Best Food In China

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The Black Sesame Seed Kitchen is a fun restaurant for foreigner looking for good quality Chinese food. Personally most of the Chinese food I have found in Beijing has tended to be tasty but nothing to write home about. Black Sesame Seed really put Chinese food in a fresh light, and being able to watch the chefs make the food fresh leaves everything more satisfying.

Black Sesame Seed Kitchen is a place well known to the expat community, and a restaurant I had been wanting to try. My chance finally arrived, and resulted in several unexpected surprises. The Kitchen is located in a courtyard of a small hutong. Difficult to find, the staff are very willing to come find you and bring you to the restaurant once you have reached the popular Nonlugoxiang street. The hutong itself looks very decrepit but the kitchen is surprising quaint. The inside is very homely with long black tables and an observable kitchen. A small space it adds to the communal dining experience.

Black Sesame Seed Kitchen started in May 2008 and already has been featured in China Vogue and Lonely Planet. The concept of the Kitchen is great. Jen Lin Liu started this restaurant to allow people to experience Chinese food in a home setting. She wanted to de-mystify and educate foreigners on Chinese food. As a result they have bi-weekly cooking classes and every Friday from 7pm to 10 pm their wine and dine event, where a six course gourmet Chinese meal is prepared in front of you. You have to reserve in advance though, as there is a 4 person minimum and a 20 person maximum limit. It is 300 rmb for the meal and wine, and 225 rmb excluding wine. The kitchen also holds private functions on request, and because of its small nature will accommodate to their customer’s food preferences and dietary restrictions.

Being able to watch Chairman Wang and Chef Zhang cook in front your eyes really added to the meal, and made the dishes all the more tasty. Chairman Wang was a mentor of Jen, and Chef Zhang is a specialist in home style cooking. The first course served was their signature Pan Fried Pork and Pumpkin Dumplings. The pumpkin gave the usually traditional dumplings a nice twist, making it a creamier texture. Next on the menu was the Shitake Mushroom and Bamboo-Shoot Stir Fry. Seasoned with Sichuan peppercorn the spices and herbs were delicately balanced so as not to numb your mouth and allow you to taste the mushroom and crunchy carrots and shoots. We had to remind ourselves not to eat everything on the plate, as the 3 Color Chicken soon arrived, which was very fresh and light with the with only a hint of the taste of the cooked chicken. It was a nice juxtaposition to the next two dishes of Red-braised eggplant and Pine Nut and Beef Stir Fry, which wwere very warm and nutty with tender greens. The next dish was a hit too. The imperial style Kung Pao Tofu was a tasty light healthy dish to balance out the meat dishes. It had a nice texture with good oil on top.

If that wasn’t already enough food, the Shrimp and Green Soy Bean Stir Fry and the Seasonal Vegetable Stir Fry were soon to come. The vegetables are all purchased the day of the meal from a local market north of the Drum Tower. The quality is high and easy to taste. The shrimp was a little bland though and the beans too crunchy, but overall the home style cooking is one of the better versions I have found in China. The highlight of the meal was definitely the next dish, the red braised pork. Rich flavorful and sweet, the excellent sauce and bold flavors was some of the best in Beijing.

We were all stuffed by now, but we found room for the dessert, which was home-made cinnamon ice cream and candied sweet potatoes. Churned at the Kitchen the cinnamon is not over bearing and the spice goes well with the unique and fun candied sweet potatoes. It reminded me of fall and sent all of us off in a good if sleepy mood.

The Black Sesame Seed Kitchen is a fun restaurant for foreigner looking for good quality Chinese food. Personally most of the Chinese food I have found in Beijing has tended to be tasty but nothing to write home about. Black Sesame Seed really put Chinese food in a fresh light, and being able to watch the chefs make the food fresh leaves everything more satisfying.

- by Larissa Paschyn

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