Dynastic DimSum
by Xia Dong
In the west, breakfast is either something wolfed down on the run on the way out the door or an extravagant feast to be followed by a nap.
But both Dynasty and Food Street, two restaurants in the Jing Guang Hotel, offer an alternative.
We gringos like our early morning foods either starchy or greasy. A bagel, some cream cheese and a cup of Joe, or scrambled eggs, bacon and hash browns. One meal leaves you hungry in about two hours, the other leaves you staggering under your own weight.
The Chinese have an alternative. In the early morning hours, little impromptu breakfast restaurants pop up all across Beijing, serving you tiao and hot soy milk. You tiao ?oil sticks in Chinese ?are fried bread reminiscent of donuts, only salty. Sometimes, instead of soy milk, these are accompanied by a watery tofu with either chili sauce or sugar.
While these stalls offer a real Beijing experience, it may be a little too real. The hygiene of many of these fly-by-night establishments is often questionable, and those without lead-lined stomachs may be leery of the lingering effects of a roadside breakfast.
Those looking to taste an authentic Beijing breakfast without the risks, might opt for the Food Street restaurant. Its casual dŽcor mimics street-side stalls but has the added benefits of no car exhaust, plus real tables and waitresses. Of course, you pay nearly five times what you spend on the street, but comfort isn? free.
Breakfast is served from 7 am to 11 am and includes more than just oil sticks. Customers can choose from Hong Kong tea-house style snacks, an a la carte menu, or perhaps best of all, from one of their dozen dim sum selections.
Steamed chicken feet with garlic sauce, spareribs with black bean sauce, or deep friend cuttlefish sound more like a heavy dinner than a way to start the day.
But the seafood-heavy treats come in small bite-sized morsels that fill you up without slowing you down and offer a novel alternative to toast and jam.
At about 15 yuan a dish, two people can order three plates of dim sum and a congee for about 60 yuan.
The Jing Guang's more upscale restaurant, Dynasty, offers fancier dim sum, but only serves lunch and dinner. You can order a light yet tasty shark's fin dumpling in superior soup, or steamed shrimp dumplings with bamboo shoots.
The chef worked for 15 years in Hong Kong before coming to cook in Beijing, and only uses fresh ingredients.
Watch for specials. When we went, Dynasty was having a half-price sale on dim sum, making it a cheaper alternative to Food Street.
Jing Guang New World Hotel
Hujialou, Chaoyang District
65978888