As we were staying at the Marriott, we decided to try one of their restaurants for dinner, we wanted to stay within the Asian flare so we chose Pearl, their main dining option.
The restaurant is very elegant and modern, the Chinese sobriety is still reflected in the vast amount of detail in the decor, the silk tapestry in the burnt gold chairs and much more.
The service is good, again do not expect to have a conversation in english with your waitress, they barely can help you answer simple questions as do you have diet coke? Which at sometimes is frustrating, but the food is amazingly cooked and beautifully presented.
Order the abalone, el comes with bock choy and a gravy of some sort two pieces for 288 RY
Also the BBQ pork is outstanding and the braised pork as well! It is so delicate you can feel the crisp of the skin on every bite!
They also have great vegetables, the sautéed mushrooms with bock choy are amazing! And for the more catonese eaters the fried rice and the beef with broccoli is always safe to order.
This same restaurant had a fixed menu during brunch where they offer dim sun, it is really good as well.
I would highly recommend this place, attire, business casual.
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Friday, September 9, 2011
Fine dining Beijing, Pick #1 Capital M
The most amazing food we tried in Beijing was at Capital M restaurant, it is located on No. 2 Qianmen St, Qianmen Pedestrian St, Floor 3. The plaza is still under construction, you might think it is not the right place, believe me, it is the right place! You will regret it if you miss it!
It is very elegant and not very touristy, trendy and chic locals hang out here, the food is superb and the views from their patio are extraordinary, we were there in an overacted night, and still seeing the illuminated Forbidden City roofs and Tianmen Square lights was amazing!
The menu is a combination of french fusion and modern European cousin I would say... the service is amazing, the atmosphere of the place transports you to a 1950's glamour hard to find these days. The food and drinks are pricy, but it is perfect for a special evening with loved ones! My favorite appetizer was the figs with pancetta and seared pears, oh my gosh, it was to die for!
Dress code: Dressy chic, guys are not required to wear a jacket but you see a lot of jeans with sports coats.
The presentation of the dishes is so pretty and elegant, our favorite entre was the Mushroom Risotto with Truffles, SUPERB! Also the veal paillard is great, the portions are not small, they are perfect!
As appetizers I think we will all agree in the figs with prosciutto, I gave it a solid 10!
Dessert wise, I would choose the Mille Feuille, it is so delicate and fresh you would think it was flown from La Duree, the orange soufflé is good, but nothing extraordinary.
I would go back to this restaurant in heart beat!!
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It is very elegant and not very touristy, trendy and chic locals hang out here, the food is superb and the views from their patio are extraordinary, we were there in an overacted night, and still seeing the illuminated Forbidden City roofs and Tianmen Square lights was amazing!
The menu is a combination of french fusion and modern European cousin I would say... the service is amazing, the atmosphere of the place transports you to a 1950's glamour hard to find these days. The food and drinks are pricy, but it is perfect for a special evening with loved ones! My favorite appetizer was the figs with pancetta and seared pears, oh my gosh, it was to die for!
Dress code: Dressy chic, guys are not required to wear a jacket but you see a lot of jeans with sports coats.
The presentation of the dishes is so pretty and elegant, our favorite entre was the Mushroom Risotto with Truffles, SUPERB! Also the veal paillard is great, the portions are not small, they are perfect!
As appetizers I think we will all agree in the figs with prosciutto, I gave it a solid 10!
Dessert wise, I would choose the Mille Feuille, it is so delicate and fresh you would think it was flown from La Duree, the orange soufflé is good, but nothing extraordinary.I would go back to this restaurant in heart beat!!
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Catholic Church in Beijing
There are not many Catholic churches in Beijing, I found a real pretty one near the Forbidden City, the name is Xuanwumen Catholic Church, it is a beautiful Cathedral and it offers services in english on sundays at 10:30 am and 1:30 pm, the address is No. 141 Qianmen W. St (Outer w. Tian'anmen Square)
This will become in handy, believe it is not easy to find Catholic churches around the city.
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This will become in handy, believe it is not easy to find Catholic churches around the city.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Thursday, September 8, 2011
What NOT to expect in China, Beijing
1) Do not wear sandals, the streets are very dirty and dusty, also you have random pieces of glass and other stuff getting stuck on you!
2) Do not expect to get restaurant service after 9:45 pm
3) Do not expect people to speak english even in American driven hotels or restaurants.
4) Do not expect to finish a shopping transaction fast if you want to get a good price on things, if you want to pay the real price for anything give yourself at least 20 mins and lower the asked price by 50 - 60%
5) Do not expect to find Occidental style toilets in the streets! Specially in Beijing the only place for a tourist to use the restroom is in a hotel!!
6) Do not expect to find a cab pass 4 pm, we stood in line for a cab for over an hour!! and when we finally got one the driver decided that he would not take us cause it was his dinner time!
7) Do not expect to be in touch through Facebook or Twitter with your family or friends, it is blocked in regular computers, maybe you can get it in your iphone...
8) Do not expect to have one single free minute in your day! there are thousands of things to do and see!
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2) Do not expect to get restaurant service after 9:45 pm
3) Do not expect people to speak english even in American driven hotels or restaurants.
4) Do not expect to finish a shopping transaction fast if you want to get a good price on things, if you want to pay the real price for anything give yourself at least 20 mins and lower the asked price by 50 - 60%
5) Do not expect to find Occidental style toilets in the streets! Specially in Beijing the only place for a tourist to use the restroom is in a hotel!!
6) Do not expect to find a cab pass 4 pm, we stood in line for a cab for over an hour!! and when we finally got one the driver decided that he would not take us cause it was his dinner time!
7) Do not expect to be in touch through Facebook or Twitter with your family or friends, it is blocked in regular computers, maybe you can get it in your iphone...
8) Do not expect to have one single free minute in your day! there are thousands of things to do and see!
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Marriott, City Wall, Beijing
As good South Americans my family followed the tradition of staying in Marriott hotels, we have been staying with the chain for over 20 years and really have not had any bad experiences so far..
For our Beijing stay we chose the City Wall location, curiously the largest of the Marriott outside the United States, the building is beautiful, very modern decor, with gigantic lobby and very nice bar. I will have to warn you they are not very fond of guests that do not consume alcohol while using the wifi at the bar, and drinks are very over priced.... but the good news is that there are plenty of little stores right outside the hotel where you can find snacks and soft drinks/beer to bring back with you.... Also if you are a Marriott rewards member the wifi in the room is free.
Another great thing about the hotel is it's location, when it is not rush hour you can get out of there in no time and be on your way, the problem is that all the new overpass constructions make it impossible to loop to the other side of the street in less than 15 mins, so keep that in mind when you plan to head out for tours or restaurant reservations.
The hotel is very well equipped with an amazing gym, fabulous spa and magnificent indoor pool! The room are very very nice and spacious for Asian standards, the bathroom has a bathtub and a standing shower, very big plus when you are walking 9 hours a day!
The restaurants in the hotel are amazing! The room service is nothing out of the ordinary, but it is not bad either... you will be better off paying for the buffet and eating a REALLY nice brunch! Think is around 180 Yuan a person, it is worth it!
Problem: NO FLUENCY in english! we had such a hard time trying to make people understand us! Frustrating at some times, but I guess they would think the same of us if they were visiting the US....
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For our Beijing stay we chose the City Wall location, curiously the largest of the Marriott outside the United States, the building is beautiful, very modern decor, with gigantic lobby and very nice bar. I will have to warn you they are not very fond of guests that do not consume alcohol while using the wifi at the bar, and drinks are very over priced.... but the good news is that there are plenty of little stores right outside the hotel where you can find snacks and soft drinks/beer to bring back with you.... Also if you are a Marriott rewards member the wifi in the room is free.
Another great thing about the hotel is it's location, when it is not rush hour you can get out of there in no time and be on your way, the problem is that all the new overpass constructions make it impossible to loop to the other side of the street in less than 15 mins, so keep that in mind when you plan to head out for tours or restaurant reservations.
The hotel is very well equipped with an amazing gym, fabulous spa and magnificent indoor pool! The room are very very nice and spacious for Asian standards, the bathroom has a bathtub and a standing shower, very big plus when you are walking 9 hours a day!
The restaurants in the hotel are amazing! The room service is nothing out of the ordinary, but it is not bad either... you will be better off paying for the buffet and eating a REALLY nice brunch! Think is around 180 Yuan a person, it is worth it!
Problem: NO FLUENCY in english! we had such a hard time trying to make people understand us! Frustrating at some times, but I guess they would think the same of us if they were visiting the US....
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Beijing Quanjude Hepingmen Roast Duck Restaurant
Our first night in Beijing and we all wanted to have the traditional Peking Duck, my grandfather remembered this place that claims to be the originators of this amazing dish!
The place is called: "Quanjude Hepingmen Roast Duck Restaurant", it is located very close to the Forbidden City, not much traffic at night, the building is gigantic so you wont miss it.
The restaurant is very local, very casual and not very fancy, but the food is amazing, well priced and fast! And on top of that it gives you a certificate with the tag of the duck you have ordered! Very cute!
260 yuan for whole duck....
People are very humble and nice, just remember to get there at last an hour before 9 pm, it closes very early!!! they also have a full menu a la carte with typical cantonese dishes.
Enjoy!
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Never fly UNITED internationally
Never ever ever travel international with United Airlines, it has been a nightmare, first of all avoid buying tickets on continental.com if they are operated by United. I have spent the last week trying to figure out how to convert my reservation to a United ticket so it can be linked to a Mileage Plus account they made me create, cause apparently although Continental and United are one company, their miles are NOT available to use in each others counters.....
So after spending a whole day on the phone with the Star Alliance desk splitting my reservation in bits and pieces, setting out my new mileage account and transferring miles, I finally get my husband and I in a first class fare.... They send the email confirmation but tell me the ticket will be issued at the airport upon check in.... Well, surprise surprise it was not done! My husband appear in their records and not me.... The incompetent people in the counter can not figure out how retrieve all of our accurate information, making this start of vacation a living nightmare! After one hour in the gate I have to settle with one first class ticket and one economy plus middle seat...
It gets even better 6 hours into the flight I decide to stretch my legs and go see my husband in first class and a very rude flight attendant, demands in a very aggressive tone for me to leave the cabin since this is exclusively for first class passengers, adding that if I have to talk to my husband he needs to go to the back of the plane.... Are you F....ING kidding me!
So here I am half way into my flight typing furiously cause there is going to be a long long long letter in the HR department at Continental and United as soon as we land.
Since when flying became such a hassle!? It is horrible, uncomfortable and with nasty toilets, so long Continental, it was nice while it lasted but I will NEVER take another flight longer than 3 hours in this carrier, it has been an absolute disaster!
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So after spending a whole day on the phone with the Star Alliance desk splitting my reservation in bits and pieces, setting out my new mileage account and transferring miles, I finally get my husband and I in a first class fare.... They send the email confirmation but tell me the ticket will be issued at the airport upon check in.... Well, surprise surprise it was not done! My husband appear in their records and not me.... The incompetent people in the counter can not figure out how retrieve all of our accurate information, making this start of vacation a living nightmare! After one hour in the gate I have to settle with one first class ticket and one economy plus middle seat...
It gets even better 6 hours into the flight I decide to stretch my legs and go see my husband in first class and a very rude flight attendant, demands in a very aggressive tone for me to leave the cabin since this is exclusively for first class passengers, adding that if I have to talk to my husband he needs to go to the back of the plane.... Are you F....ING kidding me!
So here I am half way into my flight typing furiously cause there is going to be a long long long letter in the HR department at Continental and United as soon as we land.
Since when flying became such a hassle!? It is horrible, uncomfortable and with nasty toilets, so long Continental, it was nice while it lasted but I will NEVER take another flight longer than 3 hours in this carrier, it has been an absolute disaster!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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