FANG SHAN

When I was a kid, my parents took me to eat at a popular restaurant by the sea in Beihai. At that time, I wanted to eat at Fangshan. When I grew up and earned money, I went there on my own. The food here is cooked with real craftsmanship, without technology and very lively. It tastes different from other restaurants outside.

This fragrant restaurant was originally located along the lake at the east gate of Beihai Park, but later moved to the north side of the lake. The interior is well decorated, but due to the control on the use of fire, the original dishes of the restaurant were not very delicious.

The prices in this restaurant are indeed quite expensive, even though they claim to serve imperial cuisine. However, there are still a few dishes that are more affordable. Abalone, shark's fin, and fish maw are only eaten occasionally. Nowadays, there are more varieties of food, and I don't think the food the emperors ate was that good.

The old-fashioned imperial cuisine in Beijing is called "Fangshan" because it imitates the imperial cuisine of the Qing Palace. Its founder was once a chef in the Qing Palace. All the decorations in the restaurant are very royal, and even the waiters are dressed in the style of princesses. Walnut cakes, pea cakes, and dream-fulfilling sesame cakes are all classic palace snacks. The sesame cakes are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and the minced meat is sweet and delicious; the pea yellow has a delicate taste; the kung pao shrimp is sweet and sour; the crispy duck is fried but not greasy. The restaurant is located in Beihai Park. After dinner, take a stroll in the park and enjoy the imperial city style.

Fangshan Fangshan, as the name implies, is modeled after the imperial kitchen. However, I didn’t understand the meaning of this restaurant by the name, but only understood it after reading the introduction. Fangshan is in Beihai Park, and it only takes one minute to get to the Nine Dragon Wall. I learned about this restaurant from Shi Tiesheng’s “Autumn Memories”, but my friend said that it was state-owned and cheap before, but it is not now. The dishes inside are delicious, and the prices are a bit expensive. However, there is a promotion on Wednesday for China Merchants Bank credit cards, which is still a good deal.

It is located next to the Nine Dragon Wall at the west gate of Beihai, which is relatively easy to find. The overall design style is like a palace. I recommend General Tso's Chicken and Palace Roast Duck, which taste just right. The overall cuisine belongs to the Shandong cuisine. As for the various Beijing snacks, I think they are all similar.