Pure Lotus, Quanjude and Hooters

China. Was there anything worthy of burger or Dave-ness? Well no waves at all, the closest I got was SuZhou, known as "Venice of the East". Here you can be serenaded on boats and buy as much tourist booty as you can stuff into cheap plastic bags.

Early on Sunday I found some interesting stuff in Shanghai, notably the "Bund" (riverside area), where all the locals fly their kites and do tai chi. There was some Australian director down there filming a serious cinema flick but I couldn't work out who it was.

To Beijing and the compulsory duck restaurant Quanjude. This was an improvement on Hooters which was the last place we went in Shanghai, just to prove that Chinese girls can act like Texans. I did have a burger there -- not tasty.

Oh, back to Beijing and the duck, not bad - but actually not as flash as the one we had in Smith St, Fitzroy.

Which brings me to Pure Lotus. After a week of duck, pork, chicken feet, duck blood, beef, more pork and generally feeling like the floor of an abattoir -- I asked my vegetarian local colleague where to go.

She sent us to a place called Jingxin Lian which translates as "Pure Lotus". This is the best vege reaturant I have been to, anywhere, ever. Yes, they do the whole textured tofu thing, but flavour and presentation is incredible. They even emulated the Peking Duck experience from the night before. People say that the place is run by a monk, and many of the staff seem to be budhist themselves - their passion really shows.

They also do lots of drinks with yam -- because it is supposed to enhance your manhood or something. I didn't touch the yam juice but I did have the yam dessert which was wicked.

STZ

http://www.happycow.net/reviews.php?id=3934

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/China/Beijing_Shi/Beijing-1024960/Restaurants-Beijing-Pure_Lotus_Jing_xin_lian_in_Chinese-BR-1.html

http://www.harrissalat.com/archives/2005/08/fifis_beijing_v.html