This seems to be a picture fit for a Seoul trip but you might be surprise to find good Korean restaurants in Beijing!

We had to stop by and eat our Wudaokou Korean favorites for maybe the last time for a while…and as this topic title sounds..it is a binge!!

Those small restaurants are wonderful side trips than making your trip in Beijing full of famous Peking duck dinners. I loved our exploration to the Korean town again. My favorite Higeoyagi is still open! and serving our favorite Salmon Pasta! We had our closure at last…

I can eat this big bowl by myself..good Lord!

If you live around the area, be sure to get their menu to go, you must “tabao” or make them deliver those goodies to you!

We also ate at the local favorite of BLCU koreans (Salangbang). You just have to order the sizzling corn. One order is not enough!

Along Wangjuanglu, we spotted our old favorite Kimchi rice place which we normally called but is named (see picture below)

We ordered some pork belly roasted to perfection and that Korean bbq place warmed us up for a quick trip along memory lane.

I wasn’t able to find my favorite milktea stall along Huaqingjiayuan area, but got to try the new one beside a corner bakery.

My fingers look so pale! The warm milktea made me feel much better walking along a dreaded cool autumn season.

Quick Tip: Better grab some The Beijinger or Cityweekend magazine around notable restaurants so you can just point the Chinese version of the address to the taxi driver.

My friends’ favorite..a must visit for us alumni of BLCU is the famous Minbao! Now their sauces are served buffet style. You can make your own type of peanut sauce to your liking.

Minbao

Although peanut and hotpot don’t make me jump up and down, it was pleasant to have a warm dinner after a chilly trip at the Bird’s nest and Water cube on sunset. The sauce can be addicting at first, but made my tougue indifferent with the true flavor of the hotpot.

We tried Salt (a similar restaurant to Alameda)..Brazilian fine dining..we notice the chef looks familiar.

The food was ok for me…not fantastic but just ok. I thought coffee was free though, and alas, I saw the bill (it was 45rmb!!) Oh man…never be embarrass to ask if it’s free or not

To be continued…

While wandering around, I was curious about those small little cups locals where eating. I followed the source and discovered that they are eating MILK PUDDING. I had to try and it’s quite addicting though I could not finish it.

An art district that was once a famous hangout place of the Beijing youth is 798 Disctrict. Noticeably, this was a worn down factory/industrial area that once were. I’m such a movie junkie that this reminded me of movies located at the Bronx or the likes. All those graffiti makes a good pictorial place.

Another off beat place we went to was the hotel located near the Great Wall of China which is called Commune by the Great Wall. We had to pay for a day tour within the premises but interestingly, this seems to be very Westernize. A very private area, you can rent a room or better yet a whole house.

All these designs were created by well known architects around the world. You can check out their website. Great view of the great wall but certainly very expensive.

So if you are not a first time tourist, maybe you should take a visit around here. Happy vacation!

I vividly recall my first experience in Tiaanmen Square with some regrets. I thought I could just get away with some thermals and jacket…as it turned out, my mind went blank, shaking vigorously to the beat of the first Chinese anthem of the morning.

The sudden rush of Lei Shir classes (Chinese history) surged my mind, those flashbacks of vague list of names and events that I regret not understanding because I was too lazy to listen.

You see, I used to study Chinese in school..all my 13 years of pre university schooling. Not just those conversational ones, we were taught hardcore Chinese..from early civilization history of China till the very end of their dynasty era..all those difficult four letter words that I invented the pronunciation. It’s quite embarrassing to mention I could not recall those classes/lessons I took. I was fond of memorizing…then trashing them all after the long exams.

A while ago, I went to my brother’s highschool orientation, it was brought to everyone’s attention on how my alma mater prioritize giving children the foundation of learning Chinese, not just for conversation. I miss those chances I guess…

Anyway, back to the topic. Tiananmen Square is one of the pride of China. We passed by this last time and I still saw a lot of people lining up to see Mao Zhedung‘s remains at the nearby memorial hall. It brings a sense of nationalistic pride.

The remains of Mao Zedong are laid in a crystal coffin in the main hall.

The first image that popped up was Liqun. I suddenly missed Beijing…the oily food, the unclean tea glasses and chopsticks I’ve encountered, Peking duck…*drools* Unpretentious, straight to the point…that’s what I love about this type of restaurants. Anthony was not his usual self in Beijing (he looked bored and sick but still had to enjoy his vices). If I were the local, I would have drag him to the places I miss..!

I like to check out that Noodle Loft they went to…

I get to have pictures this time!! I dragged my family to dine here at Quan Ju De and experience my favorite Peking duck around Beijing. I miss it so much that I stuffed more than 3 pieces of succulent Peking duck skin inside the wrap.

Cucumber–check, Onion leeks-check, hoisin sauce-check, and sugar! The art of eating Peking duck, it was kind of fun after all.

The corn coated with duck egg…yummy!! Though of course, you can get it cheaper else where, there’s this Guo Lin restaurant.

My parents are vegetarian so we tried some of their dishes. There was one that was like a sticky rice with strawberry sauce. My mom seemed to liked it. It tasted refreshing and unique if you get high from all those oily duck skin. No complains here, I love the oil from it, love it love it! I do eat them occasionally only so better indulge while I can.

It had a kitchen, pretty decent bathrooms, cozy living room area, table for laptop (free internet), huge clean beds. Overall the place was great to go back to after a long day of tourist attraction walking.

In Shanghai, I found a good service apartment, which coincidentally was also the service apartment my friends stayed at before we went Huangshan years back. It is called
New Harbour Service Apartment. When I recall, it is quite near to XinDianTi than the hotel I stayed last time. Save us some taxi fee! Plus it has a lot of restaurants around for late night dining!

This one is better than Beijing’s service apartment because of location (much nearer to civilization), plus the place is much bigger. And we got to stay at the 3 bedroom suite! All of us in one room this time! Their bedrooms are much bigger.

Address:
Beijing:
Luxury Service Apartment
17 Jian Hua Nan Road, Jian Guo Men Wai Street,Chao Yang District , Beijing, China

Shanghai:
New Harbour Service Apartment
88 Yongshou Road , Shanghai, China