SarangBang is one of my favorite Korean restaurants in Beijing. I first experience this quite authentic Korean cuisine during my trip with friends a year before I went to study in BLCU. The spicy food complimented the cold autumn weather.

Back in the old days, I had learn to love to Korean food when I was still in Manila, there was a really old Korean restaurant we often visit more than twice a month (it’s called Korean Village). I didn’t mind smelling like food (because of grilling by ourselves) after blissful dinner. I grow to love kimchi which I avoided years back.

But I didn’t expect Korean cuisine could get even better! (I sound like an advertisement already!) My friend J taught us the know-hows of eating Korean style in Beijing. There are quite a number of appetizers and sauces to mix together. You’ll get to love mixing rice with everything when you get used to the spicy-ness. Be ready to get your hands dirty! Wrapping everything (meat, appetizer, kimchi, sauces etc) with lettuce is a must try!
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Delicieux!

I have this facination with speaking French, I really want to learn the language. It all sounds so sophisticated and elegant. I wanted to taste the famous crepes and other French cuisines so that I can feel a bit closer to French culture. So we managed to search for one of the well-known French Restaurant in Beijing.

La Mansarde was once featured in That’s Beijing so we ought to try it before we went back home. Best known for crepes, the restaurant offers variety of French cuisine.

I am really not a fan of kebabs types of food. I think I ordered wrong because the ones I tasted was just so-so. I was not impressed by the entrees. We tried the lunch set (which is a value for money because there’s an appetizer or dessert, entree for around 40rmb if I remembered correctly). I guess there are only few good choices for the lunch sets.

The ambience was nice, pleasing and home-y. The service was not so spectacular but ok for a classy restaurant.

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While walking along a shopping strip in Zhongguancun , we stumbled upon a buffet dining area which looks snobbish at first, but since we were facinated with the ambiance and desserts, we managed to walk in and asked about the price of the best-looking dessert on the display stand. Luckily, we were able to talk to one of the marketing managers of the restaurant. She was very accomodating even if we looked like students (cheapstake ones). She toured us around the restaurant which I think was very chic. After letting us look at the entrees on the buffet tables, she gave us a dozen or more discount vouchers (20 kuai off!) to distribute amongst our friends in BLCU.

The buffet restaurant is called Fresh Plus International. The lunch buffet is originally 90 RMB per person but with our discount voucher, we managed to have a value-for-money buffet meal! Everytime you eat there, they will replace the discount voucher with new ones so that you can invite friends/family to try the restaurant. This is a good marketing strategy in my opinion. In our stay, we got to invite more than 20 people to try out the buffet restaurant. We even spent our Christmas Eve Dinner here in the pleasant room we reserved though that time, the price was jacked up doubling the usual price for it but nevertheless, it was still satisfying.

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When I was still studying in Beijing, we had this rule that we will eat cheap during weekdays and splurge on the weekends. As far as I am concerned, it didn’t bother me because eating cheap wasn’t that bad in our school restaurants.

Inside BLCU campus, there’s a Chinese restaurant at 2nd floor of the cafeteria, which is our favorite value-for-money treat. . Interestingly, we were never left dissatisfied with our orders. At around 10 RMB per person, we get to order 7-8 dishes for 10 people already!

Our favorites were the sweet crispy chicken and the fried mantou with condensed milk .

There is a standard taste to all entrees…for standard, i mean the entrees don’t just look the same, they sometimes taste the same too! Also take note that during lunch time, BLCU students flock to this area to eat. Service is bad (the fuyuan or waitresses are sometimes so nasty, you’d wish you can just get things by yourself.) (more…)

Li Qun is one of oldest restaurant that served the popular Peking Duck in Beijing. Located at the heart of a Hutong, you might feel ancient dining here.
The place reminded me of an old Chinese house. We almost got lost looking for this but you can ask taxi driver to drop you directly near the restaurant-house.
Made of bricks, the house- turned-restaurant maybe your trip down Chinese history. Upon entering, you would see a lot of pictures of the owner with celebrities from all around the globe.

Using old-school roasting style, you can see the duck being roasted right before your eyes. You can also ask that the waiter could slice the skin of the duck at your table side. (more…)

If you’re looking for a hefty Japanese meal, you can try out the buffet in Matsuko.

Cityweekend says that :

Matsuko/Songzi’s well-known buffet offers up the usual Japanese favorites with unlimited Asahi beer or soft drinks and a free plate of sashimi. Its wasabi-green interior makes for a distinctive flare not found at other Japanese restaurants. Perfect for a horde of hungry folks

I saw that they have 3 branches now in Beijing…whichever branch you choose, remember to always reserve beforehand! (more…)

It’s actually only in Beijing do we indulge ourselves with these kinds of treats because normally, back in Manila, this would cost a fortune (not to mention fewer choices and lack of quality).

Being one of the voted Best dining experience if I recall correctly, Mare had proved to us how deserving it is in the best-list. For one, the dining experience was superb, notably the surrounding will make it “fine dining”. With silverwares to match, you would feel elegant dining here.

Mare offers a Spanish dining experience. They have lunch sets (which is a good choice for us since we were still on a budget, plus it’s value for money!) that offer an appetizer and main course or main course and dessert for about 40-50rmb.

I would always order the one with appetizer and main course because the dessert I like wasn’t in the choice of desserts for the set. The best order I had was the Seafood Risotto ! You could also order the Seabass or Lamb which are also good. (more…)