Liqun Roast Duck

Nestled in the Beixiangfeng Hutong nearby Qianmen Avenue, the over 20-year-old restaurant truly explains the old saying “good wine needs no bush”. Liqun Roast Duck has received many foreign leaders, which can be seen from photos in the restaurant.

In the hole-in-the-wall restaurant, group photos of chefs and foreign leaders are hanged on the walls on both sides of narrow passage. After turning left and then right along the passage, you will arrive at a modest quadrangle for guests to enjoy meals. As there’s no table reserved in advance, you can choose your seat at will.

Roast duck is of course the must-order dish, and mixed vegetable salad can help to cleanse the palate of duck meat. In a short ten minutes after you order dishes, well-sliced roast duck will be presented on your table. Pancakes are offered with moderate thickness, soybean paste is fragrant but not too sweet, and duck meat is fat but not greasy, with crisp skins especially nearly the rump.

However, duck feet with mustard, shall be one of the most surprising dishes. The duck feet are pickled beforehand, with bones removed. With mustard, it tastes fresh and flavored especially in the summer.

Donglaishun

Founded in 1903, Donglaishun is one of the most famous time-honored brands in China. The founder of Donglaishun is the Hui people named Ding Deshan, and the name of Dong laishun means that coming from the east, everything will be successful. 

Halal cuisine served in Donglaishun presents an important branch of Beijing cuisine. Among all dishes provided in Donglaishun, the most famous one must be instant-boiled mutton. With its closely selected ingredients, fine slicing techniques, flavoured seasonings and comprehensive services, Donglaishun enjoys a high reputation among the public. 

Besides the ordinary people, Donglaishun also becomes a popular place for famous people to gather together. Great men including Chairman Mao, Deng Xiaoping, Lao She, Qi Baishi and so on all came to dine in Donglaishun or entertain others.

Tanghulu

Bingtanghulu （Candied Haw on a Stick） is a traditional Chinese snack that originated in the Southern Song Dynasty，which is a common snack in winter in the north. Bingtanghulu is usually made of hawthorn. When the sugar dilution meets the wind and freezes hard, it turns into iced sugar gourd. It tastes sour and sweet, and is also very icy.

Hawthorn has many medicinal properties, it can disperse bruises, stop dysentery, especially to help digestion. Besides, it can also lower blood lipids and serum cholesterol. Therefore, Bingtanghulu has the effect of appetizing, nourishing, increasing intelligence, eliminating fatigue. Bingtanghulu can be found everywhere in the streets of Beijing, and with a variety of additions and flavors to choose from. In addition to the traditional ones, there are also strawberry Bingtanghulu, banana Bingtanghulu, orange Bingtanghulu, and honey date Bingtanghulu, depending on the raw materials used to make them.

The earliest Bingtanghulu shops are "Furenquan", "Jiulongzhai", "Xinyuanzhai" and "Quanfu De", which are several time-honored stores that sell candied fruit. You can buy them from these stores or buy a few bunches from the stalls along the street for a few RMB.

Kaorouji

Established in 1848, the 28th year of the Daoguang period in the Qing Dynasty, Kaorouji now has a history of around 170 years. Kaorouji is located in Shichahai, a beautiful scenic spot in Beijing and is a famous time-honored restaurant in Beijing, specializing in Beijing barbecue and halal dishes. Kaorouji has the reputation of "South Wan and North Ji". South Wan refers to a barbecue restaurant called Kaorouwan in the south of Beijing at that time, while North Ji refers to Kaorouji which was located in the north of Beijing at that time. In 2006, the roast lamb cooking skill of Kaorouji was identified as Beijing Intangible Cultural Heritage. At the same year, China Time-honored Brand was re-conferred on Kaorouji by National Trade Ministry.

Sugar Figure Blowing Art

Sugar Figure Blowing is an old Beijing trading, one of the Chinese folk handicrafts with a history of more than 600 years. According to legend, its ancestor was Liu Bo Wen, the chancellor of the Ming Dynasty.

The craftsman uses a small spatula to take a little hot sugar, put it on his hands covered with talcum powder and rub it. Then use the mouth to hold up one end, after blowing bubbles, quickly placed in the wooden mold coated with talcum powder, and then blow hard. After a short while, open the wooden mold, the sugar man you want to blow is ready. Finally, stick the hot sugar on the sugar figure with one stick of the reed, and the work is done.

There are various shapes of candy men, such as deer, goldfish, rats, lanterns, etc. The most popular one among children is the monkey-shaped sugar figure. After the monkey-shaped candy man is done, knock a small hole in the monkey's back and pour in some sugar syrup. Then poke a small hole in the monkey's buttocks to let the syrup flow out slowly. A bowl made of rice is placed underneath, and a spoon made of rice is used to scoop the sugar from the bowl and eat it. When the sugar is finished or cooled and solidified, it is eaten together with the monkey-shaped sugar figure and the bowl and spoon made of rice.

In the early years, the sugar blowing craftsmen used to carry a stretcher to the market and the temple fair. Now, sugar Figure Blowing art has become an intangible cultural heritage. Whenever you look at the crystal-clear sugar figures, it will always evoke the dusty childhood memories.

Lv Da Gun (Daoxiangcun)

Lv Da Gun, also known as Rolling Donkey, is steamed glutinous rice roll mixed with red beans or brown sugar and skinned by soybean flour. It is a traditional Manchurian food, and now is one of the most famous snacks in Beijing and Tianjin area. During the Qing Dynasty, it was a popular dessert among the palace and dignitaries.

With yellow, red and white three colors, Lv Da Gun attracts people at the first glimpse. During its cooking process, the final step is to cover the glutinous rice roll with soybean flour, and the flying yellow powder seems like flying yellow dust caused by donkeys when they are running; therefore, the snack got its name: Lv Da Gun. It is a vivid analogy. The ingredients of Lv Da Gun include millet flour, soybean flour, white sugar, sesame oil and so on.