My guilty pleasure is an odd one: scrolling through the leading Chinese food review app 大众点评 DaZhongDianPing – otherwise known as Dianping for short – and finding dining venues, only to end up admiring their luxury interior designs and gasping at all the seemingly appetizing food while screaming, “I need to go there now!”

One time, I was drawn to a Korean BBQ restaurant through the app’s recommendation. The dazzling neon lights and marinated meat looked tender and juicy, accompanied by scarlet red seasoning, all of which was perfectly suited to my love for spice and beautiful spaces. So naturally, my friend and I just had to go. Unfortunately when we arrived, the actual restaurant radiated bleak emptiness and poor infrastructure. What’s more, the pork belly, drenched in oil with black spots on the edges indicative of overcooking, was not in my best interest either and definitely didn’t align with the neatly cut, cheery-white pork belly I had seen in the pictures.

Alas, I had been catfished.

Catfish – a common internet term that describes the action of using fake online identities to deceive others – is precisely the word I would use to describe what the restaurant did.

Nowadays, intense market competition has led many restaurants to adopt fake reviews, filtered pictures, forced ratings, and bots commenting on food review apps to boost numbers. 

As a self-proclaimed food expert around Beijing, I have a few tips to help you avoid getting catfished by snazzy internet photos and reviews while saving your wallet from undeserving food.

Tip #1 – Look for unfiltered pictures

If any restaurant was to promote their food through digital media, relentlessly applying filters to beautify their pictures is the go-to method of attracting customers. But don’t be deceived by these official photos posted by the restaurant itself. Be sure to also check out pictures posted by customers, and more specifically, the unfiltered ones. Do the food and overall atmosphere of the restaurant still seem enjoyable without the adornment of filters?

Original image vs. Filtered image

Tip #2 – Origin of the reviews

There’s always a possibility that food app reviews are flat-out paid for by the restaurant. If the positive reviews are predominately generic remarks that lack personal engagement or are written by users without profile pictures and random letter sequences for a username, then warning lights should be flashing. Checking multiple reviews will also help you get a more balanced, not to mention realistic expectation of the restaurant in question. 

Tip #3 – Restaurant history and reputation

Have people around you ever talked about this venue? Is the restaurant well known amongst the general public? Of course, it’s entirely possible that a restaurant hasn’t gained a lot of recognition because it’s new. On Dianping, you can check the date when the restaurant was listed by clicking the arrow shown in the picture below. If the restaurant has been around for a while but no one knows about it, maybe there’s a reason.

Tip #4 – Timing, timing, timing!

It is important to examine the timing of the reviews when determining whether or not they are genuine. If there is a huge influx or spike of comments during a very short period of time, it could indicate a promotion agenda implemented by the restaurant, resulting in a deluge of fake comments all at once. 

Unfiltered image vs. Filtered image

I took both of these photos myself, but the one on the left looks far less appetizing, while that on the right may prompt more comments like “Wow, where is this place?” If I am able to achieve this effect with just a few clicks of a free-to-use photo editing app and a slightly better camera angle, you can be sure that corporate restaurants out to make a buck will go to much greater lengths to lure you in. So, be savvy when relying on reviews!

Happy dining, readers!

KEEP READING: Bite-Size Beijing: Eating Your Way Through the City’s Street Foods

Images: Linda Huang

Before I met the Conroy family, I confess I was a bit nervous about taking them to the Malaysian focused Malacca Legend Signature at The Place because of the dominance of seafood and spiciness when I previewed the menu. Those fears melted when I met Liam (age 7) and Annabelle (5), who have lived in Beijing with their parents for the past three years. Dad, Justin, soon prompted Liam to tell me all about the food adventures he had been on in Australia, Thailand, New Zealand, Singapore, the Philippines, Baltimore (Greek food!), and Malaysia. Later I learned Malaysian food has a mixture of cuisine cultures within the nation, making it a truly mixed heritage chow.

Fried Sotong Rings (RMB 38)

They all settled into a big, comfy booth and began to flip through the pictures of exotic drinks, coffees, teas, starters, and crab dishes on the restaurant’s iPad menu. Liam and Justin had a tough time agreeing what to get since the menu offered curry, noodles, and calamari, all things Liam and Annabelle particularly enjoy. With a bit of nudging, the kids agreed with dad to make their own vegetable spring rolls (RMB 40). Annabelle happily discovered that the iPad menu could be exited and Angry Birds could be pulled up instead.

“What are these?” Liam asked as he tapped out a small amount of a crispy mystery onto his wrap. After an encouragement to try he stated, “They’re onions.”

“Liam likes duck sauce,” Annabelle told me with beaming eyes as her brother spooned out a generous glob.
When the deep fried sotong rings (RMB 38) arrived, Annabelle and Liam popped these into their mouths like popcorn. “These are a bit salty, but they’re really good,” Annabelle said nodding her head enthusiastically.
I noticed that mom, Callie, barely got to take a taste of these, but Justin explained Liam’s deep love of seafood has proven to foster a ravenous appetite under the right circumstances.

I assumed Liam’s critique of the lack of spice was nullified when, once only tiny crumbs were left, he asked, “Dad, can we get another dish of these?” (He did say he didn’t want spicy ones before he ordered the first batch.)

The Penang fried flat rice noodles (RMB 48) were a hit with everyone except for their egg addition.
“I don’t like the egg,” Liam remarked, “I don’t like things that are squishy.”

“So it’s a texture issue, then. But the taste is OK?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said, taking another pinch of the noodles. Justin and Callie agreed the noodles tasted exactly like the fusion dishes they enjoyed in the Malaysian district in Singapore.

They finished the meal with mango and yogurt (RMB 30) and a black bear coke float (RMB 28). The children had never experienced what many would consider to be a popular American dessert, and Liam admitted he preferred the mango dish. “The yogurt is creamy and smooth. I liked the float when it was plain, but I didn’t like it when [the Coke]started mixing with the chocolate.” He explained later, “Mango is my third favorite fruit.” I suppose floats also require a taste acquisition.

When the manager came to wish the family well and invited them to eat there again, Justin responded enthusiastically that they would definitely be coming back since he prefers this location to the Shunyi one, and food was great.

Family-friendly Notes: Other kids and toddlers walked around or sat in a baby chair. One boy was even playing with one of the classy plush monkeys used to decorate the restaurant. Nearby bathrooms are clean, elevators available for strollers, and a nearby wall fish tank offers some beautiful views for those toddlers who need to wander. Prices were reasonable for this meal, but this is also a great place for fancier occasions or a splurge as crab is available.

Malacca Legend Signature
Open Every Day. 11am-8pm. The Place, Level 2/F, Shop L203, 9 Guanghua Road, Chaoyang District (6587 1393) 光华路9号世贸天阶北街2楼L203

Malacca Legend
Open Every Day. Noon-10pm. 1/F Bldg B, Ocean International Center, 58 Dongsihuan Lu Chaoyang District
朝阳区东四环路58号远洋国际中心B座1层

This article originally appeared on page 19-20 of the September 2016 Issue of beijingkids magazine. Click here for your free online copy. To find out how you can obtain a hard copy, contact distribution@truerun.com.

Photos: Uni You

Sunworld Hotel‘s central location in Dongcheng by Denshikou and Wangfujing makes Sunny Cafe’s newly renovated terrace a superbly private al fresco dining spot. The terrace faces a smaller street rather than Wangfujing Street itself, which is good news for parents like us who want to avoid the smokey bars and overpriced touristy stores lining Wangfujing Street.

Don’t be fooled by the odd selections on their outdoor freestanding menu; ice cream, americano, draft beer and roasted lamb leg are all available because that’s what their buffet lunch and dinners serve as well.

Sunworld Hotel is Singaporean and their restaurant reflects a fusion of Western and Cantonese traditional dishes, with recently added Beijing elements (e.g. roasted lamb leg). Their dishes are light, seafood heavy (fish, prawns, eel, lobster, oysters), and they have a teppanyaki style grill where you can choose raw seafood, meats, and vegetables whipped up on the spot by a young chef.  Their salad and soup selection is rather sad, but they do have dim sum for foreigners (baozi, jiaozi, mantou), and a noodle station. Their biscuits and bread are yummy, and best of all, none of their food leaves you dehydrated from MSG.

Their only caveat is that they’re a relatively small buffet, so the kitchen manager seems to have set a daily quota on the amount of fresh ingredients available–a sad reality we had discovered on particularly busy days when they had run out of food for dinner. We have since determined that lunch is a much safer bet!

Besides, not only is the weekend lunch priced the same as weekend lunch, but the dinner prices are the same as well! We prefer lunch these days because the food is more fresh and the lunch manager is far nicer than her dinner counterpart.  She borrowed a high chair from another (hotel) restaurant, gave us teppanyaki recommendations, and a last call warning before their kitchen staff cleaned up in a hustle.

Of course, at Sunworld Hotel’s buffet we are never phased by last call or “closing” and this past Sunday we stayed back a whole hour after last call (Sunny Cafe continues to serve coffee and afternoon tea items off the menu), sipping coffee while our little one slowly ate through plates and plates of fruit, biscuits, and mango pudding.

Using Nuomi, Sunworld Hotel’s lunch buffet price drops down to RMB 98 (adult) from 11:30am-2:00pm; dinner buffet RMB 118 (adult) from 6:00pm-9:00pm, with children under five dining for free. For reservations, call 5816 8999 ext 2430.

The kind manager informed us that if we follow their WeChat, we can get the same low price (lunch buffet RMB 110 first time, RMB 100 subsequent times) without the hassle of having to use Nuomi.

Photos: courtesy of Sunworld Hotel and Jessica Suotmaa

The Beijing restaurant scene is incontrovertibly diverse. Whether one walks into the cozy confines of a feline filled café or the modern interior of an all-organic diner, the depth of variation in the flavors, feelings and atmospheres of Beijing restaurants always has more to offer. And now, from the heart of Wangjing, emerges another new café attempting to make a name for itself among the who’s who of dining experiences: Cup One.

Entering Cup One, the first thing a person may experience is the distinctive ambiance the café offers; aside from the building itself being literally shaped like a cup, the modern industrial furniture combined with strong wood accents contribute to the café’s somewhat organic, lounge-style atmosphere. The café’s playlist of alternative yet folk-symusic obviously aims to relax, while its relative obscurity among young Beijingers guarantees it’s never crowded; even with the exception of the occasional group of Korean hipsters, Cup One’s crowds never seem to swell during dinner hours.Yet, though the café offers a comfortable minimalistic ambiance, it still lacks a vital aspect shared among most Beijing restaurants: a no-smoking zone. Despite the comforts of the furniture, music, or quirky silverware in Cup One, the secondhand smoke from surrounding customers is sure to overwhelm your senses, making for an unpleasant dinner if you can’t even handle Beijing pollution on good days.

Hazy atmosphere aside, Cup One again falls short in perhaps the most important aspect: food selections. Though the café advertises itself as having an “extensive food menu”, the reality couldn’t be further off; after flipping through ten consecutive pages of alcohol selections, you’ll finally find the scarcity of actual food options in the very back of the menu. The café simply offers two pages of appetizers and entrées, excessively priced from RMB 38 to RMB 140.  A lacking portion of French fries or a bland strawberry milkshake will set you back RMB 38 , while a simple spaghetti bolognese costs RMB 58. For those of you looking to enjoy a warm drink while tackling some homework, Cup One will once again fail to deliver; though their tea selection features unique and interesting flavors (passion fruit honey, anyone?), the coffee offered is slightly watery and fails to impress amongst those of less-expensive chains like Starbucks or Costa Coffee.

Additionally, Cup One’s cuisine is often unremarkable and just barely hits the mark of mediocrity. Though some dishes can truly satisfy your palette, others definitely leave you with something to be desired. The sauces on the spaghetti dishes (which make up a good 2/3 of the food menu) are often plain and provided sparingly. The “chef’s recommendation”, a sausage and spinach spaghetti (RMB 5 ), creates an interesting balance of flavorful ingredients yet fails to provide value for the money; a common fault found in many of the dishes offered. And, despite few customers in the restaurant, food can take up to 40 minutes to arrive and the service is often inconsistent and sporadic; simply put, it’s one of those restaurants where you’ll have to yell “Fuwuyuan!” before anyone even attempts to notice you.

In sum, although Cup One attempts to provide young Beijingers with a modern and somewhat upscale café experience, it disappoints when balancing cost with quality. The food is similar to that you may order out from your local pizza restaurant, though it lacks value for money and fails to stand out from other restaurants in terms of flavor, quality, and simple originality. In fact, you’re better off getting a meal from the Burger King just downstairs; you’d probably get a nicer deal.

But then again, this is just the opinion of some of us here on the UNIT-E core team. Feel free to visit Cup One and try it out for yourself!

This article originally appeared in the May/June, 2014 issue of UNIT-E. It was written by Alex Gong, Kathleen Ma, Kathy Zhou, Kristy Cheung, Lauren You,  students at the International School of Beijing and  Sarah Lu, a student at Beijing World Youth Academy. 
 
About UNIT-E
UNIT-E was founded in the spring of 2010 with the aim of establishing a non-profit, student-run magazine for international students in Beijing. Staffed by current students from a range of international schools, the magazine provides an amalgam of cultural tidbits, fragments of Beijing student life, and a broad spectrum of unique perspectives from a diverse group of young adults.

Photo courtesy of thebeijinger.com

Guizhou Changwang Noodles

Reviewed in: Hepingli

You may feel you’ve had your fill of noodles in the Middle Kingdom, but chances are you haven’t tasted Guizhou changwang noodles (RMB 30), which combine the chewy texture of Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles, the spiciness of Sichuan’s dandan noodles, and the pungent scent of Hubei’s hot-dry noodles. A popular snack in Guiyang, changwang noodles are served with pig’s blood, intestines, and chicken oil in a hot and sour soup. The most authentic version can be found at Beijing Guizhou Mansion.

Paris Spring
Reviewed in: Dongzhimen

Haagen-Dazs serves a rich selection of tasty ice creams, including the romantically-named Paris Spring (RMB 108). Featuring a scoop of strawberry ice cream and a strawberry macaroon, it’s a touch of spring on a plate.

Cheeseburger with Chopped Salad
Reviewed in: Sanlitun

The burgers at Great Leap’s Xinzhong Lu branch gained a devoted following in a very short period of time – and for good reason. The massive cheeseburger (RMB 50) delivers a one-two punch of double beef patties and oozing cheese layers, with pickles providing just the right amount of crunch. Fries can be substituted for a salad for RMB 6, and the weekday lunch special gets you RMB 10 off all burgers and salads (Mon-Fri 11.30am-2pm).

Katsu Curry with Pork Cutlet
Reviewed in: Beixinqiao

The Japanese may be known for their intricate culinary techniques, but there is something satisfyingly simple about this katsu curry with pork cutlet (RMB 35). Served in the homely setting of Suzuki Kitchen’s newest branch in Beixinqiao, the dish comes garnished with seaweed and a tomato relish.

Dishes tried-and-tested by Sijia Chen, Oscar Holland, Clemence Jiang, and Morgan Shang. Want to take a bite for yourself? See Directories for restaurant listings. Got a suggestion? Send us a photo and a description to editor@beijing-kids.com.

This article originally appeared on p31 of the beijingkids December 2013 issue.

Check out the PDF version online at Issuu.com