*Ang-ang-boh-hai-lang*

15th day of the Chinese New Year.

Everyone, (in Canto) Fatt-cho-mei? (in Mandarin) Far-ler-ma? (in Hokkien) Huat-liau-boi? (in Manglish) Prosper (more towards gambling winnings) yet?

Not apple-wor.

Became a fan only a few years back when I took a chance on smaller ones from Spain and China. They were sweet. Had always admired the big ones from Spain but felt the price was ridiculous. Maybe it's my curiousity streak but more suspiciously it's the spiraling prices of our local fruits (a simple unassuming pomelo from Perak state is going for RM10 minimum!), RM4.90 for an exotic looking Pomegranate from far away Spain seem to hurt my pocket no more. Well, it's not an often splurge.

Any idea whether this is the best way to get to the rubies?

It was huge. Inside, the sections were packed with rubies.

I thoroughly enjoyed the smaller ones before with sweet rubies popping in my mouth (except for a certain type from China with hard seeds). This was sourish and the relatively big and tough seeds in the rubies were quite tiresome to chew after sometime.

Still got one more in fridge. Think it'll fare better after a few days?

RM4.90 for 1 from Hock Choon Grocery, Jalan Ampang.

Note: Ang-ang-boh-hai-lang is in Hokkien dialect literately translated as red-red-no-harm-people. The colour red is auspicious to Chinese, believes to bring prosperity and good luck.

May all the good wishes and hopes written on all thrown Mandarin oranges into any water source tonight, on this HAPPY CHAP GOH MEH, come true!

Toilet post#35

Obviously, another Beijing post.

Trivia: Bags go through scanners entering the Square. Heck, bags go through plenty of scanners throughout the city especially when travelling its subway system (only RMB2 to anywhere) and visiting the National Monuments. Any weaker bag could ooze green glob or start growing spidey bristles.

NO toilet facilities within the Square.

Trivia: The young guards stationed rigidly around the Square regards 'where's the toilet' question to be below them.

One has to exit the Square vide the underground tunnel and cross the road to get to the nearest public toilet.

Here. Just opposite this.

Trivia: Since you're already opposite the Square, locate the post office. Buy a postcard some stamps and mail it from there. The Tiananmen Square postmark is a great souvenir.

Not to worry. Toilet just a tad shabby but cleanliness level gets an A for Agreeable.

Trivia: The moderately hyped about daily evening changing of guards between the Square and the Imperial Palace across the road does not justify an hour and a half wait. Nevertheless, the light up of the Palace and Square may appeal to some.

A Roarrrring Grrreat Chinese New Year, everyone!

Note: NOT Maybank Berhad but initials of a delicious hic-hic-hic malt drink brewery in Laos.

Dong Lai Shun Muslim Restaurant, Wangfujing Street, Beijing China

Another fine lucky day, friend of a friend who treated us here brought us to another tourist food haunt along the busy shoppers street, Wangfujing.

Steamboats do not exactly make my saliva drool especially in hot weather and summer in China fries eggs still in shells (not scientifically proven). However, she insisted. It'll be different from what we usually have in Malaysia, she said.

Again it was a extravagantly decorated restaurant. With cool air-conditioners. Phew. Tables near, seatings were tight. No wonder the waiting staff (men) were all of a certain standard size - petite.

First up, these were served. Sesame paste in a bowl, chilli oil in a small pouring can, minced garlic and fresh spring onions in a sauce plate.

Mix everything up and it's ready for dipping or dunking (immersed the food wholly into it) as most locals do. While waiting for the pot of soup to boil, we each had a Stick of Spicy Barbequed Lamb. DO NOT MISS ORDERING this wherever it's available in China. We did it by the roadside, in shop in restaurant and all had been delicious in their own way.No fishballs, no porkballs, no seafood, oh no!

Instead we had:-
Some kind of Noodles similar to our Laksa Noodles in Malaysia,Some type of Compressed Beancurd,Some type of Elongated Beancurd (this we liked a lot!)Some Cabbage and Local Greens which had a distinctive raw green taste (if that means anything to you)Thinly sliced Marbled Beef. Woohoo jackpot! Especially when 1 of us does not take moo-moo,and finally something I can properly name, Golden Needle Mushrooms.The spread may not be varied but we were full especially when everything went with the fragrant but very filling (kinda like 'jelak' or 'chai') sesame sauce.

All went very well with the hot soup, infused with Chinese Herbs boiling away in an interesting copper pot.Looking at the herbs left in it, think it can be easily replicated at home... if one can recognise them.And yet again, friend of a friend in the 17 million Beijing population settled the bill and refused to let us share. Such friend of friend is such a keeper. =P

Note: Chinese do not steamboat like Malaysians. The ingredients go in and out one by one, not everything goes in at one go and taken out together - rojak style - as we do over here.

I may not have the address on hand but once you are on that street, its elaborate doorway and bright lights will practically jump at you.By the time we left the restaurant, it was already nightfall and the huge crowds were drawn to a night market nearby. We shoved out way there too and that's a post for another day.

Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant, Beijing China

Back to China.Beijing Duck = Fat Duck. There. My precise verdict.The long version.

There were 3 of us and 1 of us knows of someone among the 17 million people in Beijing. What are the odds indeed. =P

Being led by a local one would expect a dodgy backlane hard to find hole in the wall honest to goodness eating place.She brought us to a 4 levels Aladdin's cave teeming with >40 serving staff. Here's the official website!With a long queue list (even when reservations are a must and were made a few days earlier), everybody was given a queue number and ushered into a hall-like waiting room. It was supposed to be low season and yet we waited almost an hour and a half before our number was called and promptly shown to a table in an elaborately decorated dining hall.Tada. The famously roasted webbed star. The certified famously roasted webbed star. Presentation is similar to how it's done in Malaysia. The flavourful almost crunchy skin is eaten wrapped as such. Major difference is that most of the meat is sliced and served as well. Meat so 'luxurious' when teeth and mouth clamp on the cut duck pieces, PHHSSTTT! or something that sounds like sitting on a water filled balloon occurs. To one own ears only, of course. Let me repaint the picture. Fragrant but oily. Nice but cannot take many. Sorry to those who abhor fresh spring onions. Those greens with its slight bitterness worked to counter the fats onslaught.In Malaysia, the rest of the duck's meat is usually added in fried rice or noodles. Over there, the meat is minced and stuff into dumplings (yes, apparently the carved duck still yielded plenty) with the bones boiled into soup (soup picture is too lousy to be posted)Noticed the word 'certified'? Every Roasted Duck served comes with a Commemoration Card that certifies the duck on your table has just became a statistic. Ours was number 487247.

In other words, patrons get to bring home a death cert.

Of all the side dishes bestsellers, we fought to the last piece of this. Quick Fried Duck Hearts. Sounds yucky? There were actually more of you. One taste and 3 members converted. It's that good.

Boiled Duck Liver

Duck Intestines. Kind of springy texture. QQ. Similar to chicken feet skin available at Chicken rice stalls around Malaysia. Chai-Sing Greens (Mustard) with Local Mushroom. I have no love for that black, soft and slimy mushroom topping the green stalks.

As desserts, we were introduced to Sweetened Red Dates aka Honey Glazed Red Dates. Too sweet for me.Beijing friend of my Malaysian friend bought us the meal. In the midst of incessant chattering (ours and 7 million others) I forgot to seek the bill. My bad.

Address / Contact:-Beijing Wangfujing Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant

Add. 13, Shuaifuyuan Hutong, Dongcheng District, Beijing, PRC China;
Tel: 86-10-65253310.