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Houhai in
Xicheng District is a famous tourist area in Beijing that is located
in central Beijing. The Houhai area (Back Lakes) in Beijing is also
called Shishahai which is made up of Houhai, Qianhai and Xihai.
Houhai is one of the biggest commercial area in Beijing and is
filled with hotels, shops and restaurants and is a popular tourist
spot to enjoy the colorful Beijing nightlife. Each restaurant in
Houhai has its unique style of decoration, entertainment food and
drink. This eating guide in Houhai will introduce travelers to some
of the top restaurants in Houhai and famous places to eat in Houhai.
The bars and restaurants in Houhai form a tightly zoned line along a
boardwalk overlooking the Houhai Lake. Houhai has since become a
favorite spot among foreign tourists and the expatriate community in Beijing.
One of the
famous restaurants in Houhai area in Beijing is the Barbeque Ji
Restaurant which is one of the best Muslim restaurants in Beijing.
Barbeque Ji Restaurant is a three-storey traditional building that
is set against the Yinding Bridge (Silver Ingot Bridge) at the
southeast section of the lake and is found adjacent to the former
residence of Soong Ching-ling. Diners who are lucky enough to get a
table at Barbeque Ji restaurant must certainly order a plate of
stir-fired snow pea and the roast lamb which are served on a candle
stove to keep the dish hot. There are many reasons that made this
lamb cuisine in Houhai the most popular dish in Barbeque Ji’s menu.
The choice of lamb is always being selected carefully and then
skillfully pickled and barbequed on a specially made grill with
coriander, onion and other secret spices following instructions from
a century-old recipe. The best way to really get the flavor out from
the lamb is to make a Chinese lamb burger by stuffing the lamb into
a pre-sliced baked wheaten cake. Before going for main courses, you
must not miss out on the starters where you can choose among local
favorites such as Chinese beans, quick fried white turnip, spiced
beef and laurel-lotus roots or vegetable hors d'oeuvres. Some of the
other highly recommended dishes at Barbeque Ji Restaurant include
the Beijing roast duck, braised ox tail, chicken with cashew nut,
curry beef, deep-fried prawns, diced chicken with chili pepper,
grilled beef cutlets, roast lamb back, sauted celery and lily,
savory beef and stir-fried asparagus. Beijing Duck is a famous
Beijing dish where initial stage started off with the duck being
fattened with grain at the farm. In the kitchen, the duck carcass is
lacquered with molasses, pumped with air, filled with boiling water,
dried and then carefully roasted over a fruitwood fire. You must
surely order the Beijing duck here. All of the dishes at Barbeque Ji
Restaurant are cooked using traditional recipes which are past from
generations to generations. Apart from the excellent dishes, the
atmosphere here is very relaxing where you can sip Chinese rice wine
at this lakeside restaurant.
In Houhai, you
must make a stop at the La Baie Des Anges wine restaurant which is
opened by two French brothers. One of the main reasons that make La
Baie Des Anges such a hit is its huge selection of incredibly good
wine. Diners too enjoy the different events that are being organized
at the restaurant such as the wine-tasting party, live music, theme
party to commemorate a certain celebration or even a speed-dating
event. Most of La Baie Des Anges’ customers are foreigners but more
and more local Chinese are making this restaurant in Houhai their
favorite place to hang out with their friends. For a change of
environment, visit the Aladdin which is decorated in typical Arabian
style. This mysterious restaurant serves one of the best coffees in
Houhai. For a great Vietnamese cuisine, go to Nuage, the most famous
Vietnamese restaurant in Houhai that is opened by Bai Feng of the No
Name bar famed. Casablanca in Houhai is a reasonable priced
restaurant with dim lighting and plush sofas. Try the Greek salad,
the Arabian chicken curry and the tasty deep-fried banana with
gelato to make it a really good night to remember in Houhai. The
South Silk Road Restaurant in Houhai is one of the most famous
Yunnan restaurants in Beijing serving famous Yunnan specialties such
as homemade rice wine, smoked ham and wild mushrooms. You must
certainly order the steamed pot chicken at South Silk Road. The
outdoor seating gives you a stunning view of the Houhai Lake.
Another famous
eatery in Houhai in Beijing is the Hongyuan Nan Men Hotpot. To get
to Nan Men Hotpot, cross the Yinding Bridge and walk for about
five minutes to the south and you will notice this famous hotpot
house in Houhai which is perfectly set in an old siheyuan (four-sided
enclosed yards) that comes with an amazing view of the lake. There
are many famous hot pot restaurants in Beijing but nothing beats the
thrill of having a hotpot meal at a siheyuan in Houhai. Nan Men meaning
South Gate was so called when the first of its many branches first
started business ten years ago at the south gate of the Temple of
Heaven. Nowadays there are not many hot pot restaurants that still
serve the traditional Beijing-style large copper pot with pure-water
broth that you see in Nan Men Hotpot. Hotpot used to be a winter
dish but it has since become a favorite among diners throughout the
year. The common scene at Nan Men Hotpot is seeing diners really
enjoying themselves in boiling and supping on a plate of fresh and
exquisite lamb or beef from Inner Mongolia, Chinese cabbage,
mushrooms, spinach, sliced yam, sliced potato, tofu or other local
veggies. After a while, you will master the skill of dipping slivers
of meat into the seething broth for a swift scalding before
twiddling the meat in specially made sauce. Two main specialties at
Nan Men Hotpot are its specially made sesame sauce with chopped
onion, coriander and peanut and its tasty sesame wheaten cake which
can be baked or deep-fried.
If you feel
that hot pot meals are not to your liking, take a walk along
the narrow hutong at the gate of Nan Men Hotpot to the south
for a few minutes and you will find a popular place to eat in
Houhai serving a very familiar dish that might remind you of home.
Hutong Pizza is a 5 year old restaurant that is located in a
two-storey structure with a shabby condition in the real depth of
the hutong. No one knows of the history of the building but the
painted rafters and the creaking sound from the wooden stairs speaks
volume of its present state. The decoration is absolutely Chinese
but the dishes served are definitely Italian. At Hutong Pizza, you
have a wide selection of eleven vegetarian and seafood pizzas and
thirteen meaty pizzas. Recommended flavors of pizza include the
bacon pizza, carnivore carnival pizza, Mediterranean pizza, roast
chicken pizza and veggie mania pizza. If you cannot decide on which
types of pizza to order, you can order combined pizzas of two to
three different toppings. The pizzas taste better with the chef
specialties, crispy jacket potato skins with garlic dip. After
pizza, go to Kosmo for a great cup of coffee and take advantage
of its free wireless Internet service. Houhai has become a famous
dining destination in Beijing where you can move from one pub
to another for drinks after your meals. By the way, try the
Mao-gerita at Ken de Rouge, a popular fusion restaurant nestled
between bars and curio shops in Houhai.
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