Thursday, November 20, 2008

old Beijing bargain

With the viewing of the Summer Palace being so cold, we decided a warm meal was in order. But it had to be fast because we had plans for the evening, so Nicole brought us to Lao Beijing Zhajiang Mian Da Wang which somehow translates to Old Beijing Zhajiang Noodle King. As the name indicates, this place is a typical "Old-World" Beijing style restaurant with:

a very loud and open room--everytime someone walks through the doors, the waiters in blue yell a welcome as well as instructions on where to sit:
time honored food such as:
the conventional tea,
these Beijing specialty noodles, which you mix with the brown sauce in the small bowl before eating. Delicious!
thousand year eggs--not gummy like the ones you get in the States!
and my new favorite fruit, the Chinese hawthorne berry. Here they are marinated on noodles:
But the "old custom" feature we appreciated the most? The price. Why is Alvina smiling? Because this whole dinner cost $70 yuan, which is less than $10. US! Yippee, Old Beijing traditions!

Old Beijing Zhajiang Noodle King, Hong Qiao Main Branch
29 Chong Wai St. Chong Wen District
Beijing
67056705
67055678