Quarantined in your Beijing apartment and tired–if your cooking skills mirror mine–of dumplings for the twentieth time in twenty days? Our fair city has lots of good delivery options, including new ones courtesy of restaurants that are making up for a lack of foot traffic by sending their tasty food right to you. Or more likely, given current restrictions, to your compound gate. Here are a few options.
I’ve posted on the new delivery service by Hulu but they deserve another mention. With sibling restaurants TRB Hutong, TRB Forbidden City and Merci shut for the time being, Hulu made its own service from scratch and serves customers within 6 km of its Sanlitun venue and 10 km of WAB in Shunyi, where it rented part of a kitchen. (This move makes total sense given the owner told me revenue dropped 95 percent after the virus crisis started.)
I’ve tried Hulu’s power lunch twice and it’s hard to beat that choice of appetizer, main, dessert and drink (soda or beer) for rmb98, with a few freebies thrown in: last time, I got two fortune cookies, a second dessert and extra booze! The dessert called Firecracker comes with a sparkler (see below), the kind of fun touch for which Hulu is loved.
I cracked open a bottle of white Bordeaux for this meal and it especially went well with the mushroom risotto. (Thanks to a reader who funded my lunch! If you want to support my sites, see here.)
Pebbles Mexican Restaurant is one of Beijing’s culinary gems, with chef Ray Heng going above and beyond in pursuit of authenticity (see here and here.) With the reopening date for Pebbles uncertain, Heng started delivery last Friday, with a menu focused on tacos and tortas.
I tried the ridiculously delicious torta. It was a late delivery, and since our apartment complex is being padlocked at night, the driver had to slip it between the gate’s bars. Felt a bit like a last meal–and a delicious one at that. Crispy breaded chicken that is so tender inside; smooth avocado; a just-right spicy chipotle aioli; bites of Vidalia onion and ripe tomato; all on a bed of warm refried beans in a toasted baguette. Get it. Deliveries 4:30 PM to 8:30 PM, Tuesday to Sunday. The tacos were good, too!
Burger Box in Nali Patio has an all-Tuesday deal on burgers, including sets with fries / salad and soda. This week, that meant two burgers, two fries and two sodas delivered via Jinshisong for rmb80. The burgers are compact but filling: you could easily eat one set and save one for later.
If you are ordering online, doing mix and match is a pain in the ass–you have to contact Burger Box directly after you order. Just get two of the same and be happy such value is available. Need a recommendation? If you tend toward classics, try the That’s What Cheese Said or the Magic Mushroom. A bit more adventurous? Go for The Stupid Egg (bacon, egg and more) or The Angry Avocado (spicy black bean, jalapenos and more.)
I cracked open a bottle of Tour Sainte Christophe in honor of the only club to which I belong, Jurade de Saint Emilion. And because I was really thirsty. By the way, Burger Box’s sibling brand, Moka Bros, has buy one get one smoothies all February.
Other places are also introducing / boosting delivery. Sanlitun’s The Local has just launched its app. (By the way, Monday–tomorrow–also means half-price regular pizzas at The Local, dine-in only, 4 PM to 10 PM.) Meanwhile, O’Steak on Xingfucun Middle Road upped its game a few days ago, and is delivering soups, salads, steaks, burgers and more.
There are also lots of other options, including by veterans like Groovy Schiller’s–I saw pickups when I stopped by for a beer yesterday–and Jazz-ya. And by (see below): malabocca (mala tang), Kup Kup Kup (southeast Asian), Gail’s (Caribbean), Turkish Feast and Georgia’s Feast, Haidilao (hotpot, Sanlitun SOHO outlet), The Merchants (bagels, mains, desserts, more), Meat by Ernest, Annie’s (Italian), Migas (Spanish) and Red Lobster.
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