Panda Brewpub

Panda Brewpub
Wudaoying Hutong
Beijing
http://www.pandabrew.cn/

This "Red Honey Ale" is an easy-going, all-grain IPA done by this cute-sounding startup microbrew. The ale is sweet on the palate and aromatic on the finish, with robust forces of sappy honey and summer fruits at the back palate. This is definitely the most reassuring and world-class brew I have tasted by a domestic label.

2 stars to the ale.

Restaurant Dallmayr (München)

Restaurant Dallmayr
Dienerstraße 14
80331 München

There are meals that you don't want to forget, and there are others that no matter what you do, you won't forget. This visit to Dallmayr belongs to the second category. Many dishes stand out, including the pork chin, in which the umami flavors of the sardine serve a good counterpoint to the robustness of the pork. In the ray dish, freshness of the clams dances merrily with the floral bouquet of the birch and elder. The "baked potatoe" is essentially a potato puree reconstructed into its solid baked form. The entire meal is a complex symphony with different strands of flavors coming to the fore at different parts of the evening. In the end, it would be short-sighted to favor any particular dish as the brilliance is settled in the complete experience. Also not to be missed: the digestif cart.

3 stars to the restaurant; 3 stars to the pork chin and "baked potatoe".

Welcome towel.

Menu.

Amuse-bouche 1.

Amuse-bouche 2.

Bread.

Crab cannelloni, sea urchin butter and chicory.

Bone marrow soup.

Pork chin, tomato and spiced toast sardine.

Ray, common cockle and kefir birch sauce, elder blossom.

Smoked asparagus - lukewarm pine nut cream and Sot-l'y-laisse.

Cherry soup.

Cockerel breast and leg, broad leaved garlic and chanterelles.

Raclette-cheese with rind, braised vegetables sauce, chives potato.

Baked potatoe, snails and sour cream.

Medlar, white chocolate, olive.

Healthy grains.

Chocolates.

Wines.

Barolo

Two great barolos. The 2001 Via Nuova, in particular, explodes with intense red fruit, dried spices, and citrus.

A random walk in Odessa

Odessa.

Vodka, borscht, and chicken Kiev.

Ursus

A Romanian beer, at Biutiful in the historic district.

Oskar (Germany)

Oskar - Das Wirtshaus am Markt
Maximilianstrasse 33
95444 Bayreuth, Germany

"Oskar Hell", a fine pale lager with mild hops and a creamy head, and
"Saftiger Schweinsbraten", with dark beer sauce, sauerkraut, and
"Bayreuther" kloss. The roast pork was slightly dry but otherwise very
flavorful.

Zum Wolffenzacher (Germany)

Zum Wolffenzacher
Badstrasse 1
95444 Bayreuth, Germany

A good stack of Bayreuther sausages with dark bread, and a delicious
Maisel's wheat beer.

Bratwurst Häusle (Germany)

Bratwurst Häusle
Rathausplatz 1
90403 Nürnberg, Germany
http://www.bratwurst-haeusle.de/

Tucher Hefeweizen and half a dozen Nuremberg sausages.

Roast pork and Zirndorfer

The amber-colored helles offered a light malt and a touch of caramel
at the palette. The sweetness of the malt and carmel lingered long
after the finish. It was a delightful beer to complement the
masculinity of the roast pork.

Last two meals before leaving Germany

A double bacon cheeseburger, washed down with cheap lager at Burger King, and a
ginormous piece of fried fish on a wheat roll.

Frites

Frites Belgium on Tap
Shop 1 & 2, 1st Floor, Queen's Palace, 74 Queen's Road Central
Hong Kong 

Westmalle Double. This Trappist delight features a milky foam head and a malty, floral body. Flashes of spices flourish at the finish. It's a great refresher after a long, hard day at work.

Rating: 1 star to the Westmalle and the restaurant's Belgian and Trappist selections (not a restaurant star).

A private kitchen

A private kitchen. Hong Kong

Grilled fish, washed down with a bottle of fine Scotch.

Alois Dallmayr (Munich)

Alois Dallmayr
Dienerstrasse 14
Munich, Germany
http://www.dallmayr.com/

A fine selection from Dallmayr's terrine section. The house riesling
proved to be a fine accompaniment.

Rating: 1 star to the liver mousse, 1 star to the delicatessen.

Andechs monastery

Roast pork with potato salad, various Andechs brew, and Schweinshaxe.

Rating: 1 star to the restaurant, for its beer, good (and inexpensive) food, and its environment.

Ayinger (Munich)

Ayinger
Blutenburgstrasse 73
Munich, Germany

Ayinger kellerbier (a keller lager), and deep-fried pork knuckle.

I have tasted many pork knuckles before, but deep fried knuckle wasn't
one of them. This concoction was beautiful, not least because all the
juices were sealed in the meat. The only downside to this sort of
concoction is that there's neither crackling (as in Schweinshaxe) nor
soft skins (as in Eisbein) to be had.

Rating: 1 star to the deep-fried Eisbein.

Weisses Bräuhaus (Munich)

Weisses Bräuhaus
Tal 7 80331 Munich, Germany
http://www.weisses-brauhaus.de/

A fresh-from-tap Schneider Weisse TAP7 Unser Original, and a gorgeous
plate of roast pork knuckle and knödeln.

Rating: 1 star to the outstanding Schweinshaxe.

Rules (London)

Rules
35 Maiden Lane
City of Westminster, WC2E7, United Kingdom

Roast leg of rabbit with puy lentils and dandelion salad, golden syrup
sponge pudding with custard, the bottomless Stilton plate, and a
bottle of 2007 CdR Les Violettes.

If the City's dining scene is guilty of wrapping itself in the blanket
of tradition and non-innovation, Rules, as the oldest restaurant in
the City, is inevitably the mother of them all. Yet, the food at Rules
seems to impart a sort of well-honed harmony amidst the intensely
rich, buttery flavors that are so emblematic of traditional English
cuisine.

The dandelion salad was characteristically bitter, but provided a
refreshing herbal counterpoint to the gamey flavors of the rabbit. The
rabbit retained plenty of moisture and juices after the roasting, and
came out soft and easy on the jaw. The sponge pudding was a meal in
itself. As the pudding started to absorb the silky custard and the
syrup, the concoction became so intensely flavored that what remained
of the bottle of light Rhone became watery and characterless by
comparison. The Stilton was delicious and fresh, but could barely
register its aromatics after the intensity of the pudding.

Rating: 1 star to the restaurant for its high-quality food and deference to traditional game cooking.

Sussex Arms (London)

A delightful, full-bodied Wells Bombardier ESB on tap, and steak
sandwich with whole-grain mustard.