Xi'an: De Fa Chang

Have you ever imagined yourself drowning inside a pool full of dumplings? I guess not huh?! Why would you anyway? – At least I have not, until the day that I visited De Fa Chang Restaurant in Xi’an, China.

Situated around the Muslim Quarter in Xi’an is the famous De Fa Chang Restaurant. A restaurant well-known for it’s wide variety of dumplings. A giant golden dumpling sculpture greets you upon entering this restaurant.

The menu is simple, it comes in sets – from simple to complex combination of dumplings. We took the medium set – 18 types of dumplings + soup + appetizers.

Dumplings were served one basket at the time – 1 basket contains 2 different types of dumplings. By the time we reached our fourth basket, about 8 types of dumplings, we were stuffed! I mean really stuffed!



My mother & sister began to peel off the dumpling skin and started to eat only the fillings inside.


Mom's Plate


Hanna's Plate

Just when you thought that it’s finally over, the waiter comes back with a small broiler and a bowl of dumplings. “This is baby dumplings. Dessert.” – in her thick Chinese accent. “After baby dumplings, that’s it right?” – I just had to ask.

Memories! :)

China: Li Qun Peking Duck

If you happened to visit Beijing, China, there is no excuse for you not to dive into one of it's local food specialties - the Peking Duck.

There are literally restaurants in every corner that serves this dish, so now comes the problem of which one is better than the other. I for myself prefer to visit a place that caters for locals simply because of it's total package - traditional authentic taste in the most perfect setting - rather than go to a place that obviously says "LET'S CAPITALISE ON TOURISTS" on their big outdoor signboards.

I was fortunate enough to be traveling with my parents, especially my mom, she knows where to go best. And so we did... Li Qun Restaurant tucked in a small alley amongst the old original Hutong settlement, serves the best (by far) Peking Duck. The duck is small which makes the meat more tender. It is also noticeable that theres less fat in these smaller ducks - making the dish less oily.

There are a number of famous people and dignitaries that have dined in this same restaurant - Chow Yun Fat, Al Gore, Princess ShilingTong (Thailand), President of Spain, Michelin Star Chef Frederic Chesneau (France) are just to name a few...


It would be a challenge to find this place. Ask people around the area for directions.


Once you hit the sign, just follow the duck drawings to find the place.


Small rundown walkway, in the middle of nowhere.


The outside waiting area. Actually the place itself is very small that there is no inside waiting area, everyone just stands outside to wait for their table. Goodluck during winter!


Traditional Roasting Pit.


Letting the excess oil drip.


Main dinning hall - Small and Packed.


Yumeh!


Wrap + Special Sauce + Spring Onion + Duck


Looks good. Taste even better!

Quick Tips:
1. Call 1-day in advance for reservation.
2. Do not just wait outside without checking on your seat availability every other 15 mins. They will forget you and let others in first even with your reservations.
3. Be prepared to finish eating within 1 hour. There is a time limit for you to enjoy your food. This is just to cater for the amount of customers waiting outside.

Happy Eating! Share your own experience should you happen to visit this place. I want to hear the other side of this story! - should there be... :)

LI QUN
No.11 Beixiangfeng, Zhengyi Road (Qianmen Dongdajie) | Tel: 6705-5578

China: Beijing Part 1

Do's & Dont's

1. Do cross the street with great caution. Green light for pedestrian doesn't guarantee that you wont get hit by a car. Infact, most likely you will get killed when you fail to double check your surroundings.



2. Do not trust the local weather forecast. Deduct about 10°C from the prediction, this means a 20°C forecast is actually around 10°C (this is a very conservative formula). There was a day that seems like it was about 6°C on a 21°C forecast.

3. Do prepare yourself to be locked out from your usual social media sites. Thanks to the Great Firewall of China. These are some of my favourite sites that I has been blocked thus far- Wordpress, Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, Twitpic, YouTube and Google Picassa. I figured a way to make twitter work somehow. (I'll disclose this information privately).

4. Try the local exotic foods. Ranging from baby Sharks to Sheep's penis. I am recommending this out of interest but long term wise, I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't consume any meat that comes from any endangered wildlife animals like Shark's Fins soup and Turtle soup...





5. Visit the 798 Art District apart from the usual tourist spots. Comes highly recommended for artists, art lovers & coffee/tea drinkers. Apart from the artsy fartsy interestingness...you'll also find rows of cafes that serves a variety of Asian Fusion & Western foods. A good break from all the grease of Chinese foods.



6. Take a lot of photos.



7. Learn a few important Chinese phrases. Most of the people in China are not well versed in English. Either you polish up your sign language skills or always carry a pen - draw what you wish to say! (I was requesting for a hairdryer!)



8. Do try to outsmart the Chinese. They are gifted & talented with some awesome skills in outsmarting everyone in different scenarios. Transportation, shopping & directions. Use your imagination before taking their advice.



9. Do not expect people to tell you that someone is trying to pick your bag or your pocket. Most people will just stare and laugh - I think it is syndicated.

10. Find your way to Li Qun Peking Duck place by following the duck drawings. The best peking duck in town visited by a lot of famous people and dignitaries. (I will do a separate post on this!)



So far, these are some tips for everyone before travelling to China. I will add items to the list as I remember other important ones. :)

Yey! Vacay-cay!

I am off to China this afternoon... for a 12-Day holiday with my immediate family. All 4 of us will converge in Beijing from 3 different countries.

Up until now, I am not really too sure on the details of this whole trip and the specific cities we will be visiting - this is something very common when we go on a family trip. My ever dearest mother will plan everything, all we have to do is pack our bags - isn't that great?!. What I know for sure is that we will all be meeting in Beijing! :) I'm so clueless...

I am trying to set some mini goals during this period of time.

1. Do not think about work. No negative thoughts!
2. Do not think about work. No negative thoughts!
3. Do not think about work. No negative thoughts!
4. Rest & relax!
5. Take loads of photos.
6. Eat a lot but not gain weight. (this is hard, and seems impossible!)
7. Don't get lost too often :)
8. Don't get sick.
9. Spend quality time together as a family... and...
10. Just have fun!

Ok, got to clock-in half day today at work.

Ciao!