Turkish Coffee In Beijing
Biteapitta at Xing Ba Lu
Nuren Jie
Chaoyang, Beijing
We wandered around Super Bar Street (Xing Ba Lu), which I’d heard about and wanted to visit but didn’t realize it was right next to Lady Street. We kept walking down the street, which has Italian, German, African and Japanese eateries, a bunch of bars, club girls in crazy outfits, a tattoo parlor and a street barker who really wanted to sell us German porn. We decided on Biteapittahttp://www.localnoodles.com/review/business_detail.aspx?businessid=272″>Biteapitta> (吧嗒饼) based almost entirely on the amazing smells coming out.
The whole place is half deli and half exotic Middle East. There’s a diner counter with tall, polished-wood chairs and a glass hookah. My mint tea involved real mint and a lovely glass mug, but it was nothing compared to Stick’s coffee in a china shotglass, on a brass tray. (It only took one shot for him to start speaking extra fast.) The tables are literally shining clean, the dishes are unchipped and uncracked. If your purse touches the floor, you don’t want to run out and buy a new one.
We each got the set menu (between 65RMB and 85RMB per person, depending on the main dish you choose), which includes a bunch of Middle Eastern tapas and delicious pita bread to eat with it. With the set menu, you also get a drink, main course, and 2 sides… Get the vegetable salad for one of your sides, it’s made of finely chopped cucumber, tomato and magical deliciousness.
The tapas were awesome, all different kinds of hummus and vegetables. One of them is a rocking hummus with 50% garlic, and there’s an awesome tomato dish. Actually, all of them were very good.
We stayed there for a while, picking at our food even after we were both full, sipping our coffee and tea, and just enjoying the oasis away from the grime of Beijing. Real brewed coffee is a delight here… I’m fond of coffee at home, but it’s even more of a treat in China.
When we were ready to resume our adventures, a waiter (not Jackie) asked if we wanted our leftovers wrapped up. We said no, because we weren’t going to be able to put them in the fridge.
“That is very wasteful,” the waiter said, and walked away.