Breakfast in Beijing

When we first arrived in Beijing, we were transported by bus to our first muslim restaurant in Beijing (more than half of our entourage were muslims, hence the halal food). The place was more like a shack, called 'Sai La Ma Can Ting'. Apparently the owner was a chinese muslim convert and her name is Sai La Ma (probably she would have been called Saloma here in Malaysia) and 'Can Ting' of course means restaurant in chinese.

Crossing the road takes acrobatic skills as not only do you have to avoid cars and buses, you especially have to avoid the cylists who seem to appear from all directions pedalling at break neck speed.
The interior of the place was dingy to say the least. The lightings were dull, the walls covered with peeling wall papers that have seen better days. Locals who were already eating there stared at us as we filed in as if we just landed from MARS or something. And the atmosphere was cold...freezing cold in fact.
The 'appetiser' was this funny dish. So funny in fact that not one of us dared to try it. I am still wondering what it was.
The next dish was more recognisable. Raw (or mildly steamed?) capsicum dipped in soya sauce. It's funny to taste soya sauce that is not salty! And capsicum truly haunted us as we were served this vege for every meal we had no matter where we ate. Maybe it's their national vege or something.
What I thought was thick tea turned to to be tepid coffee! I didn't take another pic where what we thought was light tea turned out to be hot orange juice!
Then another dish which also haunted us throughout the trip was brought out. Fried 'siew bak choi' with carrot. I think every dish had carrots in it!

Frozen bread and some jam were also served.

Fried rice with eggs! I remembered longing for some 'sambal' at that time!

Twisted 'cakoi' which were very oily and no longer crispy. Apparently that's how they are served over there. I prefer the Malaysian version.

The only dish everyone relished! Fried omelette!

A kettle of boiling hot milk.

I don't know about you but some how I felt the breakfast was, well, pretty awful. Some how it didn't gel. It was like eating a combination of lunch, brunch and supper put together hastily. Throughout my gastronomic experience in Beijing, the food were pretty bland. In fact, the best thing I ate in Beijing was 'ikan masin' (salted fish) brought along by one of our malay fellow traveller! :-) Even SIA food tasted a lot better!