Most of us are looking at another week spent quarantined at home, longing for the day when our lives can go back to normal. I for one like to look at the silver lining, and for a foodie, that means delivery from my favorite restaurants. Frankly, it seems like a no-brainer. Getting your comfort food delivered during a time like this can be just the pick-me-up you need to add a bit of normalcy to your day.

Many of Beijing’s favorite restaurants amongst expats have been creating new menus and delivery methods to get food from their kitchen to your table as fast as they can. Here a few comfort food delivery deals to get your week started in a tasty fashion.

Annie’s Italian Chef Starter Pack

From Feb 23 to March 31 they’re offering 20 percent off their “Annie’s ingredients selection package”. The package lets you try your hand at cooking up some Italian classics.

There are six items in the package, all of which have been reduced by 20 percent:

• Aceto Balsamico di Modena Etichetta Platino (250ml), originally RMB 136
• Creamy Modena balsamic vinegar (500ml) originally RMB 98
• Filippo Berio extra virgin olive oil (750ml) originally RMB 96
• Anrini Modena balsamic vinegar (500ml) originally RMB 58
• Divella spaghetti #8 (500g), originally RMB 18
• Parmesan cheese (240g), originally RMB 80

Or, for those who want to just skip to the eating part and leave the cooking to the professionals, Annie’s will still be delivering their entire menu. Order directly from their WeChat account (anniesbeijing).

The Bake Shop

The Bake Shop now delivers carbo-loaded brunch sets! We’re in quarantine and, let’s be honest, it really doesn’t matter whether it’s the weekend or not. When you’re quarantined at home, any day is good for brunch.

They now offer four types of brunch sets (for 2 or 4 people) of either bagel and locks or freshly baked San Francisco style sourdough. And if that’s not enough to satisfy your belly, each set comes with their freshly baked giant scones.

For those who just want freshly baked bread and bagels, the Bake Shop will continue to deliver these carb-y delights every day as long as your order meets the minimum spending of RMB 68.

Scan the QR code to order directly through their mini-program.

Hulu Delivery

Keeping with the Hulu way of always staying new and fresh, Hulu Delivery has added three new dishes in their Asian Corner including a tofu pumpkin salad, gong bao chicken with rice, and Thai coconut chicken curry with rice.

On top of their new Asian Corner additions, Hulu will continue to serve up different three-course weekly set lunch options for RMB 98.

Photos: Annie’s, Hulu, The Bake Shop, unsplash

Tucked into an alley slightly off the beaten path in Beijing’s Gulou neighborhood, there is a bar and restaurant serving an Indian-inspired menu. Easy to miss, the aptly named Side Street is housed in a fairly small space, decorated with local art. The brain child of two young entrepreneurs, Side Street fuses together different culinary experiences, namely Indian and American. For their entry into the 2019 Burger Cup, co-owners Uday Phalgun, Purnima Sharma, and cook Henry Timberlake developed three awe-inspiring new burgers with fantastically flavorful twists. Narrowly missing out on 3rd place in this year’s competition, these burgers are still definitely something we recommend you try.

K.O.

The K.O. (RMB 68) – the first of three new additions to the Side Street menu – features two 100g patties, dueling cheeses, IPA caramelized onions and their signature “Secret K.O.“ sauce, whose ingredients (though pressed) the owners would not disclose. Arguably the most meaty of the three, this burger is a prime example of what we imagined a fusion theme would inspire in a dish. Bursting with flavor, the caramelized onions are definitely a highlight which readily merges with the beef.

The Mountain (RMB 75), features BBQ sauce, a mound of keema (Indian Beef Chili), Jalapeños, Frito chips, and pickled red onions, making it an indisputable favorite among loyal patrons. The crunchy Fritos add a wonderful texture to the burger, which radiates aromatic spices. Like “The K.O.“, “The Mountain“ is served with an additional pickle – a welcome, though not overly spicy, surprise with an almost fruity flavor.

Southern Tikka Masala Burger

For those of you seeking to divert from the classic beef burger, Side Street features the Southern Tikka Masala Burger (RMB 58), featuring fried chicken marinated in jalapeño buttermilk, homemade masala gravy, melted cheese, tamarind aioli, and grilled slaw. Crunchy and flaky on the outside while wonderfully juicy on the inside, this chicken is packed with concentrated flavors – delivering in both taste and texture. The fresh veg is a welcome addition to this burger – adding a fresh feel while simultaneously satisfying your plan to eat healthily this summer.

Finally, if you are meat free, Side Street also has you covered as their vegan and vegetarian burgers are among the best in town, including the signature Hutong Hipster, which features a potato and spinach patty paired with a combination of tamarind and spicy mint chutney.

The Mountain

All of these massive burgers are served with a healthily portion of thinly sliced fries, a characteristic which allows them to retain their delicious crunch. This is also great because you don’t need to order it additionally on the side like some burger-focused venues, which makes for an added (ungracious) cost to those seeking the perfect burger experience. Who orders a burger without fries? Needless to say, if good service and fair prices are your game – check out Side Street. You won’t be disappointed.

Side Street

Daily 5pm-late. 113-02 Jiaodaokou Dongdajie, Dongcheng District

东城区交道口东大街113-02

(156 5280 3365)

This article appeared in the beijingkids July-August 2019 Teen Takeover issue

Photos: Kipp Whittaker

There are a lot of things I miss here in Beijing, decent skincare, “normal” toilets, and my friends and family of course. But MOST of all I miss my home cuisine, and the ingredients that are easy to buy in Western supermarkets. I wanted to recreate some foods that my family in Beijing miss, share my recipes, and where to get the ingredients. If you see a blonde lady on a bike with a toddler and bags of groceries, that’s me, on the hunt for little pieces of home.

This time I searched for a true Dutch delicacy, stamppot (mash pot). This is a traditional Dutch dish of mashed potatoes and vegetables, literally mashed together. The Dutch eat it with brown gravy, sausage, and sometimes bacon. I decided to cook my favorite variation: boerenkool stamppot  (farmer’s cabbage, kale). Boerenkool stamppot is the ultimate comfort food. Dutch people ate kale long before it got hip in the rest of the world. Its our staple vegetable.

In the Netherlands, prepared stamppot can be bought in supermarkets and at the butcher. Kale and other stamppot vegetables are found cut and washed in bags at the grocery store, especially in the winter. An array of smoked sausages can be found anywhere in The Netherlands (never sweet like in Beijing) but always nice and salty. I think the best smoked sausage in the Netherlands comes from Hema, my favorite department store when I visit home. My first job as a 14-year old girl was at Hema department store. I worked behind the meat counter and at the end of the night, we would eat all the left over warm smoked sausage.

In search for kale I found a lady at the Sanyuanli market who sells fresh kale. One day she asked what I was doing with all this kale, and I explained to her, with hand and feet that I mash it up in potatoes. When she sees me, she points at the kale and laughs.

I found a Dutchman in China who sells authentic smoked sausage and brings the  taste of Dutch comfort food to China. Smoked sausage can be found on his online store http://www.dutchysnacks.com/

Boerenkool Stamppot can be prepared two ways: one way is to put the kale in a big pot with peeled potatoes on the top or underneath the kale, cook both until tender and mash them together. The other way is cooking the kale and potatoes separate then when both are cooked mash them together. I prefer the last one, since the kale and potatoes need different cooking times. Half of the Netherlands will disagree with my recipe, but try it and you will see that the kale will taste so much better not cooked to death.

Boerenkool Stamppot

1/2 kilo Kale

1 kilo Potatoes

250 grams bacon sliced into cubes

50 grams butter

50 ml warm milk

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Clean the kale. Trim the leaves and cut them.
2. Peel and cut the potatoes to similar sizes.
3. Boil the potatoes in water with salt until tender. Drain the water.
4. Mash the potatoes with the milk and butter.
5. In another pot render the bacon and remove from the pot, leave the bacon fat.
6. In the bacon fat sauté the kale till tender, about 10 minutes.
7. Fold together the mashed potatoes, kale, bacon and then heat up together.
8. Serve with smoked sausage and brown gravy.

Pauline van Hasselt has just started working for Beijing Kids. Born in Wassenaar, The Netherlands, she moved with her husband and her 3 year-old daughter to Beijing in June of this year. Prior she lived in the Netherlands, Belgium, Paraguay, Texas, and London, studying and working as a chef. Pauline enjoys biking around Beijing, finding markets and new restaurants, reading crime and fantasy books in bed, and most importantly, turning her house into a home for her family.