'MINORITY' CUISINES THE LURE AROUND ROMANTIC SHICHAHAI

Shichahai has been a major cultural jewel and acclaimed scenic spot since the 13th century. The lake is the more appreciated by the public because the city is perennially short of water due to its arid climate. But Shichahai is seen by everyone as "extra special", and therefore inviolate. Woe betide anyone who depletes the waters by even a cupful. The lake is there to be loved, enjoyed and protected.

Resembling a worm-like squiggle, the 34-hectare Shichahai lies just to the north of famed Beihai Park and plays its watery part as something of an air-conditioner in modulating the temperature and humidity of the city. The oldest lake in Beijing, it is spanned by the ancient Yinding Bridge. Adjacent hills and buildings are reflected in the lake, whose perfect backdrops include banks of willow trees whose branches add a further cooling touch of breeze during the long, hot summer.

Strollers around Shichahai will find plenty of shade from well-maintained trees, though the eye is more attracted by the diversity of buildings around the lake's perimeter. Here you will find temples, the old palaces of princes, museums, former residences of celebrities, traditional residential courtyards, and old streets and lanes where children play age-old games and elder citizens chess on what seems every corner. To visit here is to step back in time to the culture of Old Beijing.

And, of course, the area is a great place to eat and drink. It abounds with bars, cafes, restaurants and teahouses, including many newcomers with their new ideas and menus. The long-sleepy lakeside neighborhood has rapidly emerged as a "hot" social venue, sad in a way but much of the old atmosphere remains intact. Either way, Shichahai is virtually guaranteed to give visitors a memorable day and evening out.

Where to eat? The choice is wide, but BTM is happy to recommend a handful that are unlikely to disappoint you.

BUDDHA BARS

On the bank facing the famous Kao Rou Ji restaurant across a narrow strip of Shichahai Lake are no less than three Buddha Bars, each essentially identical in terms of style, interior decoration, menu and even atmosphere.

Acid-jazz muzak provides a happy aural background to the eclectic lounge seating, antique chairs, sofas, kitschy wall hangings and black-and-white framed photos of the lake.

Huge red ceiling lanterns, comfy maroon couches, a beautiful old tiled floor, chess boards at the back, calligraphy beside the bar, and a huge old fashioned radio ... It's all a bonus to the great view to be had at night from tables at the edge of the lake.

Xiaoxi de Honglou

Adjacent to the Lotus Root (see facing page) is Xiaoxi de Honglou, a bar/teahouse with a decidedly more mainstream atmosphere. Xiaoxi is the first name of the owner, and Honglou means red pavilion. The bar is mainly red, in keeping with the color being the overall favorite among Chinese. With two stories, the bar/teahouse is the tallest building in this area,with its rooftop affording a perfect view of the hutong and the fascinating characters who inhabit it.

Many pieces of the bar's furnishings were once, in fact, part of Xiaoxi's home, so for him the surroundings are very much home-from-home. Visitors much enjoy this kind of intimacy, especially as various patrimonial items are also on display. As one said, it's a nice place to sit and read novels such as The English Patient while sipping fresh flower tea and cooling off with the aid of ice cream. And why not? Any chance to be away from the madding crowd in Beijing is to be welcomed, and in this Xiaoxi more than fulfills its role

Lotus Cafe & Goodies

Yandaixiejie (Tobacco Pipe Street), a quaint little hutong directly behind Yinding Bridge, is an old traditional Beijing lane. Lotus is a cozy retreat that is both affordable and intimate, with just a few tables and chairs.Indeed, relaxing here is almost like unwinding in a private house. The downstairs bar has a fair assortment of popular drinks, including some nifty cocktails. Upstairs is a loft whose numerous green plants and pair of red couches is reminiscent of a botanical rest-room for the footsore. There is also a small rooftop terrace with additional seating. Guests can also access the Internet from Lotus.

Lotus Root Thai Restaurant

One could call this Lotus Two because its owner is also the patron of Lotus Café & Goodies across the street. The difference is that Lotus Root is altogether a more romantic and exotic venue, with drapes of chiffon even on the chandeliers andpottery artifacts holding court from wall alcoves. Table settings are intimate enough for young lovers, who will also appreciate the Thai cushions that decorate the candle-lit dining booths. Wall hangings add further atmosphere to Lotus Root.

Thai cuisine is the specialty here, even though the chefs are not Thai. No matter. Their creations are born of long experience with this food, and customers are unlikely to find it wanting.

Hancang Hakka Restaurant

Hakkas are a unique, hardy, colorful ethnic group of Han Chinese, originally active around the Yellow River, whose ancestors exiled themselves to southern China from foreign rulers such as the Mongols in the Yuan Dynasty. Among the Hakkas' many talents istheir (some would say genius) ability to preserve vegetables far better than anyone else.

They are excellent cooks, too, and masters at combining preserved vegetables and meat to create main dishes. Somehow they contrive to get the flavored meat-vegetable balance perfect, thus unforgettable. Further virtues are thriftiness and an ability for hard physical work. In Hong Kong, for example, it is not uncommon to see Hakka women in their broad-brimmed hats working on roads and construction sites, and more than matching their male colleagues in effort.

The lakeside Hancang Hakka Restaurant was opened by an artist attracted by picturesque Shichahai, and who saw a market for the Hakka cuisine in which the venue specializes. The artist showcases his creativity through the restaurant's interior design, whose walls are covered with lightly painted old Chinese characters and intricately carved wooden panels.

Part of the restaurant's appeal is its Chinese-village-bistro ambience, central to which are its hefty wooden tables with matching long benches. The clientele is building up as more and more people get the urge to sample Hakka food, "minority" though it is when lined against the huge competition in Beijing. But that's what dining is about ... new tastes and flavors, preferably in an appropriate setting. Which is exactly what this fun restaurant provides.