One for the Melbourne Makan Maniacs

To the Melbourne Makan Maniacs (the name I came up for the foodies that I had the pleasure of spending time eating out with) : this post is for you!

Yes, I have decided when I was having a shower one day that I will randomly drop you posts of the cusine I get here in Beijing. Today's introduction is the Middle 8th Yunan Restaurant! Not too expensive, above average service and great and traditional Yunan food. This is becoming a regular makan spot for Syl and I. Located in the trendy Sanlitun Area, this popular restaurant promises a good fare with good ambience.

On your leftest is a chicken stew- with sichuan peppers, wild mushrooms, potatos and chicken. Ok dish.

Middle Dish- the staple of our every visit- Wild Yunan Mushroom and stir fried veggies. These mushrooms are out of this world! Very unique taste, hot stir fried with black pepper sauce. Yum!

Rightest Dish- Wild Yunan Veggies with small does of Sichuan Peppers. Gelat too!

Drink- Lime+Pineapple+ weird ass ferns = great and cooling tea. Very nice.

Joa

Touristy Thing

One for the tourists! yes, its the famous Bird Nest and Water Cube for the Beijing 2008 Games! AustCham gave Syl and I free tickets to a test event held at the stadium. It was like China's national athelete's meet where state reps compete against one another.

Bird Nest: Frankly, up close, its like any other stadium, big, bulky and a bit stuffy. The bird's nest gave me a lego-ly kinda feeling, very blocky and with toilet signs like the above, one cant help but feel caught up in an architect's world of lego.

But you can really feel the grandeur of the stadium from the angle where we have our arms stuck out. Thats where you really can appreciate the scale and effort into building the iconic stadium.

Water Cube: Didn't go in, the outside looks normal though. But apparently, the inside is awesome!

Joa