特色菜 - 新建餐厅 Xinjiang Restaurant

On the Saturday of the 北航大学 University of Aeronautics debate workshop, around 12 of us had dinner in a Xinjiang restaurant near their school. I lost the name and the address but kept photos of our dishes. The best thing about eating with lots of Chinese friends is we get to try so many varieties because all the (12!) dishes are put on the lazy-Susan.

新疆拌菜 Assorted vegetables and meat for RMB 15

Turpan Restaurant in Niujie Muslim Community

My brother and I explored a bit more of the Muslim Community and ended up in the restaurant that Seb and I missed when we visited that side of town. Lonely Planet says it is the best eatery in the Quarter, and it may be so because we entered on a Monday weeknight, the slowest business night in most restaurants, and found their place 3/4 full.

Lamb kebabs for RMB 8

Yang Rou Pao Muo (specialty soup) from Huimin Muslim Quarters

The next one we tried on our trip to Xian was their specialty dish, the Yang Rou Pao Muo. It's basically a kettle of lamb soup with small pieces of unleavened bread (nan bread). Lamb is an acquired taste, and I haven't acquired that taste yet, so after each of us had a few spoonfuls, my good friend Seb happily devoured most of it. Trust the French to love all sorts of exotic dishes.

Again, rather crude, but this is restaurant we dined in. Just another mushroom restaurant along Huimin Jie.

Yang Rou Pao Muo for RMB 15

Rou Jia Mou (lamb burger) from Huimin Jie, Xian, China

We explored a bit of Xian over the weekend and tasted most of Wikitravel's food suggestions (cross researched with other sources). It was great how the French boys and Nik were more than ready to take our taste buds on an adventure.


Our first stop was the busy street of Huimin, where I got a taste of Rou Jia Mo. According to Wikipedia, some details:

Rou jia mo, means "meat burger or meat sandwich," is a street food originated from Shaanxi Province of China and is now widely consumed all over China. The meat can be pork, stewed for hours in a soup consisting of over 20 kinds of spices and seasonings. Although it is possible to use only a few spices (which many vendors do), the resulting meat is less flavourful. In Muslim areas in Xi'an, the meat is usually beef (prepared Kabob style and seasoned with cumin and pepper), and in Gansu it is often lamb.

Rou Jia Mo for RMB 5. Tasted a lot like very soft corned beef.

Chinese Muslim Restaurant in NiuJie Muslim Community

This is rather crude, but my good friend Seb and I explored the Chinese Muslim Community in Niujie and ended up in a restaurant that was brimming with people at 2 pm in the afternoon.


We were quite adept in ordering in broken Mandarin and sign language, and ended up with the following dishes:


I promise to improve my posts! But thus far I still can't understand most of the characters and am stuck asking for "chicken" (鸡肉) or "beef" (牛肉).