Old Character Hakka (Lao Hanzi Kejia Caiguan)
Cuisine
Hakka
Hours
Daily 11:30am-2pm and 5:30-11pm
Location
Sanlitun Bei Jie, Chaoyang Northeast
Transportation
Walking north on bar street, take 2nd left, then 1st right
Phone
010/6415-3376
Prices
Meal for 2 „80-„100 ($10-$12)
Credit Cards
Not accepted

The Hakka, or "guest people" (Kejiaren), are Han from central China who migrated southeast generations ago but never managed to integrate. Forced by discrimination to live in isolated communities in the poor mountainous regions, they kept to their separate culture -- and cooking traditions.

A historically marginal cuisine, Hakka food has over the past 2 years become the center of epicurean fashion in Beijing, largely because of this restaurant. The owner, a local artist, designed the space with a rustic motif: thick wood tables, stone floors, crinkled character-laden wallpaper next to patches of exposed brick, and waitresses in peasant garb. Enjoyable as the dining rooms are, it is the kitchen that keeps lines of customers winding out the door.

The cooking style is hard to define vis-a-vis other cuisines available in the city, but ask regular patrons to explain the difference and most will give a quick answer: It's better. The yanju xia (shrimp skewers served in rock salt) and lancai sijidou (diced green beans with ground pork) are both divine. The one dish you'll find on every table is mizhi zhibao luyu, a "secret recipe paper-wrapped fish" -- tender and nearly boneless, in a sweet sauce you'll want to drink.

Eclectic

The Courtyard (Siheyuan)
Cuisine
Fusion
Hours
Mon-Sat 6-10:30pm; Sun 11am-2pm
Address
Donghua Men Lu 95
Location
On north side of street, Dongcheng (City Center)
Transportation
Metro: Tian'an Men Dong (117); east side of Forbidden City
Reservations
Reservations recommended on weekends
Phone
010/6526-8883
Prices
Main courses „160-„320 ($20-$40)
Credit Cards
AE, DC, MC, V

If you read the food magazines, this is the only Beijing restaurant you're likely to know about. Owned by a Chinese-American lawyer with family roots in Beijing, the Courtyard serves admirable fare but wins the most accolades for its setting, in a restored courtyard-style house next to the Forbidden City.

The house's gray brick exterior still blends with its old Beijing surroundings, but inside is a different world: modernist white and glass, with tall art-hung walls and a beckoning staircase that leads to a contemporary art gallery in the basement. The food is genuine fusion, competently executed though somewhat over-hyped. Cashew-crusted lamb chop and Alaskan black cod with baby bok choy are longtime favorites. The tender grilled chicken breast in lemon grass and coconut curry is among the best poultry dishes the city has to offer, justifying rave reviews almost by itself.

The wine list is more comprehensive than anything this side of Hong Kong, with a surprisingly large number available by the glass. An intimate cigar lounge upstairs, furnished with leather couches, looks out across the Forbidden City's eastern moat. The Sunday brunch set menu is a deal at „150 ($19) for three courses.