Beijing restaurants

Old China Lunch 3 February

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Beijing getting slowly back to normal

Our Old China Lunch 3 February 2023 marked the start of the post-COVID misery, with still a number of members waiting to return. Several members were still away on vacation so our total of 30 was pretty good.

Morel’s Restaurant did its best for the service as several of the staff have not returned yet.
Susan Morel had a gift for all attendants: a small cute rabbit to mark the Year of the Rabbit, it was a real pleasant surprise!
I am the lucky owner of both rabbits they gave out, the bigger one was for Chinese New Year. They keep me company at breakfast and lunch!

Good food: Oeuf en Meurette

Finally the restaurant had to increase the price for the lunch as all ingredients have seen a stark cost increase. But we still get a great deal.
See the pictures of some dishes, and the menu.
A real hit were the poached eggs, the first time they were served as far as I know. Done by Chef Renaat personally.

It is actually called as follows:
Oeuf en Meurette (Poached Eggs in Red Wine Sauce)
Or:
This classic Burgundian dish of poached eggs in rich, flavorful red wine sauce served atop garlicky toast.
In French:
“Œufs pochés sur du pain grillé aillé accompagnés d’une sauce meurette, composée de vin rouge de Bourgogne, de lardons, d’oignons et d’échalotes revenus au beurre.”

Next lunch is planned for Friday 3 March. I am curious if we can go well over 30 guests!

Hegang Xiaochuan and La Taverne disappeared

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Laohe Taitai Hegang Xiaochuan

That was the name of what we called “Chinese BBQ”; Hegang Xiaochuan and La Taverne disappeared from the larger Gongti area. The Hegang Skewers were located on Xindong Road, corner Xingfusancun 4th Alley, in the basement. It has been totally renovated and a new restaurant should open in the near future.
We liked that place, typical Chinese only. Friendly staff, pretty tasty skewers, hotpot and other dishes. And cheap.

I guess it closed due to poor business with COVID.
Beijing is becoming infamous by the many restaurants going bust. Often major reasons are excessive rents and poor management.

La Taverne is gone

La Taverne was on Gongti Xi Lu, fairly popular with French people. I liked the environment, interior was cozy, the outside area very comfortable and pleasant. We have very few outside seating like that in the larger Sanlitun area.
The restaurant was plagued by successive changes in its management and chefs. At times quality could be poor but they had some nice dishes.

Why it closed, no idea. The whole area was changed and one would not recognize the place. It is now part of an office building with a different gate.
I will miss those two places.

Chez Soi is now Le Sud

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Chez Soi

Chez Soi is now Le Sud but I must admit I miss the previous version. Caroline has always been very friendly and welcoming and I keep visiting the new place.
Chez Soi was never a luxury top-level restaurant but the atmosphere was cozy, some of the dishes were pretty good and overall prices were rather cheap. Some of the pizzas were very tasty.

See some of the many dishes I enjoyed. Looking at them I feel hungry…
Yes the windows were pretty bad and needed renovation, Of course Chez Soi also suffered from the COVID problems and many forced closures. These 3 COVID years have taken a big toll on business.
Major renovation was done for the new restaurant, very well done.

Le Sud first visit

Our first visit on 14 November 2022 was, well, a bit disappointing.
The dishes: crab salmon, foie gras, beef Wellington, bouillabaisse, Ile flottante, apple tart plus a couple of IPA. The bouillabaisse was a joke and the Wellington was (for me at least) a weird version.

Overall price was rather high, too expensive for the quality and quantity.

Bouillabaisse is a traditional Provençal fish stew originating in the port city of Marseille. This is how it is supposed to look like! There are some different ways to prepare and serve but here you find a good introduction.

Back to Le Sud

On 2 January 2023 we tried again. This time we were much more happy with our choice.

Better choice of beers and the heating was also better. Friendly service.
I was not convinced at all by the fries. Soggy.
The duck was great.
I will surely return to test more!

Old China Hands lunch 8 November

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Modest crowd

Our Old China Hands lunch 8 November saw a grand total of 25, due to COVID complications and other. It was somehow good to have a reduced crowd as CCTV4 was running around filming us and Morel’s Restaurant has a lack of staff.
Yeah CCTV4 is making (again) a documentary about me…

But food was great again. This time we saw pockets of French, German, Flemish and English speaking corners, making it pretty international…

Our Hutong Man

Once again Terry in the news. this time on BRTV (Beijing Radio and TV). who shows his Chinese skills and how he is part of the hutong community.

Link of the video clip is here.
Google translation (edited) from the introduction:
“Unexpected Beijing”  American Gao Tianrui, I am “Xichengyang Aunt”
BRTV Youth 21 October 2022
Gao Tianrui from the USA has lived in Beijing for 27 years. A few years ago, he set up his home in a hutong near Shichahai in Beijing, and developed a strong interest in the work of community volunteers. In 2017, he joined the volunteer team of “Aunt Xicheng” and became a member of the Ping An volunteers in Xicheng District, and became well-known. Wearing a red vest and a red armband he is regularly walking in the alleys of Shichahai, enjoying volunteering. His favorite idiom is “helping others.” For him, the Shichahai community is his home.

See previous posts here.

Best Belgian food in Beijing (3)

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Afternoon tea

Best Belgian food in Beijing (3) focuses on afternoon tea, a typical Dutch sandwich and flowers. Of course in Morel’s Restaurant.

The restaurant is open in the afternoon and is popular for its sumptuous afternoon tea.

What is a “smos sandwich”?

Friends who are regulars are sometimes treated to unusual specials, like the Martino and also the broodje smos, or smos or smoske.

A smos sandwich, sometimes called smos or smoske, is the Flemish name for a sandwich or piece of baguette often topped with cheese, ham, vegetables and egg slices. The name comes from the Flemish word ‘smossen’ which means to spill. So much topping is put in between the sandwich that it often spills while eating. In Wallonia the name “dagobert” is used, and in Brussels “sandwich club”.

The bun is first spread with mayonnaise or another sauce and then topped with vegetables and slices of hard-boiled egg. Vegetables that are used include lettuce, tomato and cucumber. Usually cheese and/or ham or, for example, crab salad is also added. There are also variants where deep-frying products such as a frikandel or meat croquette are placed between the sandwich.

In the province of Antwerp and in Sint-Niklaas, they use the word smos for a sandwich without cheese and ham with only vegetables on it. In that case, you order a smos and say the topping that goes on after it (for example a smos cheese or smos ham). If you order a smos in West Flanders, Sint-Niklaas or in Antwerp, you can receive different sandwiches.
The sandwich has similarities with the Dutch sandwich “gezond”.

A flower paradise

Susan Morel and her team also takes care of the wonderful flower arrangements, and some flower gifts for the ladies. As mentioned earlier Susan has become a real master florist.

I admit many of the flowers I have no idea about. She sources them from all over China.