that's not too doughy and just the right thickness. 

Shallots and hoisin sauce.

This is wrapped together inside the pancakes. 

They also provide a constant flow of duck soup, a refreshing contrast to the otherwise heavy meal. We probably needed a serving of vegetables to balance out the meatiness.

We enjoyed our first Peking Duck experience in Beijing. It met our expectations of what an authentic Peking Duck constitutes. I do recommend this restaurant if you are looking to have decent Peking Duck at reasonable prices.

Peking Duck restaurant number 2 post to follow shortly! The longest time we have ever waited for a restaurant. Was it worth it?

Where?

No.32 Qianmen East Street

Dongcheng District

Beijing

China

Opening Hours

7 Days a Week

11:00am – 1:30pm

4:30pm – 8:00pm

Website

http://www.quanjude.com.cn/