King's Joy - A Michelin 2-Star Vegetarian Restaurant in Beijing

King's Joy (京兆尹) is a Michelin 2-Star vegetarian restaurant located right outside the Lama Temple (雍和宫) in Beijing, where Emperor Yongzheng of Qing Dynasty lived before he ascended to the throne.  The restaurant building is a traditional Chinese courtyard house, built with grey bricks, surrounded by bamboos.  The look is very classic and elegant.

We were there for lunch on a chilling Friday.  Walked past a long passage way, and were ushered into a reception area, where you can sit down, relax a bit, remove your heavy winter wear, and soak in the atmosphere.  There are books and magazines around for you to read too.

The dining area is in the courtyard, covered with a glass ceiling, letting in soft natural light.  Live Chinese music is performed in the center stage.

Table setting is a fusion of the West and the East, you have the Chinese chopsticks, as well as the Western knife and fork.   Some mandarin oranges were served as our appetizer.

The staff was very friendly and patient in explaining to us the different dishes available, and recommended to us what might be the best options we could have.

Avocado Roll

Our first dish was avocado roll.  Avocado was cut into thin slices then made into a roll, with honey dew and probably raisins as fillings.  Lots of efforts were put into the layout of the dish, and sure they succeeded in doing that.  Avocado's crispiness combined with honey dew's sweetness and fragrance, the taste was very pleasant, a wake-up to all your taste buds, to get ready for the next dish.

Deep-Fried Seaweed and Tofu Skin Roll(海苔腐竹卷)

The next dish, deep-fried seaweed and tofu skin roll, came out like a painting, it looked so nice that we almost couldn't bear to eat it.  The tofu skin was so crispy that you could hear the sound of it being crushed in your mouth.  Seaweed gave you the smell of the sea and a pleasant aroma.  I didn't touch the flower, it was just too beautiful to be eaten.

Our two hot dishes were Luohanzhai, stewed mixed vegetables, and Chinese cabbage with different types of mushrooms.  Never know mushroom soup could become so milky, it was filled with fragrance, unique to the mushrooms, while different from that of the fruits.

For Chinese style of vegetarian food, usually a lot of oil is used to get rid of the bitterness in the vegetables.  In this case, however, I hardly saw any oil, yet there was not a trace of bitterness.  Kudos to the chef!

Spicy Lion's Mane Mushroom (香辣猴头菇)

Our finale was spicy lion's mane mushroom, cooked with red hot chilies, presented in the form of a bump boat.  It looked pretty spicy but it was not.  There was only a slight hint of spiciness, which brought out the freshness in the mushroom, and added an additional layer of sensation to the sponginess of the mushroom.  Never had I imagined that you could cook mushrooms with chilies, sounded like a crazy combination, but it worked out pretty well.

The bill was CNY 1000 before service charge and taxes.  Overall, I enjoyed the meal very much.  Never in my wildest imagination that vegetarian food could be done this way, so beautiful yet so tasty!  Truly a feast to the eyes and the taste buds!

Tingkat PeraMakan at Owen Road

Tingkat PeraMakan is located in the middle of Owen Road, near Farrer Park MRT station.  We went there on a Wednesday evening.  The entire road was devoid of any human traffic, and the restaurant was very quiet.  When we entered, there was one delivery man waiting for his order, and a lady customer.  That was it.  The entire place was handled by a single waitress and a cook. 

The interior is brightly lit and up lifts one's spirit.  There are some Straits China porcelains on display, reminding patrons of its Peranakan roots.   Peranakan, if you don't already know, refers to the ethnic group of descendants of Chinese and the locals in South-East Asia.  They have their unique language, culture, and costumes.  However, this group has slowly disappeared into the modern society, their unique food culture somehow still survives till today. 

They offer set meals at $10.70+/set, with a choice of one main, 2 side dishes, and a dessert. 
My friend chose the chicken set while I chose the pork rib set.

Chicken Set Meal, $10.70+/set

Pork Ribs Set Meal, $10.70+/set

They only have 4 types of side dishes, and we ordered two set meals, so we got to taste all their side dishes. 

For my pork ribs, it was very nicely done.  The meat left the bones the moment it entered your mouth.  The sauce was not spicy, so it was really good for my sensitive stomach.  My friend's Ayam Kleo was slightly on the spicy side, a ting of chili bringing up the taste, but the chicken itself was a bit too dry.  The coconut milk the chicken was immersed in gave a fragrant taste which lingered pleasantly in your mouth. 

I think the set meals are good value for money and if I need a Peranakan fix, I will definitely come back to this place. 

Wolf Burger at Funan Mall

Wolf Burger is located on the ground floor of the newly re-opened Funan Mall.  The concept is a bit like MacDonald, you place your order at the machine.  There are many different choices and you can  choose how you like to customize your burger.  Everything is done on the machine, including payment.  No human interaction is required. Once you pay for your order, you will get a payment slip like the one below.

On the payment slip, there is an order number and a QR code.  You can sit down and wait for your number to be called. 

Once your number is called, your food will appear at the collection box with your number clearly displayed.  Now, bring your payment slip to the collection point, scan the QR code at the scanner on the left of the collection box, then the box will open, and voila, your food is all yours.  Everything is  automatic.  Theoretically,  there is no need for any human in the shop front at all.  However, as this is still new to many customers, there are still 2-3 staff available at the shop front to provide help, which is very much appreciated. 

Impossible Truffle, $17.90

I ordered the Impossible Truffle burger.  If nobody tells me, I wouldn't know the meat is actually fake meat, made from vegetables such as potatoes, etc.   The taste is just like any other burger patty, with almost the same type of flavor and taste, but the texture is much more smooth.  This is my very first encounter with fake meat, and the impression is way better than I had thought.  My attitude towards fake meat has changed from total rejection to an open-mind, at least it is worth trying.  My concerned for fake meat, just like any other heavily processed food, is the long-term effect on humans. 

I like the burger here and the price is quite reasonable.  Most likely I will come back here if I have a sudden craving for burgers, or fake meat :-)

Stuttgart Blackforest Boutique S-Café

Stuttgart Blackforest Boutique S-Café is located in the busy Orchard Road, but it is also hidden in one corner of Rendezvous Hotel Gallery, with a very low profile. 

The interior of the restaurant is styled in western style with some German elements, such as the iconic German wooden dolls, life-sized ones.  And to my surprise, they even have some live music. 

Single Portion Pork Knuckle, $22.80++

Coming to a German restaurant, of course I must order their famous German pork knuckle.  I have tried German pork knuckle in Frankfurt, German, Singapore's Brotzeit, and Brisbane, Australia,  and I like the pork knuckle here.  Why? 

First, their portion is 1-person portion, it is perfect for one to enjoy the pork knuckle without worrying about the waistline. They have options for 3-4 persons and more.  Second, their pork knuckle is not as salty as all the others that I have tasted before.  I think they have customized the salt level to suit the Singaporean taste.  Well, maybe it is not authentic, but it is a good modification, a healthier evolution.  Third, their pork knuckle is really good.  The skin is not only crispy, but it manages to have some fragrance too.  When the skin is crushed in your mouth, you can hear that crunching sound, and the fragrance lingers in your mouth.  The meat itself is tender, but not greasy.  Thumbs up for their pork knuckle.

Specialty Sausages, $19.80++

Another signature dish on their menu is their Specialty Sausages.  You can choose two out of three types of meat, beef, pork or chicken.  We opted for beef and pork. 

The pork sausage comes curled up nicely with a bamboo stick.  I am not really a sausage person, so I find the sausages are, just like sausages. 

The restaurant has 'Blackforest' in its name, and said to be famous for their blackforest cake.  We were just a bit too full on that day to try the cake.  Maybe next time? 

The food is good, the atmosphere is nice, I will definitely come back when I have a craving for German food next time.

When we paid for our meal, there was a mix-up though.  The waitress presented us with someone else' bill who was a bigger amount.  Lucky I did check my bill, and got it sorted out quickly. 

Tsuta at Funan

Tsuta opened a new branch at the newly opened Funan life-style mall.  In case you don't know, Tsuta is a Michelin 1-star Japanese ramen restaurant, it is very rare.  And this ramen restaurant is also mentioned in the 2019 Japanese drama Ramen Loving Girls special edition, so don't play play, this is a seriously famous ramen restaurant.

The Funan branch is not very big, probably with a seating capacity of 20-30 persons only.  It is small open concept kitchen is manned by a grand total of two chefs, both are local Singaporean/Malaysian Chinese.  I think they have a central kitchen somewhere where they prepare all the soup base, as I saw the chef scooping out the soup base from a stainless steel container, and I don't see any facilities for cooking the soup base.

Once you are seated, you can place your order with a sheet provided.  You can customize your ramen to your own liking.  The best part for me is I can choose the level of salt in the soup base.  Authentic Japanese ramen tends to have a very salty flavor, too much for me, so I am glad that here I can get a less salty option.

I ordered the teriyaki chicken soba.  The soup base is thick in flavor, but not as salty as the authentic Japanese soup base, I like it.  The ramen in this case is actually soba.  Compared with conventional ramen, it is more smooth, offers a clean sensation, and easy to bite.  To me, this soba probably is the crown jewel of this place.  The teriyaki chicken is not bad, tender and juicy.

I also tried their steamed gyoza (dumplings).  The gyoza skin is paper thin, and you can see the fillings inside.   It is not bad, but the fillings are a bit salty.  Too bad they don't give you an option to choose a less salty version.

In total, spent $26 for this simple meal.  The soba is good, enjoy the pleasant sensation very much.  

Yun Nans at Jewel Changi Airport

Yun Nans 云海肴 is a Chinese restaurant from China specialized in Yunnan cuisine.  This one at Jewel Changi Airport is their first foray into an overseas market.  Their dinner starts at 5pm, we arrived a bit earlier at about 4.50pm on a normal Sunday, there was already a small queue at the entrance.  At 5pm sharp we were ushered into the restaurant. 

The restaurant is not very big, the number of seats is quite limited, so if you want to secure a table, the only trick is to go there early.  The interior design is simple, bright and pleasant, nothing fancy, but comfortable. 

Yunnan Classic Steam Pot Chicken Soup, $23.90++

Their signature dish is the Yunnan steam port chicken soup.  What it is different from other chicken soup is the way it is cooked, and the pot used.  Do you notice there is a 'chimney' in the middle of the pot?  Yes, that's the key.  The chicken is placed in the pot, without adding any water.  Then the entire pot is placed on top of boiling water, and the water steam will come in from the 'chimney' and becomes your soup.  This is also an ingenious way of doing water desalination! 

I like the chicken soup very much.  It is clear, and sweet!  The essence of chicken all goes into the soup.  However, the chicken itself, is quite dry and a bit tasteless.  Overall, I will give a score of 9/10 for this dish, and it is a must try here. 

Truffle Rice Noodles, $13.90++

We also ordered their truffle rice noodles (黑松露虾汤米线).  The soup was excellent.  Very thick in the flavor of prawns, great.  The noodle itself was a bit over-cooked though.  Overall, I will give it a score of 7/10.

Grilled Seabass, $22.90++

My friend recommended the grilled seabass, it is his most favourite.  The seabass was perfectly grilled, a flower pepper was generously spread on top.  At this point, I must be a bit critical about their service, or the service of one waitress.  She took our order, knowing we already ordered a chicken soup and a rice noodle with plenty of soup, she still pushed us to order drinks.  And she didn't tell us for the grilled fish, we had the choice of how spice it should be.  It is a waitress with Malaysian Chinese accent. 

Ok, back to the fish.  The flower pepper makes the whole fish only have one and only one taste - spicy.  It is perfect for people who like spicy food, but unfortunately not for me. 

All in all, we spent $100 for two persons.  It is not too expensive, the food is decent.  I will definitely go back for that pot of chicken soup, it is just too good to forget. 

Nanjing Impressions Plaza Singapura

Previously, I visited Nanjing Impressions in Guangzhou (you can find the post here), as they also opened a branch here at Plaza Singapura back in 2017, I decided to give it a try. 

The Plaza Singapura branch is located on the 4th floor of Plaza Sing Annex, directly opposite Ya Kun Toast.  It has the same design as its Guangzhou branch, with a very traditional Chinese concept. 

Once you step into the restaurant, you feel like you have time-travelled back to Qinhuai River, Nanjing in ancient China.  The place is illuminated with yellow lanterns, each lantern bears the name of a dish on their menu.  The background music is Qinhuai Xiaoqu (秦淮小曲), it is a kind of Chinese opera popular in Nanjing, very soft and tender.  Qinhuai River and Qinhuai Xiaoqu were made famous by a Tang Dynasty poet, Du Mu (杜牧), in his poem Berthing at Night Along Qinhuai River.

泊 秦 淮

杜 牧

烟笼寒水月笼沙，夜泊秦淮近酒家。

商女不知亡国恨，隔江犹唱后庭花。

Literally, the poem means: 

In a foggy night, my boat berthed along Qinhuai River near the drinking places.  The resident singers  didn't care about the sadness that their home country had been annexed, they were still singing the song Backyard Flower. 

I don't know what Backyard Flower is in botanic terms, but it is a form of poetry invented by the last Emperor of the Chen Dynasty, which was annexed by Sui Dynasty. 

Ok, enough history stuff, back to the modern restaurant.  At first, I thought the Qinhuai Xiaoqu was from some recording, but hell no, there was actually a stage at the very back of the restaurant and a team were singing live! 

I ordered quite a bit of food, for one person, as I wanted to try as many as possible, but mostly were small portions. 

Wanton in Supreme Chicken Broth, $4.80++

I didn't have any expectation for the wanton with chicken broth.  It is such a common dish, but then it kind of exceeded my expectation.  The wanton skin was very smooth, and filling was fresh.  The Supreme chicken broth also lived up to its name.  I must give a thumbs up for this dish.

Celestial roast duck dumplings (left), $4.80++, Steamed shrimp and silky gourd dumpling, $5.80++

The celestial roast duck dumpling was kind of a strange combination.  The dumplings were steamed, usually steamed food goes for its freshness, and exhibits the ingredients original taste, but in this case, the filling was actually roast duck meat.  The fillings gave out a roast fragrance, there was quite a clash of tastes.  You should give it a try, it is unique.  But don't blame it if you don't like it. 

The steamed shrimp and silky gourd dumplings were average.  Somehow, it didn't bring out the freshness of the shrimps, nor the silky gourd.  I could only tell one flavor - salty. 

Braised Pig Trotters, $5.80++

The braised pig trotters should be a very 'safe' dish, as even the normal coffee shop stalls can turn up with finger-licking pig trotters.  Hell no, the pig trotters here were a failure.  The skin was hard, and the worse was I felt something spiky on the skin.  Go figure what it could be.  Take my advice, don't order this at this place. 

Imperial Scholar Spring Roll, $5.80++

The spring roll was ok, but it was a bit too salty to my taste, and a bit too oily. 

If you want to have a bit more privacy, you can reserve one of those individual rooms.  It is quite nice for a few friends gathering together to chitchat. 

Will I go back to Nanjing Impression again?  Yes, definitely, but not so much for their food, but for that atmosphere, that feel of traveling back in time.