2011 Jun 05 Kok Tale: Middling Uzbek in Dongzhimen
In darkest Dongzhimen, this little corner of Uzbekistan shines brightly. Really brightly, in fact. Dozens of glass chandeliers illuminate a brilliant interior of sky blue and white, the walls adorned with hand-painted murals depicting stories of Islam. We couldn’t wait to try Uzbekistan’s signature palov (RMB 98) – a one-pot dish of rice cooked together with chickpeas, dried fruit, grated carrots, spices and mutton.
Maybe Beijing’s better Xinjiang restaurants have spoiled us, but this was a tad disappointing. The fruitiness and spices were there, but it was a little dry and underflavored – like a Persian pilaf without the pizzazz.
Breads are a big part of the cuisine here. Don’t pass up on the traditional Uzbek lamb-filled samsas (RMB 28), or the handsomely pleated kerman loaf (RMB 10). Made with milk and sugar, the latter is softer and altogether more cake-like than tandoor-baked flatbreads. A middling selection of soups includes borscht (RMB 12) – nicely seasoned if a little watery - and Tashkent-style pulled noodles in broth (RMB 18). Of the starters, the special salad (RMB 20) with well-dressed slivers of tomato, peppers and chicken was our favorite.
The skewers were a mixed experience. Chicken kebabs (RMB 12) were the best dish of the night – succulent, juicy and rich, with a pleasing tandoor char. On the downside, the beef iulia kebab (RMB 15) was dry and flavorless. The second half of the menu comprises standard Xinjiang dishes like dapanji and mutton chuan’r. There’s also a range of cakes and pastries, including baklava, which were unavailable on our visit. In any case, we won’t be rushing back to try them.
Standout dishes: Chicken kebab, special salad
Also try: Turkish Mum, 1001 Nights
Kok Saroy 蓝色宫殿
Daily 11am-midnight. 2 Dongzhimenwai Xiaojie (near River View Hotel), Chaoyang District (8447 9906)
朝阳区东直门外小街2号（近雍景台酒店
Photos: Judy Zhou/Sui
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