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Taking Tibetan staples to the next level- Gesangmedo
Taking Tibetan staples to the next level- Gesangmedo
Break down Tibetan food into its essence and you can count the ingredients on one hand. Geography and isolation left a spartan diet that poses a conundrum for modern day restaurateurs. How to capture the richness of Tibetan culture through its food? The answer, as Gesangmedo aptly demonstrates, is to improvise.Mixing Tibetan staples, like mutton and tsampa, with Indian and Chinese influences, Gesangmedo creates a culinary smorgasbord worthy of a discerning palate and is a welcome addition to Beijing's small number of Tibetan restaurants. The baobing yangrou, a creamy pastry filled with lamb and spices, and the zhuchajuan, tofu rolls stuffed with pork, mushrooms, and the occasional crab stick (though these would be best left out) are dripping with flavor, albeit of a hearty, rustic variety.
Best washed down with beer, owner Deng Jun tries to impress upon diners the values of yak butter tea. Usually described as 'rancid' by seasoned travelers, it is a mixture of tea, salt, milk, and yak's butter and for once, the travel guides are right, it's undrinkable. However according to Deng Jun, the drink is immensely popular with clients.
Deng has used Gesangmedo to turn a lifelong passion for Tibetan art into a profession. Under a wooden beamed ceiling, painted with traditional motifs, diners recline on primary coloured sofas, surrounded by dozens of curios collected on Deng's annual mountaineering expeditions to Tibet. Prayer flags and a shrine welcome you when you first step in.
The enthusiasm for Tibetan culture does not stop at the dinner table. At around 9pm, a procession of Tibetan musicians appear to perform a kind of 'music', akin to nails being raked across a blackboard, while at another table, inebriated customers puffed away on Tibetan horns in a mind-blowing cacophony of noise and cultural immersion. What's Tibetan for 'cheers?'
Gesangmedo
SW corner of Xindong Lu and Dongzhimenwai, next to Xanadu
Tel: 010-6417-9269
Experience Tibet's everlasting charm
Everywhere you look in Tibet be it the walls, the earth, the sky or people's clothing you will see bright patches of red, yellow, green or blue. In Gesangmedo, customers will experience all these colours.
Gesangmedo displays original Tibetan culture. Colourful paintings of the architecture, wooden carvings, statues of God, Mani stone inscriptions, Tangka, Buddhist shrines and many Buddhist scriptures; these are all works of masters. Your love of the brilliant and splendid Tibetan culture will make you many friends at Gesangmedo. Taste traditional Tibetan food and Gesangmedo choice dishes, drink qingke barley wine and buttered tea at the simple, yet elegant and fashionable restaurant.
Locals go great lengths to present the foods offered at Gesangmedo. Fresh lamb is transported from Northwest China every day. The same lamb was used to treat players of Real Madrid and Beckham, as well as financial ministers from around the world during their conference in Beijing.
Shangri-La earthenware hot pot and Shangri-La preserved pork are two other notable specialities. The foods at Gesangmedo are pure, healthy and from the wild. Gesangmedo's qingke barley wine comes in three forms: 6-degree, 8-degree and 46-degree. These are authentically Tibetan; they smell good and taste better. Many customers will be ordering the weaker wines, but the 46-degree drink will not leave you with a hangover the next morning. The 46-degree wine has been stored for 12 years.
Gesangmedo
Opening time: 10am-2:30pm, 6pm-10pm.
Tea and drinks available from 2:30-6pm.
Address: Southwest corner of the crossroad between Dongzhimenwai Dajie and Xindong Lu, Chaoyang District, directly opposite the Canadian Embassy to the south.
Tel:010-6417-9269.
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