Last Orders: Joel Shuchat, Co-owner, The Orchid
“Last Orders” is a regular magazine column in which we ask noteworthy Beijingers to imagine their final meal before leaving the city for good.
The venue
Home, outside in the courtyard. It feels and smells like Beijing, and without a view onto the horizon all you can see is the blue sky above.
The starters
Ma doufu (麻豆腐) and zhima shaobing (芝麻烧饼) from the Long Xingsheng Snack Shop (隆兴盛名优小吃) at Ya’er Hutong. The perfect brunch food, with a healthy covering of chilli oil and lamb fat to get things started properly. And crispy beef cakes from the Gongting Xiangsu Niuroubing (宫廷香酥牛肉饼) off of Di’anmenwai Dajie. I’d seriously miss them after a few weeks away.
The main courses
I should really mention Duck de Chine. Not because it’s the best duck (after a certain level, such high-end Beijing roast duck is all pretty great and yet still unimpressive on its own), but mostly because only here can you get such a fine duck paired with a few bits of excellent dim sum. I like that.
The desserts
Really? Mentioning favorite Beijing desserts is like reaching for favorite Beijing breakfasts. You have to be really creative with your standards. Skip this and grab a barbecue lamb shank. Or for fun, the dousha bao on Gulou Dongdajie are definitely up to standard, and the queue is more than enough to remind you that you still don’t understand this city.
Something from your own restaurant?
We make labneh (well-strained yogurt “cheese”) daily from fresh organic yogurt. We also do our own Chinese-style ma chilli oils. Normally we’d serve the cheese topped with a healthy dose of high-quality olive oil, but if you mix it up with Chinese chilli oil you get a weird mix of heaven! I’d serve it with white, slightly seasoned shaobing from any of the nearby bakeries.
The music
Beijing opera – obviously?
The entertainment
I’d serve a few plum wines supplied by our Yunnan friends. Not because they taste good, but because everyone only ever half-remembers the nights that involve drinking the stuff, yet everyone is always far beyond happy, and I’m sure it requires no outside help. Fire the DJ, plug in anyone’s music and ganbei the night away.
Click here to see the April issue of the Beijinger in full.
Photo: Judy Zhou
