Golden Straw Hat
Let me talk about two restaurants I’ve visited in Wangjing. Golden Straw Hat is located in Wangjing Xiyuan District 4. The Wangjing Xiyuan area hides countless Korean and Japanese restaurants. I say “hides” because many of these places don’t even have signboards; you have to enter through a small door and go up to the second floor to discover a whole new world. This restaurant is a perfect example—it’s very hard to find. Actually, we hadn’t planned to come here originally; we intended to go to Brother Pig BBQ across the street, but since there was a long queue there and no line at this place, we decided to try it instead.
The restaurants here each have their own specialties: some focus on grilled meat, others on pork rib soup, ginseng chicken soup, or beef tripe. This particular one specializes in sashimi. Speaking of which, this was my first time trying Korean-style sashimi. True to the tradition of Korean restaurants offering numerous side dishes, this place was no exception. Three of us ordered a set meal for three, and the spread was quite generous… Salad, sushi, stir-fried rice cakes, mashed sweet potato, kimchi, tempura, sweet corn, seafood soup, and bibimbap—all served one after another. It’s easy to get full just from all these sides…
Of course, the highlight was the sashimi: salmon, surf clam, squid, abalone, sea snail, oysters, shrimp, and large fish head… Most of it was fairly fresh, except the oysters which were just average. There was also something quite amazing—live octopus tentacles! They were still alive when served, wriggling around on the plate… ~~
At the end, there was also a big pot of soup…
Personally, I think next time three people could easily share a set meal for two… As for other aspects, the ambiance is average, service is so-so, and smoking is allowed inside the restaurant…
Xi Yue Tai
Xi Yue Tai is located in the podium building of the Mercedes-Benz showroom at Lixing Plaza. A lot of people visit during lunchtime, probably office workers from nearby grabbing a quick workday meal~~~ We arrived quite late, and by the time we were finishing up, there were hardly any customers left, so I managed to snap a photo of the interior:
As for the food, the variety isn’t extensive, and the flavors are quite typical of Thai cuisine adapted for Chinese tastes. Still, it’s really good, especially the Lime Sea Bass—the tangy flavor is absolutely delicious~~~~
Fresh Shrimp and Glass Noodle Salad
Lime Sea Bass
Yellow Curry Beef Brisket
Charcoal Grilled Pork Neck
If you ever get the chance to visit Wangjing, this restaurant is definitely a must-try~~~~
Photos in this post taken with SONY NEX-5R + 16-50mm f3.5-5.6, post-processed in Lightroom.
Support
