Fruity Fun: Fine Fruit-filled Fishes

Summer is the perfect season for fruit. Aside from being rich in vitamins and nutrients, fruits provide fresh, sweet flavorings for a wide range of dishes in virtually every style of cuisine. The following are some of our favorites.

LEMON

Lemon duck (柠檬鸭)
This Guangxi restaurant in Shuangjing features a dish of stewed duck meat stir-fried with lemon, sour peppers, sour ginger and sour plum. Pucker up! RMB 30.
Guangfuyuan. 6 Shuanghuayuan Nanli (just south of Tonghui He and across from the Baiziwan intersection on the west side of Sanhuan), Dongsanhuan Zhonglu, Chaoyang District. (6776 0911 ext 700) 广福缘餐厅, 朝阳区东三环中路双花园南里6号

Lemon minced beef (柠檬碎牛肉)
This Wudaokou-area Vietnamese restaurant serves this dish of minced beef with lemon sauce wrapped in lettuce. RMB 39.
Phodaiz. Daily 10am-10pm. 5/F, Wudaokou Shopping Mall, 28 Chengfu Lu, Haidian District. (6266 6786) 福代越南餐厅, 海淀区成府路28号五道口购物中心5楼

Lemon fish (柠檬鱼)
Thai restaurant Serve the People serves steamed perch in a sweet and sour lemon soup. RMB 168.
Serve the People. Daily 10.30am-10.30pm. 1 Sanlitun Xiwujie (next to Athena), Chaoyang District. (8454 4580) 为人民服务,朝阳区三里屯西五街1号

Fried chicken with lemon sauce (照烧柠檬鸡)
The fried chicken at this contemporary Chinese restaurant near Houhai is made with a secret recipe and fresh lemon sauce, resulting in a taste similar to Hong Kong-style barbecue (cha shao). RMB 32.
Houhai Bieyuan. Daily 10.30am-10.30pm. 28 Yandai Xiejie (between Di’anmen and Houhai), Dongcheng District. (6401 7446) 后海别院创意菜, 西城区烟袋斜街28号

Lemon chicken salad (柠檬手撕鸡)
This Yunnan restaurant serves a salad made with lemon and a special kind of yellow-feathered chicken which is salted and then torn into bite-size bits. RMB 28.
Heshun Xiaozhen. Daily 10am-10pm. Southeast of Hangtianqiao, Haidian District. (8802 8989) 和顺小镇, 海淀区航天桥东南角

PINEAPPLE

Fried squid with pineapple (菠萝炒鱿鱼)
This Houhai-area Vietnamese restaurant’s squid is sliced up, fried and slathered with pineapple. RMB 60.
Nuage. Daily 11am-11pm. 22 Qianhai Dongyan, Xicheng District. (6401 9581) 庆云楼, 西城区前海东沿22号

Pineapple shrimp balls (菠萝虾球)
Beyond booty-shaking beats, Alfa serves a dish made with fried shrimp and pineapple.
Alfa. Daily 6pm-3am. 6 Xingfu Yicun (in the alley opposite the north gate of Workers’ Stadium), Chaoyang District. (6413 0086) 拉米熊, 朝阳区幸福一村6号工体北门对面的胡同里

Pineapple youtiao shrimp (菠萝油条虾)
This Taiwanese restaurant serves up cubes of deep-fried youtiao (dough sticks) with shrimp and pineapple in a crunchy, tangy salad. RMB 46.
Linglong Xiaozhen. Daily 10.30am-midnight. 1/F, Bldg C, Shimao Dasha, 92A Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District. (8580 9990) 玲珑小镇.朝阳区建国路甲92号世茂大厦C座1楼

Pineapple seafood rice (菠萝海鲜炒饭)
Chaowai Soho’s Thai-style Kid Teung features seafood fried rice served in a pineapple half. RMB 38.
Kid Tueng Restaurant. Daily 9.30am-9.30pm. Rm 03017, Bldg B, Chaowai Soho, 6B Chaowai Dajie, Chaoyang District. (5900 1820) 美味ING, 朝阳区朝外大街乙6号朝外Soho B座03017室

Pineapple crispy-skinned chicken (菠萝脆皮鸡)
Sichuan restaurant offers slices of fried chicken and pineapple in a sweet yellow soup. RMB 49.
Zaochun Eryue. Daily 10.30am-10.30pm. Cheniandian Hutong, Andingmennei Dajie, Dongcheng District. (6406 9521) 早春二月, 东城区安定门内大街车辇店

Pineapple mustard shrimp (菠萝芥末虾球)
This Yunnan restaurant features deep-fried shrimp with mustard sauce served on a bed of pineapple. RMB 36.
Dongbabuluo Yunnan Restaurant. Daily 10am-10pm.
West of the zoo’s main gate, 141D Xizhimenwai Dajie, Xicheng District. (6831 9358) 东巴部落云南菜馆, 西城区西直门外大街丁141号(动物园正门西)

Pineapple chicken (菠萝鸡片)
The fried pineapple with chicken slices and green and red peppers at this Macanese restaurant is a fine medley of sweet and sour. RMB 18.
Chuanshuo Jinyun. Daily 11am-2pm, 5-10pm. 65 Ande Lu, Dongcheng District. (6201 9920) 传说金运, 东城区安德路65号

Cherry fish balls (樱桃鱼块)
The name is a bit misleading – the “cherry” refers to the appearance of the fried fish balls covered in red sauce. Dish also contains pineapple. Book this dish one day in advance. RMB 38.
Haloing The Past. Daily noon-3pm, 6-10pm. 3 Dajiangchang Xixiang, Guloudong Dajie, Dongcheng District. (6406 5852)
昔巷, 东城区鼓楼东大街大经厂西巷3号

MANGO

Mango chicken roll (芒果鸡肉卷)
Mango and chicken with sauce rolled in thin, rice flour wrap. RMB 26.
Phodaiz. Daily 10am-10pm. 5/F, Wudaokou Shopping Mall, 28 Chengfu Lu, Haidian District. (6266 6786) 福代越南餐厅, 海淀区成府路28号五道口购物中心5楼

Mango duck breast (芒果鸭胸)
This Vietnamese dish consists of roasted duck breast meat in mango sauce with mashed potato. RMB 68.
Le Little Saigon. Daily 11.30am-10pm. 141B Jiugulou Dajie, Xicheng District. (6401 8465) 西贡在巴黎, 西城区旧鼓楼大街乙141号

Mango salmon salad (芒果粒三文鱼)
Cubes of mango and salmon tossed in a light dressing. RMB 56.
Wish. Daily 11.30am-midnight. 6 Fangyuan Xilu, Lido Garden, Chaoyang District. (6438 1118) 梧桐, 朝阳区芳园西路6号东四环霄云桥东700米路北丽都花园南门

Mango aloe (芒果芦荟)
A sweet salad of thinly sliced mango with aloe jelly. RMB 28.
Red Tomato Chuzhenfang. Daily 10am-9.30pm. Near Wanshoulu subway, 36 Cuiwei Nanli, Wanshou Lu, Haidian District. (6821 5512) 红蕃茄楚珍舫, 海淀区万寿路翠微南里36号(近万寿路地铁)

PEAR

Pear salad (清梨拌菜)
This restaurant specializing in pears offers a pear soup (RMB 8), a salad made from pear slices served with cucumber, red cabbage and peanuts (RMB 12), as well as crispy shrimp balls with, you guessed it, pear.
Xiaodiao Litang. Daily 10am-10pm. 66 Baofusi, Zhongguancun, Haidian District. (6264 8616) 小吊梨汤, 海淀区中关村保福寺66号

Rice wine snow pear (米酒酿雪梨)
This Hunan restaurant’s sweet rice dish helps reduce the hotness of the other spicy dishes. RMB 18.
Kuxia Yizu. Daily 11am-midnight. 83 Sitiao Hutong, Dongsi Beidajie, Dongcheng District. (6405 4904) 酷虾逸族, 东城区东四北大街四条胡同83

BANANA

Fried banana (炸香蕉)
This Dai minority restaurant offers a delectable dessert of fried banana tossed lightly in flour. RMB 15.
Golden Peacock Yunnan Restaurant. Daily 11am-10pm. 16 Minzudaxue Beilu, Weigongcun, Haidian District. (6893 2030) 金孔雀德宏傣家风味餐厅, 海淀区魏公村民族大学北路16号

Syrup-strand banana (拔丝香蕉)
This popular dessert from China’s northeast consists of deep-fried banana cubes covered in a paste of egg whites and flour, then drizzled with caramelized sugar. RMB 32.
Meihua Jiaozi. 1/F, Boxin hotel, 137 Huguosi, north Ping’anli Lu, Xicheng District. (no tel) 梅花饺子, 西城区平安里路北护国寺137号伯鑫宾馆1楼(近护国寺宾馆)

Others

Lychee beef (荔枝肥牛)
Stir-fried beef with chunks of lychee. RMB 38.
Huguang Huiguan Chuwanyuan. Daily 10am-2pm, 5-9.30pm. 3 Hufang Lu, Xuanwu District. (6355 3112) 湖广会馆楚畹园, 宣武区虎坊路3号

Lychee shrimp (荔枝虾球)
Fried shrimp served with lychee is on offer at this restaurant specializing in Shanghai cuisine. RMB 98.
Xiangmanlou. Daily 11am-10pm. Xinyuanxili Zhongjie, Zuojiazhuang, Chaoyang District. (6467 4391) 香满楼酒家, 朝阳区左家庄新源西里中街渔阳饭店斜对面

Orange beef (橙汁牛柳)
Fried beef served in a jus d’orange sauce. RMB 32.
Drum and Gong Fusion Restaurant. Daily 10am-midnight. 102 Nanluogu Xiang, Dongcheng District. (8402 4729) 锣鼓洞天, 东城区南锣鼓巷102号

Dried apricot beef (杏脯牛柳)
This Muslim restaurant serves fried dried apricot and beef with sweet and sour sauce. RMB 39.
Wangdelou Halal Restaurant. Daily 11am-11pm. 26 Di’anmenwai Dajie, Xicheng District. (6404 1818) 望德楼清真餐厅, 西城区地安门外大街26号

Strawberry noodles (草莓面)
The strawberry taste in these noodles comes not only from the soup. Strawberry jam is also infused into the noodle dough. RMB 22.
Qinweijia. Daily 24 hrs. Zhongba Lou, Sanlitun Zhongjie, Chaoyang District. (6415 4306) 秦味家, 朝阳区三里屯中街中八楼

Foie Gras Poêlé with haw berry (煎鹅肝慢煮山楂)
Instead of pairing their foie gras with more conventional apple or mushroom, Dadong uses sour Chinese hawthorn fruit. RMB 98.
Dadong Roast Duck. 1-2/F, Nanxincang International Plaza, 22A Dongsishitiao, Dongcheng District. (5169 0329) 北京大董烤鸭店, 东城区东四十条甲22号南新仓国际大厦1~2楼(立交桥西南角)