CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Friday, July 5, 2019 | 23 LIFE Eat beat Mixun’s vivacious vegetarian fare A pop­up vegetarian menu that features nine signature dishes from Mixun Teahouse in Cheng­ du, Sichuan province, is available at Jing Yaa Tang in Beijing until July 7. The a la carte menu opens with dried lotus marinated with wasabi and sesame dressing, and mushrooms in spicy­and­sour sauce. The braised mapo tofu in ‘A kingdom wild­mushroom sauce, and bam­ boo mushrooms in green Sich­ uan­pepper sauce are must­tries. Greens beans, mulberry leaves, yams and cranberry paste bring a taste of Sichuan to the capital. Taikoo Li Sanlitun North, No 11 of plants’ Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 010­6417­6688. A hotpot hot spot on a plate adds spice to life The Yunnan­cuisine chain In and Out is constantly searching for new offerings Tongwage’s Chongqing­style hotpot brings spicy frogs and from the southwestern province that’s celebrated for its diverse fare, Li Yingxue reports. fish heads in boiling broth to Beijing for the summer season. hi Junfeng recalls there one of our staffer’s hometowns, I vis­ The restaurant is decorated to weren’t many Yunnan­cui­ it their house, and their families resemble a high school class­ sine restaurants in Beijing always welcome us with delicacies room in the 1980s, and menus when he started working at we can’t find in restaurants.” look like exam papers. It fea­ Sone in 1997. And the only ingredi­ Shi traveled to Tengchong in June tures live folk music every night. ents they could source from the far­ and plans to create a special Teng­ The soup bases are infused with flung province were dried or chong­themed menu in July. dozens of seasonings from canned. “A traditional Tengchong snack is Chongqing, including chilies Today, the executive chef of the deep­fried dough sticks served with and peppers. It also serves sever­ restaurant chain In and Out in Bei­ pea porridge and seasoned with gar­ al flavors of spicy crayfish. jing says the brand’s eateries ship 65 lic, chili oil and pepper oil,” he says. No 55 Gongti Xilu, Chaoyang percent of ingredients fresh from “My version is fried buckwheat district, Beijing. Yunnan. And Dazhong Dianping, chips with pea porridge.” China’s version of Yelp, lists over 200 Shi says more of his customers are A bakery’s bounty results for Yunnan food in Beijing. younger and have different dining “Yunnan is like a kingdom of expectations. for summer plants,” Shi says. He’s accommodating them by “You can pick vegetables from the incorporating Western and Canton­ hillsides to create delicious dishes.” ese cooking and plating methods. The 45­year­old first visited Yun­ “But we stay true to Yunnan fla­ nan after a 48­hour train ride in vors,” he explains. 1998. He was stunned by the variety “Most of the province’s seasonings of veggies and mushrooms. and sauces use fresh ingredients like Shi met local chefs and gained a their hometowns.” of Yunnan, as an example — the lemon and pepper. So, my kitchen deeper understanding of the cuisine. The fish has been a signature dish weather there is hot, so the food is only has salt and soy sauce besides Comptoirs de France Bakery He joined In and Out in 2010. of In and Out for over a decade. sourer and spicier and has less oil,” fresh sauces. We don’t use any other recently unveiled its summer The restaurant’s decoration bor­ It’s simple yet requires patience, Shi says. processed ingredients.” menu that’s available at its rows from Lijiang’s scenery. It seeks Shi says. The fish is marinated with “They use fresh herbs like lemon Yunnan is celebrated for its mush­ shops in Beijing and Tianjin, to offer culinary journeys through salt, ginger, cooking liquor and lem­ grass for seasoning.” rooms, and Shi has sampled dozens and e­commerce platforms. The the province. on. And lemon grass and other sea­ Shi Junfeng, executive chef of People in northwestern Yunnan’s of varieties during his travels. bakery is known for authentic, Most of the chain’s employees hail sonings are continuously added as Yunnan­cuisine restaurant Lijiang prefer preserved foods, such Matsutakes have remained the handmade French breads, pas­ from Yunnan and are from various it’s grilled. chain In and Out in Beijing, as cured pork, while ethnic Wa peo­ most popular type in the past sever­ tries and sweets made without ethnic groups, including Dai, Naxi, “I’ve cooked Yunnan food during aims to offer diners authentic ple eat fried bugs. al years. Shi serves them as sashimi preservatives. Gourmets can Tujia and Bai. all of my 20 years in the kitchen,” Shi flavors of Yunnan, featuring the “It’s hard to define Yunnan cui­ or flash­fried with butter. sample mango­shrimp salads, “Some of our Dai chefs know how says. region’s variety of veggies and sine in a few words since there are so “Mushroom season is coming,” he and roast­beef­and­mushroom to barbecue weever fish with lemon “It’s fresh and healthy. I hope fresh ingredients. many different flavors,” Shi says. says. sandwiches. Guests can also grass without being taught,” Shi more people in Beijing can enjoy its PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY He visits the province several “So, we’re creating new dishes enjoy baked apricot­raspberry says. authentic flavors.” times a year to explore new culinary according to this year’s offerings.” cakes, cheesy Focaccia bread, “They’ve been doing it at home Yunnan’s fare varies by area. offerings. The chef prefers to eat in and classic Paris­Brest and choc­ since childhood. We use the same “Take Dehong Dai and Jingpo villagers’ homes. Contact the writer at olate choux. Macaroons filled cooking methods as they do in autonomous prefecture in the west “If the place we visit happens to be [email protected] with ice cream are a favorite dessert. 1F, East Lake Club, 35 Dongzhimenwai street, Dongcheng district, Beijing. French restaurant run by Argentine chef crowned world’s best 010­6461­1525. By MARTIN ABBUGAO in Singapore was awarded his first star the fol­ re, which is well­known for its buzz­ Serving up giggles lowing year, before getting his sec­ ing culinary scene. France’s Mirazur restaurant — ond in 2012. However, despite the change in and gastronomy whose Argentine chef Mauro Cola­ The Argentine­born chef moved locale, Europe continued to domi­ greco draws inspiration from the to France in 2001 and worked with nate with 25 restaurants named sea, mountains and his own garden Bernard Loiseau, Alain Passard and among the best 50, including sev­ — was recently crowned the world’s Alain Ducasse before spending a en in the top 10. Asia accounted best by an influential trade list, beat­ year at Le Grand Vefour. for seven, with the United States ing contenders from Denmark and He says that he ended up in Men­ and Latin America containing six, Spain. ton by chance. respectively. The accolade came just months “The owner of the place was the The awards are organized by Brit­ after Colagreco was awarded a third perfect stereotype of an Englishman ish magazine Restaurant, which is Michelin star and was the first time on the Cote d’Azur, a white linen owned by William Reed Media. a French establishment has tri­ outfit and a Panama hat,” he says. They were launched in 2002 and umphed in the World’s 50 Best Res­ “He saw that I had no money, but he are now as coveted as Michelin taurant list. wanted to know what an Argentine was stars, although the methodology “I’m on cloud nine, and I’m wait­ doing in Menton ... He rented me his used to select the best restaurants ing to come back down,” Colagreco restaurant for a ridiculously low sum.” has faced criticism, especially from said as he collected the award for his Mauro Colagreco, chef and owner of Mirazur restaurant, and his wife, This “gave me a lot of freedom” to several French chefs who say it Located in Beijing’s central busi­ restaurant in the French Riviera Julia Colagreco, at an event after receiving the award for Best Restaurant experiment, he says. remains unclear. ness district, 42 Play offers both town of Menton. “I don’t have during the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards in Singapore. REUTERS The early days were tough, but since There are no criteria for putting a Western­style buffets and enough words to express my joy.” being awarded its second star, the res­ restaurant on the list, which is based 90­minute performances, The awards ceremony — which taurant has seen its popularity grow. on an anonymous poll of more than including comedic sketches and took place in Singapore, marking in South America. Argentina, Brazil, France and Italy. Mirazur, located in southeastern 1,000 chefs, restaurant owners, food stand­up in Chinese. Audiences the first time they have been held in This year was a departure as the “To my team, thank you. You France near the Italian border, critics and other industry insiders enjoy the shows after feasting on Asia — saw Noma in Copenhagen top restaurant award has gone to deserve it after all these years. offers dishes made with vegetables from around the world. such dishes as steak and fried pick up the award for second place, Spain seven times, the most of any Thank you to my friends for sup­ and other ingredients from Colagre­ Each member gets 10 votes, and at chicken.