Hooters (美国猫头鹰餐厅)

Hooters in the US is known for their beautiful, well-endowed servers.  When Hooters opened in Beijing in 2007, foreigners particularly men flocked the restaurant hoping to be served by these beautiful, well-endowed servers.   However, they were disappointed as Asians are not known to be blessed with big breasts.  Reviews at that time were focused on their servers and not their food.

In any case, I only got the chance to visit this place last month after church.  It wasn’t full as it’s a Sunday and to make up for their lack in bust size, they perform a 30 second dance routine almost every half an hour.  Service was great and the place is filled with flat screen TV tuned in to different sports channel.

Sukhothai Imperial (粟库泰泰式餐厅)

If you’re a Christian expat, you might be worshipping at BICF 21st Century.  If you’re like me, you would be one of the people who attend the 1130am worship service and thus will come out hungry afterwards.  Luckily, Lucky Street (好运街) is just beside 21st Century Hotel.

Lucky Street is a block of restaurants and bars for the hungry and night owls.  In this stretch, Sukhothai beckons to all Thai food lovers.  They have the traditional Tom Yam Kung Soup (RMB28/bowl), Som Tam Thai (Green Papaya Salad, RMB 29), Pad Thai (Rice Noodles with Shrimp and Peanuts, RMB 36) and Rung Nok (Sweet Bird’s Nest with Thai Coconut Milk, RMB 68).  The food their is tasty with a twist of Chinese to cater to the local people.  The interior of the restaurant is typically Thai and they also sell Thai jewelry and gift items.  Oh yeah.. slide the door to your right and not push when you enter the restaurant.

Ciro’s Pomodoro (波莫多洛)

This Italian restaurant is a London chain with branches in Kuwait, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Bucharest, Athens and Thessaloniki.  It is located in Sanlitun at the back of The Village.  They have live music every night, long extended bar and alfresco dining.

The walls in the restaurant are filled with photos of stars who ate in their branches worldwide.  The bar has floor to ceiling cabinets filled with liquor and wines.  The food is fantastic and I’ve eaten a fair share of Italian food in Beijing.  They start you off with free bread with 3 different dips (olive paste, tomato, cream).  I ordered a pizza (RMB 85) which is a favorite of Faye Dunaway.  The pizza is filled with mozarella cheese, tomato sauce, ham, olives, anchiovies and pepperoni.  The pasta (RMB 80)  was heavenly especially the ravioli.  The sauce was creamy and tasty.  A can of coke is RMB 25 each.

Kempi Deli (凯宾美食廊)

Kempi Deli is located at the 1st floor of Kempinski Hotel in Lufthansa Area. This deli is well-known in Beijing for its cake, pastries and bread. As a cake lover in Beijing, it’s quite difficult to find a cake which is delicious, not too sweet, not filled with lots of fruits and affordable.

My journey to Kempi Deli was due to my colleague’s birthday. At first, I was planning to purchase a cake from the Landmark Hotel but they didn’t have one readily available. I was contemplating going to Ritan Park area to purchase my favourite cheesecake but it’s just too far. So, I ended up walking to Kempinski Hotel from my office.

Duck De Chine (全鸭季)

Located in the hidden courtyard at the back of Pacific Plaza in Sanlitun. Duck De Chine is one of the new Peking Duck restaurant which opened up in Beijing. Ken, Bianca and I ate there after attending a birthday drinking session.

The area where the restaurant is located is quite nice and perfect for a garden wedding. It has a homey feel and serenity that is hard to find in a bustling city like Beijing. The ambiance inside the restaurant is one of elegance and quiet beauty. Brown bricks, red lamps, champagnes in cabinets and black cloth tables. It’s a good place to impress your friends and enjoy Beijing’s famous duck.

As for the food, it was superb and perfect! A gong sound accompanied the start of the duck cutting. They have several fill-ins to put along with your duck which wasn’t oily and was cooked just right. The sweet and sour pork reminds me of my mom’s cooking. The only downside is the rice we ordered never came out.