2010 Feb 26 Capital Bites: Delicious New Duck, But Bogus Beef
Popular but far-flung Beijing duck eatery Xiheyayuan is waddling its way downtown to compete with other notable new Beijing duckeries Lunar 8 and Peking Duck Private Kitchen. The Zhongguancun hotspot will be opening a new restaurant in the IFC Mall adjacent to The Westin Chaoyang. Ducks will cost RMB 138 with all the trimmings, and the mall is scheduled to open in early March.
Though as we know, openings don’t always open like they’re supposed to. I still have the flyer that proclaims "Fatburger Opens January 2010!" It didn’t. It hasn’t. And the reason for this (according to a super-secret inside source) is that the firm has been unable to secure a local beef supplier that meets both their quality and price requirements. Rather than necessarily being an indictment of poor local produce, it might point to the untenably low price of corn-fed ground beef the industrialized US agricultural system churns out. Either way, it means no XXXL Triple Kings just yet.
To wine, and a landmark in the development of the domestic market is the return to Beijing of Jancis Robinson, the “First Lady of Wine”. She’s here for the launch of the inaugural Chinese edition of the famous World Atlas of Wine, a book she co-authored now on its fifth edition in English. She’ll be launching the book at a fancy dinner organized by ASC Fine Wines.
Finally, Scarlett in Hotel G is upping the ante with its food offerings by hiring a battle-scarred French chef. Thierry Danzas has already started working over the menu by introducing rustic chicken pie with sweatbreads, beef cheek stew and more. A smart new lunch offer gets you two courses (including a salad and cold-cut buffet) for RMB 88 between 11.30am and 3pm Monday to Friday.
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BJ Burger Wars: Village Cafe Vs. Scarlett
Next into our ketchup-stained ring of bloody beef on beef action, it’s two of Beijing’s hippest hotels: The Opposite House’s all-day dining restaurant Village Café versus Hotel G’s wine-bar-cum-restaurant, Scarlett. Neither are specialists, with only one beef burger on their menus (though Scarlett in its previous incarnation was, it must be said). Both hotels have around 100 rooms and are considered to be the best of their class, but The Opposite House is in a higher price bracket. So let’s get this over with… it ain’t over ’til it’s over, etc.
Pan-Asian a La Carte: Lunar 8 Opens in the Fairmont
It’s been an age coming, but the CBD’s luxury Fairmont hotel is up and running. Lunar 8 is one of its food outlets – a large, pan-Asian a la carte restaurant in the vein of IFW and Made in China.
12 Ducks of Christmas: Give Some Skin This Festive Season
What better gift for your true love this season than a Peking duck (roasted over) a pear tree (fire)? The empress of courtly roasts beats a stuffed turkey any day of the year. To celebrate the dish Beijing gave the world, check out our wholly subjective list of what we consider to be the best dozen ducks in the city.
Burp! Another Fatburger Next Month
Just when you thought it was safe to kick off that Rabbit Year diet, those Californian beef pushers are back. A new Fatburger store will open in the China World Mall Tower 1 in the CBD. This from a Fatburger spokesperson:
"Renovation will begin soon by the end of this month and we are looking at end March opening with our Fatburger Family and Friends Day."
A Duck to Rival Da Dong: Xihe Yayuan
In a city where style increasingly trumps substance, this jaded diner set little store by Xihe Yayuan’s handsome Ming nouveau decor and cushy window booths. While waiting for our duck (RMB 203), we grazed on a refreshing cold winged bean salad and a masterful rendition of daoxiao mian, thick knife-shaved noodles in a caramelized sauce of eggplant, red pepper, garlic and pork. The arrival of a bird roasted over pine wood to resplendent shades of brown and tan announced the moment of truth.
Monkey King
Re: Capital Bites: Delicious New Duck, But Bogus Beef
Did I read that right?
Fatburger can't find a decent-quality local supplier because the U.S. can produce high quality beef at a low price?
Curse you, efficient and reliable American beef producers! You're delaying our Beijing Fatburger's!
I'm sorry, but it is an indictment of low-quality, greedy local producers.
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mandelbrot
Re: Capital Bites: Delicious New Duck, But Bogus Beef
I agree with MonkeyKing - the whinging about Fatburger beef is certainly an indictment of local suppliers. I don't mind paying for quality....but certainly neither want nor will pay for dodgy beef.
badr
Re: Capital Bites: Delicious New Duck, But Bogus Beef
anyone hear of economies of scale? fatburger can command good prices in the US because they do have a number of outlets and thus can get pretty decent prices.
with one shop in China, they have nowhere near the bargaining power they hold in the states.
There is plenty of pretty darn good beef produced in Inner Mongolia and exported all over the world..
they need to come up with better excuses!!
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badr
Re: Capital Bites: Delicious New Duck, But Bogus Beef
I guess they managed to find non-bogus cheap beef after all... according to this, they're opening next week:
http://www.beijingboyce.com/2010/03/03/fat-burger-beijing-anyone-up-for-...
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