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Holiday season means food: food to eat, food to go, food fairs, and food to make at home. This edition of Shunyi Happenings is all about food resources, including where to find seasonal dishes, cooking classes, and food vendors who can make your holiday table one of the most memorable.
Get Your Gobble On
If you celebrate American Thanksgiving (which falls on November 28 this year), you will need a turkey. Though there are many options available in Shunyi, be sure to plan early.
- Piazza Cafe on Yu Yang Lu across from Capital Paradise makes ready-to-carve turkeys. The gigantic marquee outside the restaurant shows a mouth-watering bird; my family doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving, but the visuals alone were quite tempting. Call 8046 2020 or 8046 77 88 to place your order.
- The Yard on the third floor of Europlaza also offers cooked and stuffed turkeys. An 8-9kg bird costs RMB 1,088 and serves up to ten people. The price also includes stuffing, mixed vegetables, a baked potato, and cranberry sauce. Alternatively, honey roasted ham is available for RMB 158 per kilo, with a minimum order of 1.5kg. Europlaza, 99 Yuxiang Lu, Tianzhu Zhen, Shunyi District (8049 9449 or 135 2188 6500) 顺义区天竺镇裕翔路99号欧陆广场3层
- Schindler’s Food Center has frozen pre-cooked turkeys for RMB 58 per kilogram. Roughly 10kg per bird. Cathay View Plaza, 2 Xianjiang Beilu, Chaoyang District (8470 2076, 135 2225 5868) 朝阳区香江北路002号观塘广场
- BHG Market Place in the basement of Europlaza offers the same frozen pre-cooked turkey for RMB 57.60 per kilogram. Smaller turkeys weighing 6-8kg also available.
- Jenny Lou’s at Pinnacle Plaza also advertises frozen pre-cooked turkeys for RMB 55 per kilogram.
Thanksgiving Dinner and Activities
- On Thursday, November 28 starting from 4pm, the Filling Station near WAB has an all-you-can-eat Thanksgiving Dinner Carvery with traditional family recipes, kids’ craft activities and seasonal holiday beverages. Book your table by calling 8470 3821. RMB 160 for adults and kids above age 10, RMB 80 for kids under 10. Add RMB 60 for all-you-can-drink mulled wine sangria and sparkling apple cider.
- Children can help their families win this Thanksgiving Dinner at Stumble Inn. There will be two winners: one from the 4-6 age group (participants can color the Thanksgiving picture provided by the restaurant), and one from the 8-12 age group (where participants must submit a drawing of what they’re thankful for). The submission deadline is November 20 at 6pm. The prize dinner is designed for up to two adults and two children aged 12 and under. For more information, contact marketing@stumbleinnbeijing.com.
More Good Eats
These are not only for Thanksgiving or the holiday season, but for any time throughout the year.
Fine Food Fair
On November 20 from 11am-2pm, Green T. House Living hosts a fair completely devoted to gourmet foods, with baked goods, special drinks, and more. Proceeds will benefit Roundabout. Free entry includes a hot ginger tea.
Food vendors who are interested in having a booth should contact Mary Kate Brown at brownmarykate@yahoo.co.uk. For more info, visit www.green-t-house.com.
STARAcooking
Friends Stacey and Sara have a shared love of food, cooking, traveling, and exploring local culture. They have combined their interests to bring expats regular cooking classes right here in Shunyi. Two chefs will lead small classes of up to six people.
- Wednesday, November 20: Easy Everyday Eating – Italian-Style (RMB 200 per person)
- Wednesday, December 4: Fancy Friday Feasts (RMB 200 per person)
- Wednesday, January 15: Broken Brunch (RMB 200 per person)
- Wednesday, February 12: Romantic Valentine’s Feast (RMB 300 per person)
- Wednesday, February 26: Moroccan Marvels (RMB 300 per person)
All classes run from 10am-2pm. “Come hungry because you get to eat everything you make,” say Stacey and Sara. Book early by emailing starafood@gmail.com. For dining recommendations in Beijing, check out their website too (VPN required).
Pies and Sausages
Andrew, Matt and Drew provide creative, good-quality sausages and pies. Fresh pork jalapeño special and gluten-free old English sausages are just two of the newer sausage varieties. Classic pie flavors include The Paddy (beef brisket chunks simmered in mushroom and Guinness) and Two Guys and a Thai (a crowd-sourced flavor with green curry chicken and eggplant). Email piesandsangasbeijing@gmail.com for the complete list of flavors and to place your order.
Deliveries are made every two weeks, with four pick-up points in Shunyi: Starbucks Pinnacle Plaza, Jamaica Blue at Yosemite, the Beijing Riviera Clubhouse, or by arrangement at Grand Hills.
To find out more about the pies, call 186 1255 7637. For information about the sausages, call 186 0003 9708.
Christmas Puddings and Sweet Mincemeat
Naomi Taylor makes traditional English delicacies both for Christmas and year-round. Puddings laced with rum (RMB 180 each) come in a one-pint pudding tub and will store for at least a year. Mincemeat laced with brandy (RMB120 each) is ready to turn into your own mince pies and comes in 500g pots.
Email Naomi at counsellingwithnaomi@hotmail.co.uk to place your order. Pick-up available in Shunyi.
Salmon and Cod
If you are a fan of fish, try out Chef Billy’s Group Buy. He pools multiple orders and buys in bulk to maximize savings. The final price, even with the handling and preparation fee, still amounts to much less than what you would normally pay at Jenny Lou’s, BHG Market Place, or Carrefour for fish.
Salmon must be bought whole but can be vacuum-packed in smaller portions so you can store away what isn’t being used. Cod comes sliced and also vacuum-packed. Both kinds of fish are freezer-ready.
Simply pick up your order at Chef Too restaurant next to Chaoyang Park (call 6591 2520 for directions). If there is enough interest, Chef Billy may consider adding a Shunyi pick-up location. To place your order, email chefbilly@yahoo.com.
We’d like to hear from you! What are your Shunyi favorites? Any recommendations or bits of news you’d like to see here on Shunyi Happenings, please feel free to send it on to us via email to: danamercado@beijing-kids.com
Photo courtesy of pulaw (Flickr)
Dana is the beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent. Originally from the Philippines, she moved to Beijing in 2011 (via Europe) with her husband, two sons and Rusty the dog. She enjoys writing, photography, theater, visual arts, and trying new food. In her free time, she can be found exploring the city and driving along the mountain roads of Huairou, Miyun and Pinggu.
