The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
April 23 - Beijing Restaurants
In Beihai Park there is a restaurant patterned after what is alleged to be the style of the ancient Chinese Emperors. I can't comment on that ... or on the restauant itself ... but if it were my place, I would have fought for a little more positive wording on the directional sign!
After our hill climb and tour of Beihai Park, we headed off in search of lunch, which took us to the Guqin Shifu Restaurant. We didn't know anything about the place except that it was large ... and there was probably a reason. The menu had a lot of "interesting" choices, although we opted not to try the Bowl of Beef Penis with Daisy. We also passed on the donkey meat and several equally exotic items. I was impressed with their tea service, however. The spout on the teapot was about three feet long and the guy wielding it had terrific aim. Not a stray drop anywhere!
When in Beijing, do the duck ... and since 1864, the place to do it has been at one of the Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurants. There are eight or so around Beijing, all several stories high and, we figure, collectively serving roughly 20,000 ducks ... A DAY! That is a whole lot of ducks!
I have always liked the duck statue at the front door where many visitors stop for a photo (good advertising). When we visited, the downstairs was full so we were taken to a private dining room on the second floor. The duck is prepared tableside (needless to say, these guys have the routine down pat!) Taking full advantage of every marketing opportunity, they have even set up a special gift shop in the lobby featuring memorabilia from the upcoming Beijing Olympics. No wonder they have stayed in business for 144 years!
© 2008 Restaurant Doctor
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