Tree 10 ($)

Tree

This place is more of a bar than a restaurant, their Belgian beer menu is extensive, while their food menu is limited to pizza a few pastas and some snacks.

We ordered a pizza with pepperoni, artichoke hears, . It was decent, and baked on a think crust wich I prefer. But it wasn’t enough, and I was still hungry after we had finished the whole pie. We hand to order a plate of steak fries to finish up.

The beer on the other hand was exceptional. The Orval I had was almost its own meal it was so rich and smooth. The head lasted the entire drink it was so thick. This beer is a must try, it had absolutely no bite and it drink like milk. Perfect pairing for anything.

The atmosphere in tree gets pretty busy on weekends and is very popular amongst the other ex-pats in Beijing. It has the feeling of a local pub. It is though a little off the beaten trail, that means that only seasoned Beijiners go here and it had a little bit of a locals only feeling.

For taste I give Tree an 8. It was pretty good, but it’s a much better bar than a restaurant.

Overall I rate Tree a 10, but go for the drinks and not for the food exclusively.

Durty Nellie's Beijing Irish Pub 9($$)

Durty Nellie’s Beijing Irish Pub

This place is a lot bigger than you think it will be from the out side. On this night it was raining, and a walk down by the river to get here was not ideal. But I can see where this little pub can be a lot of fun on a summer night. This pub has a decently sized bar, two foose ball tables, a pool table and a dart board, there is a room in the back that can be separated for parties or rowdy game nights and the porch our front has some plastic picnic tables. There is not much a view since is just looks out into parking lot next to the freeway but the river side is nice.

In addition to being a great place to get a drink though, they also have a very good kitchen. Kris and I each ordered a Burger and we shared an appetizer of fried mozzarella sticks and Thai chilly dipping sauce. The cheese was ok, but really it needed to be fried longer so it would be hotter and the cheese would be meltier but it was good. The Burger, was amazing. Large hand formed patty, a fried egg on top, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise all on a sesame seed bun and large salty steak fries. The best burger I have had in a while.

For taste I give Durty Nellie’s a 9 out of 10. That Burger was soo… good. Fresh vine ripened tomato thickly sliced, hand packed juicy beef patty, a sunny side egg on top. The French fries were salty, crisp, and piping hot.

For atmosphere I rate the Irish Pub at a 9. There was pool, and darts, a big screen TV plenty of seating chairs, a nice patio by the river and the good old neighborhood pub feeling.

Each burger cost 65 Yuan so for two people eating, and drinking it’s a little less than $$ for two people.

Overall I give Durty Nellie’s Beijing Irish Pub a 9. It was a fun place with great food and good beer.

Ink, eats and drinks (8) $$

Ink is an edgy, modern and contemporary tavern style restaurant. Their ceilings and walls are decorated in classic tattoo motifs and the booth seating keeps it very comfortable and private. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner until 3 am generally and have a full bar. Their regular menu consists of four basic categories, small plates, salads, sandwiches, and large plates. I have only eaten from their small plates menu but I am pretty sure that their other selections are just as good.

On this occasion I had invited a large group of friends to dinner at eight for my husband’s birthday. I called in advance to make reservations for about twenty guests. I figured that I should make a reservation despite it being a Monday, and as it turned out, it was a very good move because Monday night at eight o’clock every table was full. We walked in with just four of us, intending to meet everyone as then came but we actually had to wait for another ten minutes until a table cleared. We then had a booth all to ourselves but were forced to wait another 30 minutes until the other side of the restaurant was empty so that we could move our large party over there. Luckily most of the party was unable to be there until later but I was still very peeved that I had to be kept waiting. I had courteously made a reservation for nothing, but at least I wasn’t the one who looked bad.

For atmosphere they receive a 9 out of 10, its creative, fun, edgy, and would appeal to all people of all ages. The music is upbeat and they have too flat screens to display Family Guy, Kings game high lights or Monday night football.

Prise wise Ink is an ok value. two people would be able to get out of there for under $40 assuming they didn't drink all that much, but for big parties its not that good a deal because they don't serve pitchers of anything. We got out of there for $173 for about 17 people and a few of them didn't eat.

The food gets a 10. I have never had better macaroni and cheese so late at night nor early in the morning. It really is the best, with the home made cheese, penne pasta, and bread crumb and parmesan crust on the top. They also serve decent sliders with caramelized onions, pretty good fries and the meatloaf sandwich looked really good. Also very popular is the shrimp quesadilla.

The service in this instance was a little lacking, just because they were not ready for us despite being warned ahead of time. But they were very quick to apologize and work with us after wards. The waitress came round the table often enough that glasses were rarely left empty and the bar man was very quick despite having so many orders to fill at once.
I am forced to give them a 5 out of 10 in the service category

Over all I would rate Ink a 8. Around 3 0’clock in the morning their food is really really good, but around lunch time its not as good as you thought it was the night before. It has a fun tavern like atmosphere without being dark and low feeling and it would be ok to have lunch there with friends and underage family. It does have that neighborly feel too it, I think a lot of locals are definite regulars but a little later at night and the place nearly empties out.

I would recommend it to anyone and everyone for somewhere to eat. Beats Lyonn’s and Denny’s any day.