we appear to walk similar paths. i spent my formative years at a boarding school in exeter, nh and my dad lives in lovell, me. so, my culinary habits are shaped by exeter's 四川 taste and lovell's lobster and blueberries.

for me, beijing's restaurant scene boils down to: 1) the american cafe; 2) the japanese restaurant; and 3) taipan foot massage, where i'm planning to go within 40 mins.

however, since my boss really likes food, i get around. whenever a new restaurant opens, we usually get there within 10 days. unfortunately, yotosuba hasn't panned out yet, but it will.

once again, regarding hatsune (i lost some sleep last night over your continued curiosity), that place doesn't hold a candle to the restaurants my (japanese) girlfriend shuns (osaka-ya, mio sushi, etc) in the other portland. shanghai has plenty of nice japanese restaurants. beijing only has a few, but they are relatively easy to identify.

I teach at a small private college in Maine, so I I have encountered many students from Exeter. I must admit, though, that I have never met anyone from Lovell (south of Bethel, right?).

I haven't been to the American Cafe or to Taipan Foot Massage (although I have read your recommendations about the latter here), so I should put them on my to do list when I'm in town in a few weeks.

I don't really know what constitutes good Japanese food, so I'll take your advice on that. IIRC, TBJ particularly likes Hatsune's service, though, not its food. Am i remembering this wrong?

Incidentally, I totally agree with your assessment of Green T House from a while back. It was one of the ollest places I have ever eaten, but I left feeling hungry.

...and you really don't need to. While I'm a big fan of pretty much everthing they make, were it not for the convenience factor, it would never make my radar. Steak & Eggs is just as good and is near the St Regis, where many of you guys stay.

Absolutely! Taipan is beyond fabulous... and they also have a branch near the St Regis. My friend and I spent 4 hours there today, watched the Departed, ate and drank lots, and got great massages. The total bill was less than Y200 each (including coupons).

My girlfriend is Japanese, has VERY high standards, and has taught me the ropes. Unlike Shanghai, Beijing is pretty weak in this category, but, in spite of the fact that I haven't been there yet, I'm pretty confident that Yotusuba is worth an evening; the reviews simply give off a vibe that isn't typical here.

I appreciate your thorough study of my reviews and am glad that we have similar ideas. But, it is worth mentioning that my boss loves that place (he is 100% ambience/atmosphere).

hey guys, i heard from a friend's friend who visited a Hatsune branch in Shanghai and raved about how great the food and decor was. can someone confirm that? definitely worth a visit if it's not another copy cat! thanks.

decor or not, it's just not very good (imo)

I am reviving this thread to ask about the China Club Sichuan restaurant. Does anybody have any reviews of this, especially as compared to South Beauty near the Peninsula.

O.K. moondog, I'm going to have to try your place over in Blue Castle (is this the one I never found that day you were going to Seoul?). I'm pretty happy with Hatsune, however that's when compared to the sea of garbage that is called sushi here in Beijing. I've eaten at Hatsune about 4x's in the last 10 days, and considering that I live way the heck out here in Wudaokou, you know it's a heckuva a haul out to the Guanghua Bridge

I actually had a bad experience there last week (even though everything else was as good as usual, I felt that the hirame sucked, which is not good because it's in season), but I'm sure I'll be back there within a week (during the interim, it's far easier for me to justify the less-healthy options that comprise the rest of my lunch regimen).

Regarding Beijing sushi in general, I honestly think that the top end is better than almost anything you'll find in the US.... maybe not as creative, but fresher and more interesting fish.

My Blue Castle place doesn't qualify as "top end" by any means, but they still manage to get their product from that market in Tokyo that begins with a T 3x per week, and its lunch prices are really cheap (as cheap as the belt sushi place across the street in the Mitsukoshi). So, bad hirame or not, I'm still a supporter.

When you return from your trip, we'll have to try Yotosuba.

Ken, you live in Wudaokou? I'm guessing maybe you work around Zhongguancun in the tech area? I'm at Beishida (well in Dalian for the next five weeks).

I haven't had good sushi in Beijing, only been to the all you can eat places (which aren't bad at all), so I'd be up for making the long trek to Blue Castle when I get back. Shoot me a PM.

Moondog, let me know next month when you have a chance late next month and maybe the three of us can go...

Hey everyone, a bit of a bump here. I will be in Beijing soon and plan to go to Made in China (for the duck) and China Grill (in our hotel, my gf wants to try it, etc). Outside if these two, which seem admittedly touristy, we hope to try more "authentic" spots.

From the list above, or other ideas, are there any places you'd recommend for a less touristy experience, i.e., somewhere a local might go? As a caveat, we're both mildly adventurous but not into extremes (travel channel type places). Also, my minor annoyance is that i have bad allergies to fish/seafood, so being able to identify what i am eating is ideal!

Thanks for your help!
Phipps

I like the presentation of their duck and the ambiance is cool, but there are many better ducks in town.

Aren't you the person that's only going to be in town for ~17 hours, and staying at the airport? If so, Liqun near Dongzhimen, followed by some Sanlitun action, could be a better bet. For local, you could try Ghost Street or street food in any lively area (the spots that attract lots of people are generally decent).

Good memory (that's actually another leg of the trip)! For the first part, I'll be in town for four nights at the PH Beijing, so there will be more time to spend exploring the city, checking out sights, etc. Given that, I am open to most any type of place and appreciate your/the forum's recommendations!

I'm partial to Sichuanese food and I like South Beauty in the Oriental Plaza, ground floor, east end. I think they have some of the best Gong Bao Ji Ding anywhere. Not many foreigners though a bi-lingual menu. Setting and decor are pleasant.

I also like: Chuan Ban Canting 川办餐厅 at the Sichuan provincial HQ in BJS,
5 Gongyuan toutiao Jianguomennei Dajie 建国门内贡院头条5号
It's Sichuanese and it will have a more low-key feel and I didn't see any other foreigners on my visit in May.

http://www.thebeijinger.com/directory/Restaurants

South Beauty is a pretty big chain, they have branches all over Shanghai. I quite like the place but I don't think they'd be regarded as super high end.