Those dishes looked incredible. Gave me some inspiration on some something to make... There's one other dish that I had a long time ago that this reminded me of. Not sure if it's Dong Bei cuisine, but it's likely northern... Not sure what it was called, but it was a braised and shredded pork belly (not dong po rou) served with mantou. You would split the mantou and put in some of the meat and maybe some hot sauce or braising sauce.

Now I'm hungry and it's 1am... time to raid my fridge

If you are cooking (and related to the original title of this thread), I think some of the best books on Chinese cuisine written in English are by Fuchsia Dunlop | The Land of Fish and Rice is particularly good for dishes from around China although her real specialty is Sichuan food and her books on that cuisine are very good. Another fairly comprehensive book is All Under Heaven by Carolyn Phillips...covers all 35 cuisines.

As for the dish you mention, sounds like you might be referring to the Shaanxi Pork Rou Jia Mo? https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-ha...rs-rou-jia-mo/

Thanks but actual I generally eyeball all the stuff I make. I see something on youtube or encounter it in a restaurant that inspires me and I just estimate and tune it when I try. I find if I follow a fixed recipe, I will generally modify it anyway, so just winging it works for me.

As for the dish, it's not Rou Jia Mo. Similar, but not quite the same Rou Jia Mo uses a different bread due to different influences (it's definitely mantou vs. a denser english muffin type). That's also kinda more akin to a "roasted" pork vs. braised. But the best RJM's that I've had were from Shan'xi... In Xi'an actually.

The dish I am thinking about... usually like pulled pork but braised chinese style (but my guess is pork belly instead of pork butt). Usually presented by putting it on a plate in an inverted dome (maybe on a bed of romaine lettuce) and small-ish mantou line the edge. Additional braising sauce on the side. Maybe I'll cobble something together this weekend... Just have to stop at an asian supermarket to pick up a few ingredients. And convince myself not to be lazy.

Wow, looks fabulous! Something I'd definitely would like to try. Most of my culinary experiences have been limited to the South, mostly because I haven't had much cause or a chance to visit the North.

Likewise! Sounds like you guys had a great time, and Beijing is still on my to-do list of cities to visit.

I've lived long enough to realize that things change where today's friends may be tomorrow's enemies only to become friends again later. Of course, while I can't predict the future, what I do know is this: with China's burgeoning and maturing middle class, it's the single most powerfully lucrative market in the history of civilization where no country may ignore indefinitely.

While it's always important to sense how the political winds are blowing--whether it's a headwind or tailwind--it's also important to sense when they may be shifting. While I haven't the foggiest what the future may hold, I suspect it will always be relatively safe for Americans visiting China for general tourism. I mean, it just seems like common sense and courtesy to me that while visiting foreign country, to heed and abide by their criteria, just as I'd expect when foreigners visit mine--I've been to China enough to know that just using some common sense goes a long way ensuring one's kept out of the MSS's crosshairs.

Being a former China expat, after reading that restaurant review, a couple of thoughts were rekindled--
1) I don't miss the smoking or drinking games
2) I don't miss the plates drowning in (沟油 or otherwise) oil3) I don't see a point in spending that much (in terms of a mainland restaurant) when holes-in-the-wall offer equally tasty/nebulous items. Sure, I got fêted a bunch in Shenzhen and Guangzhou, but some of my favorite meals involve Hunan mutongfan 木桶饭, and those .....in' nocturnal street BBQ vendors. The three things I miss most about China are the grottoes, the bumper cars, and those bbq stalls.

That said, if I could find a place around me selling leilajiaoqiezi 擂辣椒茄子 and zhamantou 炸馒头, I'd pay whatever price they ask.

The last couple of pages of post do highlight the variety and diversity of Chinese cuisine, many of which may not be widely known, let alone available outside the specific regions of China, let alone outside the country. There's a common expression used that a certain place (specific establishment, village/town or region) is famed for its specialty dish. That's an expression commonly used at least in SE Asia too, and people will travel to dine at those places. I even had a friend who grew up in Taiwan who got the impression that Germany was famous for its sausages so that's what he wanted to eat there.

Add to that, Chinese menus in general aren't exactly descriptive of what the dishes are so people from outside the locality may not even know what the menu item is. Of course this does extend to other cultures, such as ordering a salad in some parts of France - with the expectation of a plate full of greens - and getting a plate of sausages/cold cut meats.

Smoking is almost a thing of the past. I do miss the version of the dice game that entails removing one die every time you lose. This really tests your brain power because the odds constantly change.
Yeah, 地沟油 is not cool, but honestly isn't common in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai anymore. You almost need to deliberately go to a college area to find it, and even then, you're likely to end up eat at a Blue Frog.
Those things are still on offer, even in fancy shopping malls, but you can also find them in 南锣鼓巷, which is one of the few remaining places in central Beijing that has yet to become (completely) gentrified. I honestly miss the trashy Beijing that no longer exists, for the most part.

However, I am quite confident that you guys will enjoy the plan I put forth 10 years ago:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chin...y-beijing.html

Basically, you get the duck fix at around noon (Made in China), walk for 3-5 hours, and end up in 南锣鼓巷 , where you can eat street food and/or dine at a nice place, such as the one mentioned upthread. You can hit up SLT after that. There is no need for a tour guide because the plan is idiot proof.

Smoking is a thing of the past? I was most recently living in China - in Guangzhou and Shenzhen - at the end of 2019. 2nd-hand lung cancer was still roaring in prominence. Are you referring to upmarket restaurants where smoking is prohibited? I'd say the more...local establishments weren't enforcing anything (e.g. Xiangxi in Luo Hu, Fuyong in Bao'an, and Xiaobei/Sanyuanli in GZ).

As for南锣鼓巷, sounds groovy!

Agree, we wouldn't spend a lot either on a Dong Bei Iron Pot. That link was only to show the dish. The one we went to was indeed a hole in the wall out in Eastern Beijing (northern part of Tongzhou district).

Nostalgia about "western" food perhaps. I remember eating at one such place with my father in H.K. 20-26 years ago partly because it was cheap (set menus). Those kind of places - such as the Café Gloucester - started to pop up in Vancouver a couple of decades ago to cater to immigrants from H.K.. The nostalgia stems from British colonial rule. At least in Malaya (Malaysia and Singapore), the people from HaiNan were - so I've been told - were valued by the British as housekeepers and cooks. Not 100% certain about where the cooks were from but British food with a Chinese touch was certainly available at the Island Country Club and Singapore Cricket Club in Singapore 50+ years ago. For those visiting Singapore, make a stop at Mooi Chin Palace. It is reported to be the oldest HaiNan restaurant in Singapore founded in 1935. I remember going there in the '60 and '70s and was surprised to hear that it's still going strong. One of the dishes my family always had was the pork chops. I found a recipe in a Singaporean cook book a couple of decades and and made it. HP sauce was one of the vital ingredients and canned peas may have been too. My sister who lives in Singapore was there to taste it and she opined it as pretty close to the original.

I'm going to jot this down, and have it on my to-do list, assuming I'd ever get there again. Like your father, one of dishes I always liked in this genre is the "oven baked pork chop rice with some kind of red sauce." I suspect, this is something similar to the pork chops your family liked.

Interestingly enough, there's really, at least to my knowledge, equivalent to this in the Bay Area or Palo Alto. I know, there are offshoots, but when compared to Monterey Park, they're very underwhelming, and really don't do it right.

Wasn't oven-baked or tomato-ey though I think I know what dish you are referring to. IIRC that's a more HK Cantonese construct. FWIW, the dish is the 6th picture (the one above the HaiNan or more accurately perhaps, WenChang, chicken) in link I posted above. Lightly-sautéed onions are one of the other features. I think the pork chops are also coated in either bread crumbs (or a crushed cereal) which is not a Chinese method.

Here's the quote from the reviewer

Here's another review. 4th picture this time.

Yes , the Hainanese chefs and houseboys / waiters were usually in British households & established local families during colonial days .
Do not recall having the Hainanese pork chops at SICC or other clubs recently , but most certainly Hainanese chicken rice is available .
Quite a few at the SIN DO ‘ 19 ( 19 January ) tried a version of the pork chop though at newly opened VioletOon ‘ s at IONOchard

Interesting how the preferences and desires of the British colonials propagated with the Hainanese chefs and houseboys to their households to the cuisine of the local communities which was subsequently being prepared and served by Hainanese who've moved and migrated.

David