the Beijinger

Fatburger has opened up a new front in Beijing's burger wars with their first Mainland China branch in The Grand Summit complex just north of the Kempinski Hotel. We dropped in for lunch today (hat tip to Beijing Boyce for his timely twitter post) and found the place hopping on this, its first official day of business after a slight delay due to some issues with sourcing their beef.  Business was so brisk, in fact, it was hard not to feel a bit sorry for the forlorn O'Brien's counter (owned by the same management) in the corner.

The net is abuzz with chat about The Beijinger’s Annual Restaurant Award results which were officially published yesterday morning – here’s a roundup of online reactions.

View The Beijinger's 2010 Reader Restaurant Awards in a larger map

The balloting is finished, the winners have been announced, and the plaques awarded ... but the restaurant awards are not over yet. Over the course of the next couple of weeks we'll be taking a closer look at the winning restaurants in an attempt to offer deeper insight on the winners.

Our first step is to show you where all these places are - sure you know your neighborhood Annie's, but do you know where all the best Hot Pot spots are in relation to where you live/work/play?

With only four tables and a sushi counter of untreated wood, Midorikawa uses its petite size to advantage, offering an intimate escape from the world beyond its latticed windows. As diners exchange confidences over a bossa nova soundtrack, sushi chefs with sharp outfits and sharper knives slice pricey, pedigreed seafood airlifted from Tokyo's Tsukiji market.

You voted it “Restaurant of the Year” in our 2009 Restaurant Awards; now the Shanghai chain brings its healthful brand of crayfish salads, laffa bread wraps and “flu-fighter” smoothies to the north end of restored Qianmen Avenue. If you plan to visit between today and Friday 16th October, take a printed copy of this blog post with you to claim a free small juice with any salad purchase.

Settled in wood and wicker booths overlooking a warren of hutongs, diners straddle the border between Beijing and Bangkok at this refined Thai restaurant. With decorations, key ingredients (like galanga and lemongrass) and a chef imported from Thailand, Patara is rigorously authentic.

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.

A former kindergarten teacher, and mother to three lovely girls, Samia Asif keeps busy these days by running Mughal’s Pakistani and Indian restaurant in Nali Patio with her husbanc. She spoke to us about what makes Mughal and Pakistani cuisine special, must-try Indian dishes and running a Pakistani restaurant in Beijing.

The decor of this soulful little restaurant a block north of the Bell Tower is equal parts rustic teahouse and friend’s living room. The old-style wooden menu (in Chinese only) offers a hodgepodge of regional comfort foods. Try the whole braised fish (RMB 39), the potato vermicelli with homemade sauerkraut, beef and chilli (RMB 26), and the divine lao Beijing-style frozen hawthorn jellies.