chengb02

this is correct, there are only a few times in China where Peking is still used, and the only 2 I can think of are Peking duck and Peking University

as a loyal Beijinger, I dislike Shanghai with a passion, however nothing compares to the xiaolongbao at yuyuan (Yu Gardens). Pay a little extra and go into the restaurant or just wait in line with the "masses"...Yu Gardens isn't worth going into, but just hitting the central area with the xiaolongbao and also the tea house, but now a Starbucks also in that area...Lao Shanghai is good, but becoming too much of a chain...Thats about all I have for Shanghai's local food recommendations...

being from BJ, a winter hotpot among friends is a must, however it was only when I was at university and ate with other Chinese, from all over China and Taiwan that I realized how different hotpots can be. Egg, in hotpot or sauce, had me cringing, but its a personal preference. For me there are some hard and fast rules to hotpot: 1. it must include mutton 2. the sauce needs to be a mixture of minimally soy sauce, zhi ma jiang, and la jiao 3. the only drink to accompany it should be beer (preferably Qingdao if not in China) or, for those who can handle it, bai jiu 4. gather together any friends/family who are available the hotpot meal pictured looked excellent!

Okay, this is paining me...Thinking of restaurants in BJ, I am thinking more about non-Chinese than Chinese...Well, if you decide on something other than Chinese, there is an excellent Brazilian place on Xi Chang An pretty close to Xidan (on same side of the street as the Time Square mall) where they have 16 rounds of different meats for dinner as well as a salad bar (after the 16 you can keep it coming if you want) for a very reasonable price (by US standars). Foodies must hit the Courtyard restuarant (www.courtyard-gallery.com) for a very interesting meal overlooking the moat and Forbidden City. Other places..... -Afunti!!! One of my favorites for tourist friends, parties, or the ackward dinner made fun...Excellent Xinjiang food followed by Xinjiang music and dance, and then dancing on the tables. A bit difficult to find for first timers, in a hutong off of Chaoyangmen Nei, but if interested I can help... -Shu Di Zhuan Shuo: a very trendy place a bit away from the city center (Nv Ren Jie) but amidst a burgeoning restaurant strip, the lazi yu is so good, so much better than shui zhu yu but only for fans of spicy food -Sanlitun/Gongti Bei Lu: okay, not for the food (except nothing is better than yang rou chuanr (lamb kebab)) but for the scene...this isn't a restaurant but a strip of everchanging bars, all with their own themes (I can offer some favorites), but also there is a lovely cafe with the best coffee (Turkish or Arabic) in BJ called Dareen Coffee -QuanJuDe: okay, its touristy, but for first timers, its a must for the peking duck -Donglaishun: mentioned previously as one of the best hot pots around and a hot pot is the perfect food for winter months, I usually go the one on the 5th floor of XinDongAn Mall in the middle of Wangfujing -Kong Yiji: great food and good environment, I prefer the Houhai branch more than the one on Dongsi Bei Jie -Red Capital Club: depending on the price range, this is a grat place for a good meal and very touristy but because of the price it isn't packed with tourists (its small enough that its never really packed at all) okay, that is a pretty good list, but I will think of some more...The trendy restuarants in BJ are iffy...I have heard many good things about Jing, especially after it overthrew Courtyard as tops in the city...I was underwhelmed with Aria, and am very interested in going to Green T. House next time in town. Tandoor is overpriced, especially after just getting back from London and having really good Indian food. Morel's (belgium food) is excellent and well-priced...Interested in hearing what other people have to say!