Beijing's Best Breakfast Dishes from Around the World
Beijing is an international city, but we bet that most of you haven’t thought past making your breakfast the way you did at home, or those steaming convenience store baozi. That’s fair enough, considering morning time constraints. However, on your days off you really have no excuse but to take your taste buds on a test drive through these international breakfast dishes.
American Breakfast
The buttermilk pancakes at Lily’s American Diner are fluffy like they should be, and the portion solid. Choose whether you want your pancakes to be served with two eggs and bacon, or eggs and sausage. Alternatively, choose from one of the many different American-style breakfast items, for those who like to gorge on waffles or omelettes in the morning.
Lily’s American Diner (Shuangjing). Daily 8am-midnight. Unit 2-18, Bldg 2, Tianzhi Jiaozi, 31 Guangqu Lu, Chaoyang District (8418 5497)
Cantonese Breakfast
Jindingxuan is open 24 hours per day, and thus is the perfect place to get breakfast any time of the day. They serve up a mean bowl of zhou, or congee, the traditional southern Chinese rice porridge, which can be upgraded with a range of toppings from meat to seafood. Prefer your breakfast bigger? Add a serving of youtiao, or fried bread sticks, for a complete meal that promises to keep you going all day.
Jindingxuan (Ditan). Open 24 hours. 77 Hepingli Xijie, Dongcheng District (6429 6699)
Israeli Breakfast
Shakshuka at MoxiMoxi is the quintessential Israeli breakfast item and adored by many international tastes. Actually, it is a suitable meal at any time of the day. Eggs boiled to perfection in a combination of tomatoes, aubergines, and onions presented in a pita bread topped off with tahini sauce. Healthy, tasty, and also a great idea if you like having your breakfast in the evenings, with a beer at Cellar Door.
MoxiMoxi. Tue-Sun 5pm-late. 55 Fangjia Hutong, Dongcheng District (158 0168 0406)
Singaporean Breakfast
Kaya toast – toast with coconut jam and butter – can be found at Toast Box outlets across the city. The Raffles City Toast Box branch serves up a breakfast set, which includes kaya toast, a choice of coffee or milk tea, and an egg (boiled fully, or half-boiled the Singaporean way). Although the toast did have a bit too much butter, the combination makes a great start to the day for anyone with a sweet tooth.
Toast Box (Raffles City). Daily 10am-8pm. B1-01, Raffles City Mall, 1 Dongzhimen Nandajie, Dongcheng District (8409 8892)
British Breakfast
Slow Boat Brewery’s fry-up comes as a huge portion with bangers supplied by Beijing Bangers, and whipped up by Chef Jai Harman who picked up the sausage-making trade in the UK and proudly uses only traditional recipes. Accompanying his bangers are grilled mushrooms, a generous portion of whole wheat bread, and eggs cooked to your liking. As it is Slow Boat, you can couple your breakfast with one of their many beers.
Slow Boat Brewery. Available Sundays 11.30am-2pm. 56 Dongsi Batiao, Dongcheng District (6538 5537)
Indian Breakfast
For a southern Indian breakfast, try the vada at Punjabi Indian Restaurant. Accompanied by masala chai, this makes for an unusual but satisfying option to start the day. A vada is a frittertype snack made using lentils, commonly found at railway stations and other street stalls in south India. If that’s not your thing, they also have many different types of paratha on the menu.
Punjabi. Daily 11.30am-10.45pm. 2F, C-8 Lucky Street, 1 Chaoyang Gongyuan Lu, Chaoyang District (5867 0221)
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Photos: Zach Hoy, Ken, Uni
