Turkish Delight: Comparing Beijing's Emerging Doner Purveyors
Although Beijing boasts an eclectic array of cuisines, Turkish fare is very much overlooked and under represented in the capital. While Turkish Mum is no doubt a successful purveyor of sis kebab and other such dishes in an elegant setting, many expats crave a quicker bit of grab-it-and-go doner that have become a street food mainstay in many western countries.
Two Beijing restaurants have quietly begun building a following among the city's Turkish expats, though some flaws remain, holding them back from catching on as much as similar fare has in other locales around the world. One, fittingly called Turkish Doner, is housed on Sanlitun Lu next to the Cheers wine shop. The restaurant, which opened less than a month ago, has a large patio and a few seats inside, though its wisp-thin menu consists of only a few yellowy laminated pages, covered in drab text with some blurry photos (the kind of menu you would've seen more frequently at generic foreign restaurants near the Silk Market or Lido five years ago). Even more dismal is the restaurant's service – nearly 45 minutes passed between us placing our order and it being served, despite the restaurant being entirely empty on a Thursday evening. While we were waiting another customer came inside, looked around, waited a few moments and then left, all without a server in sight.
The food itself was thankfully a much bigger success. When it finally arrived, our order of beef doner (RMB 75) was flame-kissed to the point of succulence. It was also softly chewy and incredibly juicy. Unfortunately, the side of RMB 15 puffy Turkish bread was dry and tough. In the end, the delicious meat (be it the beef kebab, or other options like the RMB 78 baked lamb chop, RMB 88 grilled rainbow trout, or RMB 75 chicken skewer) would only make Turkish Doner worth the wait if you have plenty of idle time to while away.
Expats are sure to be more satisfied with Doner Durum Turkish. Facing Jianwai Street, on the east side of the Silk Market's first floor, this restaurant, which has been open for approximately one year, has more of the casual vibe that many expats crave when they think of such fare. We tried the RMB 35 chicken doner with pudgy bread. The bread was far softer and more inviting than its barren-dry Sanlitun counterpart mentioned above. The chicken was tasty thanks to its tangy sauce, although it was unexceptional when compared to the Sanlitun branch's juicy morsels.
Still, the convenience and overall quality of this Silk Street Restaurant makes it a more satisfying choice than Sanlitun's Turkish Doner. If only the latter's meat and bread were up to par with its meat, then perhaps Beijingers would be chowing down on Turkish cuisine with as much vigor as foodies in other cities.
Turkish Doner
Daily, Noon-1am. 103, Unit 6, Building 29, Sanlitun North Street (About 200 meters north of the 3.3 Building) (150 9285 6102)
朝阳区 三里屯北街 29号楼 6门 103底商 三点三大厦往北二百米路西
Doner Durum Turkish
Daily 9am-10.30pm. F1-006, East Building, New Xiushui Mall, 8 Xiushui East Street (First floor of the Silk Market on the east side facing Jianwai Street) (8563 5988)
新秀水街商厦 东楼底层 F1-006, 008-1 北京市朝阳区秀水东街8号
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Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
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Photos: Kyle Mullin