Jamie Olivar’s May 19 Food Revolution Day – Organic Food Fair in Beijing At the Hutong

Hello Hello. I know it’s been a long time. Site got hacked a few months ago and going through some photos of places that i’ve visited recently in Beijing and will be posting soon. In the meantime, I want to do a quick shout out to the folks at The Hutong for their organic food fair on Sat May 19th in Beijing. In celebration with Jaime Olivar’s Food Revolution Day, The Hutong is hosting a fair of organic farmers and producers from around the city. For just 50 RMB entrance fee, you’ll be able to browse vendors, learn about composting, urban farming, watch cooking demos by Hutong Chef Sue Zhou, and sample treats.

Vendors include:

Durenwu Farm
Sanling Eggs and Chicken
Le Fromager de Pekin
Green Neighborhood Compost
Green Yard Dairy
Hona Organic Soy Sauce and Bean Paste

More info here:  http://thehutong.com/blog/organic-food-fair/

BreadTalk Cafe

Ok before you dis the silly name, check out what they actual have to sell. That’s what I did one day when the line at Starbucks was annoyingly long and I immediately became a huge fan of BreadTalk. Unlike all the faux bakery places here in Beijing, at BreadTalk you can get good decent bread (of course) and also some really unusual, great tasting combinations of bakery goods that you can’t get anywhere else. Each pastry is sells in the range of 6-8 RMB ($.75 – $1.20)

For example, one of my favorites is the toast with ham and egg. Something you could make at home OR just get on the run at BreadTalk!!! They also have a ton of these ‘cutesy’ pastries such as the coco bear filled with chocolate and coconut (it is Asia after all – think Hello Kitty).

I think BreadTalk has some real potential, and would love to see how it would do in the states. So far it’s pretty successful with over 400 bakery stores in 16 countries such as Singapore, China, Hong Kong, South Korea and the Middle East. The holding company also operates more than 10 Michelin Star Din Tai Fung restaurants in Singapore and Thailand, as well as over 30 award-winning Food Republic food atriums in Singapore, PRC, Hong Kong and Malaysia.

I also like that I can get an Americano at BreadTalk for a fraction of the price at Starbucks and then walk through the Starbucks cafe on my way to work.

Hangzhou Baozi Stand Chaoyangmenwai 杭州包子店 朝阳们外大街 北京

I recently discovered this tiny baozi jiaozi stand in the parking lot of the huge ICBC bank on Chaoyangmenwaidajie. It is run by some hardworking (as with most operations this size) a mother father and son family from Hangzhou. 

A plate of fresh jiaozi or baozi is just 5 RMB (about 80 cents USD) and a fresh bowl of beef noodles is just 9 RMB, get both for less than the price of a Starbucks coffee!

Jian bing 煎饼 food cart beijing

While food trucks are not allowed in Beijing there are plenty of food carts. One of the more popular types is the jian bing 煎饼 (a crepe with and egg, coriander, green onion, spicy paste and a crispy fried dough) carts.

I found this one near the chao yang men subway stop. With a double burner, they can crank out the jianbing twice as fast. Also the crepes are much larger than usual and they throw in some lettuce as well. Check it out – most days of the week except for sunday.

Durian Cheescake, Seriously

Yeah saw this sign outside a cafe in a hutong near the Lama Temple (雍和宫）. Didn’t stop in to try it, sounds kind of disgusting actually. Haha maybe next time.

S

New 2011 Chinese Embassy Visa Application Form 2011 China V 2011B Visa Application Form.pdf Dowload

I just moved out to China a few weeks ago and I thought as my first post I would do something to help all those out there who are thinking about visiting China and need to apply for a visa. The Chinese visa application process has changed a lot since their latest update in 2007. You can not use the Q2007 form anymore, in fact the guards check to make sure you have the right form at the door and won’t even let you into the embassy if you are using an older China Visa application form.

Download The New 2011 Chinese Visa Application Form 2011 ChinaV.2011B Visa Application Form.pdf Here

Download The New 2011 Chinese Visa Supplementary Application Form 2011 ChinaV.2011B Visa Application Form.pdf Here **You only need this if you are applying for a student or working Z visa**

Download The New 2011 Chinese Visa Instructions Application Form 2011 ChinaV.2011B Visa Application Form.pdf Here

A few tips for filling out the new China V2011B Visa Application Form

1) Make Copies! Make 2 copies of your passport (you can make copies at the embassy but they only take coins, and there’s usually a long line. Save yourself time and make 2 copies prior to visiting). They should only ask for one copy and you should keep the extra copy for yourself for safekeeping (give it to a friend who isn’t travelling with you).

2) Best time to drop off your visa application (New York Embassy): The good thing about the new form is that the line is a lot shorter now that most people are turned away at the door with the older form, however as more people figure this out, you’ll start seeing the huge line soon. Most people go on a Monday and pickup on Thursday. I like going on Friday dropping off, and then picking up on Weds. Either way, if you are dropping off your application, you should expect to arrive around 8:45AM in order to get a good place in line.

Hope this helps you with your Chinese visa application! Next post will definitely be food related as I am beginning to try out lots of new and local restaurants here in Beijing.

-S

Chinese Delivery – Welcome To The Zhong Guo

Hi all, I just moved to Beijing today for a new job and new life in China. It’s really exciting and nice to be back in Beijing. Although I visit almost every year, the last time I actually lived here was over 8 years ago. A lot has changed obviously and not only with the modernization of the city but also the local tastes and availability of food here. Of course I will still be doing a lot of blogging (I hope) about the local foods here but also will be checking out the new hotspots for Western restaurants as well. If you have any suggestions, questions or crazy requests please let me know and I’ll do my best to blog about it.

Best,
Simon
October 7, 2011

The Best of Currywurst in Berlin Germany

I spent a few days in Berlin last month trying to eat as much local streetfood as possible. Had a ton of Döner, and some “JFK’s” AKA Berliner. While you can pretty much get döner and jelly donuts anywhere (maybe not as good as Berlin), I was especially blown away by the currywurst in Berlin. I should be of course because Currywurst was invented in Berlin in 1949 when a local named Herta Heuwer obtained packets of ketchup, worchester sauce and curry powder from British Soldiers and served it over grilled wursts with fries.

Currywurst is usually prepared with a grilled sausage (wurst) a side of fries, and topped with the magical curry ketchup sauce. Herta Heuwer, the inventor of Currywurst, actually patented her sauce mix called Chillup.

You can find currwurst all over Berlin, from lowly makeshift streetstands/carts to high end restaurants.

At Tegel Airport there’s a gutted railcar that serves a decent plate of currywurst. (It’s a great place to enjoy a beer as well before your flight)

Currywurst Recipe
3 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 pound kielbasa
2 tablespoons chili sauce
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pinch paprika
Curry powder to taste

Currywurst is also pretty easy to make. Broil your sausage, mix the above mix in a saucepan and cook for several minutes and then pour over your grilled wurst. Serve with fries. Enjoy!

How’s Your Lasagna? Ever Try Marie Callender’s?

I went to a food blogger dinner a few weeks ago that was hosted by Food TV’s George Duran and NBC’s Phil Lepert. It was in the west village, and we started with some fresh sangria and then headed downstairs for a formal dinner with the hosts.

We spoke about various food topics such as buying organic, CSA’s, and debating which supermarket chains are worth supporting (Trader Joe’s).

We also talked a lot about how to balance your meals not just with quality of foods (organic, local) but also prepared and non-prepared. Phil drove the conversational topics while George talked about the food we were enjoying. We started with a Strawberry Arugula Salad with honey balsamic vinegar, then main course of double stacked Italian Lasagna with pepperoni, seasoned beef, and sausage with four cheeses. The lasagna was served alongside herbed cheesy garlic bread. Finally we finished with a Mojito granita shot and a razzleberry pie a la mode.

Well, to our surpise the Lasagna and the Razzleberry Pie were both from Marie Callender’s. It surprised everyone in the room and was a lot better than I ever expected. Crazy!

Having a “JFK” aka Berliner aka Pfannkuchen in Berlin

Get the joke? No? Remember JFK’s famous speech? “Ich bin ein berliner” – well kind of means that he’s a Berliner which is a jelly donut. What’s kind of confusing is that in Berlin they don’t call them Berliners (who know’s why?) but they are called pfannkuchen – which means pancake everywhere else in Germany. Confused? Yeah, just call it a JFK and maybe it will stick over time.

Found some at a cafe in the Metro near Potsdamer Platz
Considering it was from a metro cafe, it wasn’t all that bad, not as good as say donut plant in NY’s East Village but still great with coffee. Enjoy!!!