Michelin Guide BJ Just Named Its Top 15 Best Value Restaurants

From: Robynne T. theBeijinger 2019-12-08

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Ahead of the official launch of the Michelin Guide Beijing on Nov 28, the company has named a list of 15 Beijing restaurants that have been awarded Bib Gourmand status. Introduced in 1997, Bib Gourmand designates its picks of restaurants that offer "good quality, good value." The venues selected for this Michelin Guide sub-category are not usually well-known internationally (although that often changes after the guide is published) but are popular for staying faithful to local recipes, flavors, or traditions. They're also chosen by the same critics who pick the starred restaurants.

Below is the full list, including what cuisine they serve:

Baodu Jinshenglong 爆肚金生隆 (Beijing-style boiled tripe)
Baoyuan 宝源 (dumplings)
Beixinqiao Luzhu 北新桥卤煮 (pork offal stew)
Gong De Lin 功德林 (vegetarian)
Jing Yi 静一 (Hubei cuisine)
Keaami (Thai cuisine)
Chaishi Fengwei Zhai (Haidian) 柴氏风味斋（海淀）(Beef noodle soup)
Liu Quan Ju 柳泉居 (Shandong cuisine)
69 Fangzhuanchang Zhajiang Noodles 方砖厂69号炸酱面 (Beijing-style zhajiang noodles)
Rong Cuisine (Baiziwan Nan Er Lu) 荣小馆（百子湾南二路）(Zhejiang cuisine)
The Red Chamber (China World Summit Wing, Beijing) 红馆（中国国际贸易中心国贸大酒店） (Peking Duck)
Tianchumiaoxiang Vegetarian Restaurant (Chaoyang) 天厨妙香素食（朝阳）(vegetarian)
Xi Yuan Ju (Qianmen Dajie) 玺源居（前门大街）(Beijing-style hot pot)
Yinsan Douzhi 尹三豆汁 (Beijing-style fermented mung bean "juice")
Yu Hua Tai (Xicheng) 玉华台（西城）(Huaiyang cuisine)

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Bib Gourmand's focus on cheaper, more accessible restaurants is heavily apparent on this list, with places like Beixinqiao Luzhu and 69 Fangzhuanchang Zhajiang Noodles boasting an average spend of less than RMB 50 per head. Although it's great to see so many old-school Beijing restaurants making the cut, including at least one serving the city's eponymous roast duck, the list has already come under fire from some of Beijing's foodies for being too rustic, painting Beijing in an unflattering light, and too Qianmen-centric.

Yinsan Douzhi: Usual Michelin Guide food, this is not

While no list like this was ever going to make everyone happy, we're excited to see several of Beijing's "Laozihao" AKA time-honored brands, such as Liu Quan Ju (which purportedly dates back more than 400 years), make a good showing, demonstrating Beijing's long history as a center of culinary development. We're also happy to see two vegetarian restaurants – Gong De Lin and the very accessible Tianchu Miaoxiang Vegetarian Restaurant – make the cut.

Beijing veggies will be happy to see two all-veg restaurants made the cut, including Gong De Lin, pictured above

The decision to include so many lao Beijing brands may have been in response to criticism that previous editions of the guide, specifically in Shanghai and Guangzhou, failed to appreciate the subtlety and diversity of local cuisine. Furthermore, it suggests that next week's star allocations will also include plenty of local dishes such as duck outlets Da Dong (pretty much a done deal considering they have stars in Shanghai) and Sheng Yong Xing.

If you haven't visited these restaurants before then now is the time because it's almost guaranteed that they are going to start getting even busier now that they have Bib Gourmand status.

Click here to read the announcement via Michelin's official WeChat account (in Chinese).