The Urban Edit
Bespoke Beijing’s Behind-the-Scenes Peking Duck Experience is the culinary experience incurable foodies have been waiting for. Bespoke has teamed up with the lovely Chef Zhou and the superb Duck de Chine to bring you a dinner that will take your Peking duck experience to the next level.
London-based restaurant wizard Alan Yau (of Wagamama chain fame and Michelin-starred Hakkasan and Yauatcha) has waved his magic wand at China’s capital – SHAZAM! – and pulled a duck out of his hat. A sumptuously roasted Peking duck, that tastes, umm, magic.
OK, clumsy wizard metaphor over. He’s designed a restaurant in the Opposite House Hotel called Jing Yaa Tang. It’s one of the hottest openings of the year, it serves duck and it’s quacking brilliant.
Traveling to China but worried about weird food? Or maybe you’re a China hand craving the comforting tastes of home? Either way, these wonderfully Western-style dishes on our list of must try Chinese food proves that food in China, in all its delicious variety, can satisfy any stomach. 随便吃！
Chinese name: lurou huoshao 卤肉火烧 
Looks kosher enough for Katz’s Deli, right? Almost – but for the fact that this scrumptious sub is filled with sliced donkey. Fear not – a Chinese saying goes that there’s nothing tastier than dragon meat in heaven and donkey meat on earth. Try it at one of Beijing’s much-loved donkey meat eateries on our Street Snacks & Market Tour.
It seems like ages since Beijing has had a glitzy international celeb chef opening, but now Umberto Bombana, of triple Michelin star 8 ½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong, has planted his breadstick in China’s capital.
Like Daniel Boulud, Claudio Sadler, Nobu Matsuhisa and a forkful of lesser culinary brands, Umberto has franchised out his name and fame in Beijing (and Shanghai). Naturally, the great man won’t be found behind the stove on a regular basis, but your meal is in the capable hands of former Sureño (Opposite House) chef Marino D’Antonio.
After two and a half months of redevelopment, Sanlitun’s MODO (one of our old faves) has reemerged as MODO Urban Deli, a sleek new concept which caters to “time constrained & style-seeking active people” in Beijing. Inside they’ve managed to maintain their hip, industrial look while also adding playful drawings by Swedish artist designer Elin Wedi to represent their new modern European deli style approach to cooking.
Beer in China traces its origins to breweries set up by Russian and German settlers at the turn of the 20th century. Tsingtao from Shandong Province is a global trademark – light, low-alcohol, industrially brewed lager for the masses. Then there’s Yanjing, Beijing’s own cheap and cheerful brew of near indistinguishable similarity.
