7.145 Some Kind of Baby Zucchinis

7.145

29 (Sun) May 2016

Some Kind of Baby Zucchinis

3.5

at Dali Courtyard

-Dongcheng, Beijing-

with staff and temporary advisors

Mission to China, Day 1.

In Beijing.  Arrived this morning.  Here to attend a tobacco meeting, tomorrow.  Flying back to Manila, Tuesday.

Upon arrival, going directly from the airport to the venue (Beijing Middle School #8), where we supported a youth-oriented event to celebrate World No Tobacco Day (May 31), I got there a bit early and had a quick lunch at a restaurant (Golden Lake) across the street.

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Day 1 / Beer 1 : Tsingtao Draft (province Shandong) (2.0) : lacking the Old World hoppiness that the original Tsingtao used to have; light in texture, flat in flavor.
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Hargao [right] (2.5) : fortunately, the menu had photos, so ordering wasn’t a problem (see for example 2.330 Har Gao).
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Scrambled Egg & Leek with Black Sauce (2.5) : first time that I’ve ever encountered garlic chives (see for example 7.143 Buchu Kimchi) at a restaurant outside of Korea.

For dinner, the Country Office hosted an informal gathering for the speakers of tomorrow’s event.

The venue was Dali Courtyard.

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Dali Courtyard is a Chinese restaurant, specializing in Yunnanese cuisine — seems like an optical illusion that this tiny, humble entrance…
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…leads to this expansive, opulent establishment; packed — which is always a good sign — though mostly with expats — which usually isn’t.

The cuisine from the southern province of Yunnan is one of China’s most eclectic, with culinary influences from bordering countries/cultures, including Myanmar, Lao PDR, and Viet Nam [as an international civil servant, I find it difficult to write “Burma, Laos, and Vietnam”].  In essence, loosely described as an “anything goes”/”whatever works”/”it’s all good” philosophy.

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Day 1 / Beer 2 : Dali (2.25) : again, light in texture, flat in flavor.
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Some kind of ham and veg with chili sauce (3.0).
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Some kind of minced chicken with chilies (3.25).
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Some kind of pork spring rolls (3.0).
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Some kind of mixed mushrooms in banana leaves (3.5).
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Some kind of minced pork with steamed buns (3.0).
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Some kind of greens with chilies and garlic (3.5).
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Some kind of deep-fried fish with vinegar sauce (3.5).

The food was excellent.  No menu, every day something different.  Prix fixe, just 100 CNY (about $15) per pax.  In addition to the quality of the dishes themselves, impeccably prepared and presented, far removed from traditional/typical Mandarin cuisine, the surprise with each course was a treat — like visiting America and going out for exotic Cajun.

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Located next door to the hotel.
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Day 1 / Beer 3 : Nanjing Fresh Beer (1.5) : as suggested by the color, light in texture, flat in flavor.

With trepidation, I return to China — first visit in over 2.5 years (see most recently 4.294 Yabozi), second visit to Beijing (2008, before GMTD) — where I’ve had my share of communication problems, particularly in restaurants (see generally 4.291 A Palatial Feast…).   So far so good this trip : the venues for lunch and midnight snack both offering menus with photos, and the dinner venue needing no menu at all.

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Mushu Pork (2.5) + Vegetable Fried Rice (2.0)

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