Entering India's kitchen、Courtyard cuisine
Entering India's kitchen
It took a circuitous route and many a year but Indian Kitchen has finally found its way to Beijing. The name may not roll off the tongue as easily as McDonald's or KFC, but in its own way, Indian Kitchen can rightfully claim to be a chain of restaurants in
China, specializing in Indian cuisine.
The first Indian Kitchen location opened in Macao in 1990. Over the years, the franchise set up outlets in four cities in Guangdong Province, and one in Anhui, Hubei and Zhejiang provinces, as well as four eateries in Shanghai.
Indian Kitchen manager Satish says the management was biding its time and waiting for the right circumstances before venturing into the nation's capital.
It's not that Beijingers are starved for Indian food, with about 20 restaurants at last count serving the city. But it is the blend of Indian cuisine – the more-popular north Indian dishes served in most Indian restaurants here and the lesser-known south Indian food – that will help the restaurant carve a niche for itself, Satish said.
Perennial favourites like naan – Indian bread baked in clay ovens – curries with varying levels of spice (you can specify your tolerance), kebabs (meat grilled on skewers) and various lentil and vegetable dishes are all served. Prices range from 25 yuan (US$3) to 40 yuan (US$5) per dish.
But what is generally not found in similar restaurants is the Indian pancake made of fermented finely ground rice- and white-lentil paste. It is filled with spicy potato or finely cut onions and is served with coconut and ginger chutneys as well as a mild red-lentil curry.
The pancakes, 25 yuan (US$3.20), are generally eaten for breakfast or as a mid-afternoon snack in India, but would make an ideal appetizer for dinner.
For the main course, the Native Prawn Curry, the semi-dry Madras Mutton or chicken curry are highly recommended and are all on the special menu (prices from 25 yuan (US$3) to 35 yuan (US$4.5) accompanied by a lentil or vegetable dish.
Due its location in the embassy area, most of the clientele are diplomats and diplomatic staff, Satish said.
Currently, it can serve up to 110 patrons in two separate dining areas and several private rooms.
Patrons may soon see live performances of Indian song and dance shows.
Courtyard cuisine
Visiting a place like the Bamboo Garden Hotel makes one wonder how comfortably ancient Chinese high officials must have lived.
The corridor in the front courtyard is painted in colourful traditional patterns. Green bamboo, after which the hotel is named, and pine trees, cover the back courtyard.
The courtyard style house is kept intact in grey and red hues, the typical Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasty architectural colours. The 150-year-old home is a protected cultural relic in Xicheng District.
It was first the residence of an important eunuch, then of the Minister of Post and Transportation, both in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Afterwards it became a residence for high officials of the Chinese Government. And in 1982, it was turned into a 3-star hotel.
Although it is located inconspicuously in a hutong, the Drum Tower, in Xicheng District, it still draws a lot of foreign ex-pat customers. According to deputy general manager Li Jiehong, 90 per cent of the guests come from foreign countries.
The tradition of good living and good food of the ancient Chinese high officials is kept alive at Bamboo Gardens.
The hotel's restaurant, named Fu Song Zhai, has a dinning area for individuals or small groups, as well as six private rooms.
The dinning area for small groups has windows overlooking the park. The furthest side of the restaurant has a view of the pond not only to your side, but also beneath your feetbecause part of the floor is made of transparent glass.
The private rooms are luxuriously decorated in traditional Chinese style, with dark red furniture and wooden frames. The table settings are bright yellow, a colour only used by the royal family during the Qing Dynasty.
Food served is a fusion of popular dishes from Sichuan, Cantonese and Huaiyang cuisines. Many of the restaurant's chefs used to serve important Chinese officials.
Zhu ye xiang zha rou (shredded pork slices with bamboo-shoot stuffing and rolled with bamboo leaf), Han xiu cao sha la (tuna and rice salad) and Leng suan ping yu (cold sour flat fish) are highly recommended.
The restaurant has a wide range of wild mushroom soups that cost from 15 to 28 yuan (US$1.82-3.39) a small pot per person.
The menu is in both Chinese and English and divides dishes into categories including chicken and duck, bean curd, vegetables, desserts, noodles and soup. Most dishes for small groups costs from 15 to 38 yuan (US$1.82-4.60).
A banquet for 10 people in the private rooms costs from 1,500 yuan (US$182) to 3,000 yuan (US$363). The dinners include from nine to 16 dishes, plus snacks and fruit.