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Where a former NYC chef eats and drinks in his new Southern home

Check out the many identities within this five-borough city, all in one place.

Where to Eat Dumplings, Hotpot, Donkey Meat Sandwiches & Scorpion Skewers in China

Who’s Who in Beijing Fashion

A new generation of tastemakers puts Beijing on the fashion map.

Wandering Chef: Martin Yan in Beijing

At a working cattle ranch in Northern Patagonia, visitors can ride horseback, eat traditional Argentine asado, and yes, stay the night.

Having donkey meat for lunch might sound as appealing as the scorpion kebabs for sale in Dong’anmen market but there are some important differences. First of all, the scorpions are for tourists. Second, and more importantly, Wang’s donkey burgers are delicious. Get a dipping plate of spicy, garlicky broth on the side and go to town. The meat is not gamey or stringy, and the flakey sandwich bun is the perfect plate-to-mouth delivery system. This meal is worth the leap of faith past what we in the West would consider to be acceptable lunch meat. I can’t say the same for the scorpions.

Wangfujing is first and foremost a tourist market. It’s bold, brash, and unapologetic—and for that, it has my respect. Wangfujing is comfortable in its own skin, even when that skin is crawling with scorpions. I’ll always have a special place in my heart for this busy little corner of Beijing. Beijing was the location of my first real photography expedition back in 2009 (not counting my travels around my adopted homeland of Korea). It’s also where I came face to face with hardcore street food for the first time. Vendors are friendly (if a little aggressive), the food is good (two of Beijing’s oldest roast duck restaurants are nearby), and the atmosphere is always festival. Wander Wangfujing all the way to the Donghuamen Street night market, check out the traditional Chinese architecture, and sample as much food as you can stomach.

Don’t expect to find any Beijing residents on Wangfujing Snack Street, home of spiders, scorpions, starfish and pretty much anything else that can be skewered and cooked. This is firm tourist territory, a place for visitors to test their mettle when it comes to snacking on creatures that have six or eight legs or float about in the sea. It’s almost a rite of passage, to experience foods that most locals would turn their noses up at, and one that usually ranks among the top memories of a trip to Beijing. Scorpions on a stick seem to be particularly fascinating to visitors. In fact, during the Beijing Olympics it would have been easier to make a list of the visiting journalists who didn’t write a story about them. But, and this seems to be rarely mentioned, not everything on snack street has a ‘Man v. Food’ feel. The stalls offer far more identifiable snacks. Fried dumplings. Steamed buns. Mountains of noodles. Jellied acorn and chestnut. Corn. And given the overall cleanliness of the spot, perhaps due to its high tourism profile, it is generally safe to eat here. So, don’t feel you have to stick to the scorpions. The steamed buns will do, too.

Overview

“Founded in 1890, Wang is the best place to experience tea culture in Taiwan. It’s in an elegant building that has red wallpaper and an old-timey Oriental atmosphere. Order a green tea and enjoy the live performances of nanguan, a type of traditional Chinese music.” —KK Yeh

This appeared in the November/December 2017 issue.

Why we love it: A bespoke stay in one of Beijing’s most notable neighborhoods

The Highlights:
- Perks like included daily breakfast and complimentary minibars
- A luxury spa with state-of-the-art treatments
- An on-site tea sanctuary with private tasting areas

The Review:
Personalized guest experiences are the driving force behind The PuXuan Hotel and Spa, located just outside the Forbidden City in WangFuJing—one of Beijing’s most distinguished arts and cultural districts. The property boasts 116 guest rooms, each of which comes with daily breakfast for two, laundry and pressing services, and a fully stocked minibar.

Once checked in and settled, guests will want to head straight for the UR SPA, where tailor-made treatments range from facials and massages to more unique options like energy rituals and touch therapy. It’s the perfect preamble to an evening on site, where two dining outlets welcome guests for delicious dinners. Try Rive Gauche for modern French cuisine like côte de bouef with Béarnaise sauce and spiced pigeon with red plum jus, or Fu Chun Ju for authentic Cantonese fare, including dim sum like steamed chicken feet with black bean sauce and deep-fried shrimp spring rolls. Tea lovers will do well with a trip to the Tea Room, an urban escape offering private tasting spaces, a tea lab, and a retail area for souvenir shoppers.

Dining at Made in China at the Grand Hyatt is expensive, but the staff creates an excellent experience. Open kitchens allow you to catch a glimpse of the Peking ducks roasting in ovens over fruitwood-fueled fires. I always order the dumplings. —Fuchsia Dunlop This appeared in the May 2013 issue.

The Cool Docks is a restored grease factory sitting on the South Bund. Along with housing a number of restaurants and bars, the area is also used to host events, openings and shows and is home to the Eco Design Fair every April. Check out the link below for an up-to-date list of current occupants. Side note: If you’ve watched the movie Shanghai Calling, you might have seen the Cool Docks in the closing scenes.