Chef Dong’s braised eggplant – Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant

Chef Dong's braised eggplant - Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant
¥56
Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant, Beijing CHINA

I wasn’t expected thick medallions of eggplant in when we ordered this dish, but it tasted really good and I loved the stacked presentation with the anise pods and roasted garlic. The braised eggplant had a rich flavor and the sauce was great.

Hawaiian slice – Escape From New York Pizza

Hawaiian slice - Escape From New York Pizza
Canadian bacon, pineapple and cheese. $4.55
Escape From New York Pizza, San Francisco CA

Apparently the price has gone up for a Hawaiian slice since the last time I bought one. I do like the Hawaiian slices at Escape from New York. Their tomato sauce taste good with the salty Canadian bacon and additional parmesan I sprinkle on top.

Snacks combination – Cafe Sambal

Snacks combination - Cafe Sambal
Pan fried garlic chicken wings, chicken skewer, deep fried spring roll. ¥58
Cafe Sambal, Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK)

This was throw-away food – disgusting! Everything on this plate was super dry and tough, and actually flavorless. I don’t expect flavorless from fried food, but Cafe Sambal managed to accomplish it. The chicken was especially inedible.

Cherry foie gras – Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant

Cherry foie gras - Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant
¥98
Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant, Beijing CHINA

Omg, these were SO delicious, pretty, and fun to eat! The bright red balls are the foie gras covered in a sweet coating. The lighter balls are actual fruit (but not actually cherries). This was served cold and they tasted great. I loved how they were made to look like really fruit. Cute!

Scrambled egg with scallion – Fami-Li-Hood Kitchen

Scrambled egg with scallion - Fami-Li-Hood Kitchen
¥30
Fami-Li-Hood Kitchen, Mutianyu Village CHINA

Mmm, this was delicious doused with soy sauce and chilies! I’ve always loved these greasy type omelets. I’ve only seen them served at Asian restaurants though. American restaurants don’t seem to served them this way. I grew up eating omelets like this at home. Noms!

Hot pot dinner – Haidilao Hot Pot

Hot pot dinner - Haidilao Hot Pot
Haidilao Hot Pot, Beijing CHINA

This was a really fun experience, especially as our first dinner in Beijing. We had a little difficulty ordering and trying to figure out how the process worked, but we managed. We had two different broths, one mild and the other spicy. Little did we know that the spicy broth would eventually reach lava spiciness, lol! I love spicy food, but even I couldn’t handle the spicy broth after all the oil for the chilies seeped into the broth. We ordered so many different kinds of meats and items to cook in the broth and I wish I could have taken pics of everything but I was really just trying to enjoy the dinner. We ordered a side of fresh noodles, and the guy came to our table and pulled the noodles tableside as he danced around. That was fun! Cheers to our successful maiden dinner in Beijing!

Marinated beef - Haidilao Hot Pot
Marinated beef.

Assorted seafood and meatballs - Haidilao Hot Pot
Assorted seafood and meatballs.

Greens - Haidilao Hot Pot
Greens.

Enoki mushrooms - Haidilao Hot Pot
Enoki mushrooms.

Noodles pulled tableside - Haidilao Hot Pot
Noodles pulled tableside.

Assorted mini buns Shanghai style – Shanghai Dim Sum

Assorted mini buns Shanghai style - Shanghai Dim Sum
Jinhua pork and corn, shrimp jinhua pork and luffa, matsutake and assorted mushroom jinhua pork, black truffle and jinhua pork, house specialty jinjua pork, and pork with fresh water crab essence. ¥48
Shanghai Dim Sum, Shanghai CHINA

I thought these soup dumplings looked fun and colorful, but they didn’t taste all that great. The dumpling wrapper was too thick and starchy which took away from the individual flavors of the fillings and broth. Also, the service here was horrendous! They were super slow and they don’t much care for you if you’re ordering for take out. Lame!