And unsurprisingly, it wasn’t a cheap.

A little road trip stop on the Île de Ré.

The Rental Car:

We rented a car from Hertz for $300 USD via AutoEurope.com which offered the cheapest price. We ended up being very pleased with the car: a roomy, brand-new Peugeot mini-van with an automatic transmission and a built-in GPS.

At first the car freaked us out a bit as it ran on diesel fuel and sounded like a dump truck, but once my mom got used to the roaring engine we felt very comfortable with the car and were especially pleased with its built-in GPS. (It made my job as the navigator so much easier!) And as my mom is a lifetime mini-van driver, I know she felt safer driving a larger vehicle.

We opted not to purchase travel insurance as it cost almost 300 euros extra (more than the car rental itself!) That was perhaps imprudent, but as nothing happened to the car it was the right choice for us.

Overall I was very pleased with both the car and customer service we received from Hertz.

Costs on the Road:

Toll costs: Around 100 euros ($130 USD)
Gas costs: Around 200 euros ($260 USD)

The toll-booths: Warning- the tolls in Europe are finicky and expensive. None of the toll-booths would accept my French debit card because they mysteriously didn’t take Maestro. And because the toll-booths only accept chip-in cards we weren’t able to use our American cards either! We quickly learned to keep a lot of cash in the glove box (especially coins), as some of the tolls cost up to 20 euros.
If you are road-tripping in Europe, carry lots of cash (at least 50 euros in smaller bills at all times.)

The roads: The roads are impeccably well-maintained in France. There’s not a billboard or pot-hole in sight, and the interior of France is actually eerily empty and rural. Driving was easy and we didn’t have any problems with aggressive drivers.

Gas costs: We filled up several times during our trip, as well as filled the tank up competely before dropping the car back off at Hertz in Paris. Considering we drove from Paris to Spain and back, a grand total of more than 1,100 miles (1,900 kilometers), I was pleased with the amount we paid for gas (around $260 USD)- I had assumed this cost would be much, much worse.

The route:

Our journey began Paris, took us down the French Atlantic cost in La Rochelle and Biarritz and continued all the way to San Sebastián, Spain. On the way back up we spent two nights in Sarlat and then returned to Paris.

The unforeseen costs: The biggest unforeseen cost of our trip didn’t have to do with driving, but I was shocked at how expensive it is to travel with three people as opposed to two. When booking hotels online, there was often not an option to book for three people so we simply showed up to the hotels and explained our predicament. What often happened was an added cost of about 50 euros a night- ugh.

The views from the car in beautiful Basque Country.

The total cost: $690 USD (for just car costs alone!)

Rental ($300 USD), Tolls ($130 USD) Gas ($260 USD)

Trip regrets: I made the rookie mistake of planning way too fast of a trip; because of the ridiculous amount of destinations I wanted to see, we ended up driving for five hours every other day. I also regret only staying one night in Biarritz which ended up being our favorite place on the trip. Overall we clocked 20 hours of driving in one-week which was needless to say, excessive.

Also, the trip ended up being too expensive. Hotels, meals and driving all add up quickly, especially when you’re paying in euros. Towards the end of the trip we were stressing out over our finances- we had drained my mom’s checking account, so I cashed in almost 600 of my own euros. Ouch.

Trip highlights: Despite some stresses, the trip was amazing. Not only did I have the chance to see my family after months apart, it was wonderful showing my 13-year old sister Europe for the first time. Renting a car was definitely the right choice- I loved being able to pull over and stop in little towns on a whim, as well as journey to activities that would have been a hassle on public transportation. Plus, when you’re road tripping in France, you can make pit-stops at 16th century châteaus if you so choose.

Though it can be pricey, road-tripping in Europe is an incredible experience I would recommend to most travelers.

Have you ever taken a European road trip?

The post The Real Cost of a European Road Trip appeared first on Ashley Abroad.

Tarte flambée is a traditional Alsatian dish is kind of similar to pizza. (Just don’t tell the Alsatians that!) For a little geography refresher, Alsace is a Riesling-filled region in eastern France on the German border. The culture, as well as the cuisine, is very much of the French-German persuasion.

Back to the tarte. Tarte flambée (or as they say in Alsatian, flammekueche) is essentially dough loaded with creme fraiche, onions and lardons. (Lardons are more or less bacon, by the way.)

Needless to say, it’s really freaking tasty.

The hardest part of making the dish is rolling out the dough. Ideally, the dough is rolled very, very thin so that it’s bakes up crispy.

We found tarte flambée in almost every restaurant in Alsace that we visited- it quickly became my go-to meal.

And beyond rolling the dough it’s really an easy dish. Just roll the dough, top with a crème fraîche sauce, fried lardons and sautéed onions and then bake!

I used ham in the dish because it was all we had, but I would highly recommend using lardons instead. Because when is bacon a bad idea?

Tarte Flambée

Serving: 4 Americans, 6 French people. Ha.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup (250 g) flour
• 3 tablespoons of oil (50 ml) (any neutral vegetable oil will work, just not a flavored oil like olive oil)
• 2 medium-sized onions
• 5/8 cup (140 g) smoked bacon
• 2 tablespoons (40g) butter
• 3/8 cup (100g) de fromage blanc (can substitute full-fat greek yogurt)
• 3/8 cup crème fraîche (100ml) (can substitute milk or cream if you don’t have it)
• 1/2 tablespoon of nutmeg
• salt and pepper

Steps to make the dough:

1. For the dough: mix the flour, half a tablespoon of salt and 3 tablespoons of oil in a mixing bowl. Gradually pour in 3/8 cup (100 ml) of warm water.
2. Mix the dough until it’s smooth. Then knead for five minutes.
3. Let dough rest for an hour.

Steps to make the tart:

1. Preheat oven to 475F (250C).
2. Cut the bacon into small slices and fry in a sauce-pan until cooked. Throw the grease into the trash when done (never put bacon grease down the sink!)
3. Slice the onions into rings. Sautee them in 2 tbps. butter until transparent, about 5 minutes.
4. While the onions are cooking, mix the crème fraîche and cream. Season the mixture with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
5. Butter and flour a baking sheet. On the counter top and with a rolling pin, roll the dough as thinly as possible into a large rectangle, so it is the same size and shape as the baking sheet. Gently place the rolled dough on the baking sheet.
6. Using a spatula, spread the creme fraiche-creme mixture across the dough (it will seem like too much, but use it all!). Drizzle a tablespoon of oil over the dough. Then top with the cooked bacon and sautéed onions.
7. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
8. Serve hot. The dish pairs well with a simple green salad.

 Have you ever had tarte flambée? Isn’t it delish?

 Recipe adapted from CuisineAZ.

The post Tarte Flambée- a Recipe for Alsatian Pizza appeared first on Ashley Abroad.

Resolution #1: Learn Fluent French

When I arrived in France back in October, I barely spoke a mot of French. Most of my conversations began with “Parlez-vous anglais?” and ended with me feeling a bit embarrassed with myself.

Due to lots and lots of good old-fashioned hard work (and ahem, Harry Potter) I would safely say I’m conversational now and thiiis close to fluent. I often find myself chatting with friends at cafés for hours in French (quoi?) and have been told by my host parents, French friends and language professor that I’ve improved loads.

Nevertheless, I am still very keen to get better. I think if I keep working hard and stubbornly trying to converse in French I’ll be fluent by July.

Resolution #2: Get Back in Shape

Em… while I’m happy that I’ve been successfully dieting and now weigh the same as I did a year ago, I’m not really in prime physical shape. Yoga and gyms are crazy expensive here so as I am pinching pennies for my Asia trip I’ll have to hold off on serious work-outs. (Granted running is free, but um… yeah.)

To prepare for this, I just bought a yoga Groupon for when I’m back in Michigan (10 classes for $25!) and am thinking of doing a yoga retreat in Bali in September. So hopefully I will look good in a bathing suit sometime in the near future, ha.

Resolution #3: Build My Blog

I’m very happy with how I’ve kept up this blog. Though sometimes I do have trouble striking a balance between blogging and um… living, I think going forward I will strive for quality over quantity.

Speaking of quality, I’m concerned that some (hopefully not all?) of my posts are boring as more than a few friends have told me that they skim through them.

I wanted to ask you guys- which posts are you enjoying and which ones not so much? Anything I should scrap? And I would love, love, love it if you guys could complete this quick 10-question reader survey! I’m still quite new at the charade and it would mean the world to me if you guys told me how I’m doing.

I’ve also started reaping some small earnings from this blog, and so far this year I have posted 70 times. And in my 9 or so months blogging, I have posted 135 times. Not bad for a newbie!

Resolution #4: Freelance

This is a goal I have certainly fallen short on. I wanted to have one freelancing piece published a month and so far I haven’t had one thing published. Womp ,womp.

BootsNAll even accepted one of my pieces but I stupidly never followed up with them! Which was probably because I was really intimidated by the whole situation… which is a terrible excuse.

In better news, I have been working as a travel columnist for a local Detroit newspaper, The Metropolitan Detroit. Check out my first two columns! Naturally, they’re all about travel. Oops.

Other goals:

a. Save up for Asia (I have $2500 right now, and need $2500 more to meet my budget)

b. Improve photography (learn HDR, finally!)

c. And just keep living life to the best of my abilities. Take advantage of every opportunity to meet cool people, eat good food and do cool stuff. In a nutshell.

Most of all, thank you for reading Ashley Abroad. I don’t want to get sentimental, but blogging has really changed my life and opened up a lot of doors for me and it’s all thanks to you guys. Reading your comments makes my day, for serious. Thanks for spending time in my humble little corner of the interwebs… I hope you’ll stick around!

The post New Years’ Resolution Update appeared first on Ashley Abroad.

Though I know I’m an amateur photographer at best, I think theses are some of the best photos I’ve ever taken, which is in no small part due to San Sebastián inherent natural beauty.

Overall it was a beautiful and nearly spiritual way to spend our last few hours in San Sebastián.

Which picture of San Sebastián is your favorite?

The post The Beauty of San Sebastián at Sunset appeared first on Ashley Abroad.

To that, I responded, “Are you crazy, it’s April! The water’s going to be freezing.”

To which she responded, “All you care about is eating and speaking other languages!”

With the heavy accusation of, “You are seriously at risk of becoming a grandma,” hanging in my face, I booked an hour-long lesson with Pukas Surf School in San Sebastián.

Sister (and neoprene) love!

The next thing I knew, I was sleepily sitting on a beach at 10 a.m., clad in a skintight wesuit, and getting yelled at by a large Spanish man.

I’m not sure if you guys have noticed this yet, but I’m not all that athletically inclined. Yes, I can appreciate a vigorous hike and I played varsity tennis in high school, but extreme sports aren’t really my thing- I’m a massive scaredy-cat when it comes to getting potentially injured.

So needless to say, I was displeased when the instructor began the lesson by having me stand up and then shoving me to the sand.

“You’re goofy,” he declared, judging by how I had leapt forward with my left foot.

Then we began simulating getting up on a board, in which he scolded me some more. “No knees! Never the knees!”

Next, it was time to put theory into practice. Upon feeling the glacially cold water, I found that I was comfortable due to my very thick wetsuit. (And maybe being from Michigan finally offers a pay-back?)

What I wasn’t comfortable with was the rip tide. I’ve honestly never felt such a strong current in my life, especially not when a giant board is attached to my ankle. And though I had been somewhat able to jump up on the board while on dry land, it was like my mind was erased clean once I hit the water. The waves were throwing me to shore like a discarded rag doll- even the instructor said the current was unusually strong.

So after about 45 minutes of trying and failing at getting up, I heaved my board onto the sand and spent the rest of the lesson doing something I am much more athletically suited for- taking pictures.

And after some spectacular wipe-outs, my little sis’ kind of got up! For only an hour-long lesson, I was impressed.

Overall we had a great experience with Pukas. Despite a little well-deserved scolding, the instructor was warm, funny and very knowledgable. Also the price was right at 27 euros per person, including board and wet suit rental (the lesson was semi-private so there were no other students). The beautiful beach is only steps away from the surf school as well.

This lesson just felt like a tease- I really want to try surfing again, albeit with more than a one-hour lesson and preferably in warmer waters. And next time I promise (well, I hope, anyway) that I’ll catch a wave.

Pukas Surf Eskola

Av. Zurriola 24 20002 San Sebastián

Pukas in no way paid or perked me for this post. I just honestly had a great experience with them- keep them in mind if you want to try surfing on Spain’s north coast! 

The post Surf’s Up in San Sebastián appeared first on Ashley Abroad.

But Basque Country, located way up in the northeast corner of Spain? Basque Country was totally different from the sunny south- a green, hilly and culturally unique region I had dreamt about visiting for years.
Upon arriving to San Sebastián, (also known in Donostia in Basque) I immediately felt a little disoriented.

What’s a Kalea, I thought to myself, and why’s it written everywhere? (Turns out it’s Basque for “street.” Duh.)

Basque Country hardly felt like Spain- in fact it felt very foreign from anywhere else I had been in Europe. Which actually makes sense, considering the Basque language resembles no other language on earth. In fact many linguists believe it dates back 20,000 to when hunter-gatherers roamed the Iberian peninsula.

The mysterious and consonant-filled Basque language.

 There’s even a Basque language type face!

I also noticed that San Sebastián was much dirtier than France, something I hadn’t been expecting of this elegant, turn of the century seaside resort town.

Still, San Sebastián held many charms: Belle Époque balustrades, bronzed beaches and dazzling views of the Bay of Biscay included. Strolling around San Sebastián, it felt like the year was really 1910 and I had strangely forgotten my parasole.

The gorgeous city beach of Playa de la Concha. I NEED to come back in summer.

Needing a snack after much wandering, we stepped in a snazzy ice cream parlor for some helado. And I must say, Oiartzun had the best ice cream I’ve ever had in Spain. I could’ve downed a bucket of their grainy, delicious almond flavor (almendra), and my little sister went crazy for their coconut. We also loved the shop’s clean, geometric design. Despite my strong intention to have pintxos for lunch, the second we walked into a pintxos bar my little sister burst into tears.

“How can you eat here when the floor is this dirty?”

I admit, I couldn’t entirely blame her for finding the crumpled napkins and used toothpicks littering the floor unappealing.

So we ended up splurging on a luxurious lunch at Bodegón Alejandro- so much for my intense backpacker budgeting.

But it wasn’t so bad. We tasted spring artichokes so soft, young and fresh you could cut them with a spoon…

And for the first time I tried txacoli, Basque Country’s most common and beloved white wine. It was crisp, cold and absolutely worth buying a few cases of.

Then we inhaled a hearty seafood stew that reminded of San Francisco’s cioppino, served table-side.

Once we stumbled out of the restaurant we made our way to the river in town. It turns out San Sebastián has more than just incredible sea views- it also boasts beautiful vistas of the mountains. It’s not fair- you can’t have both!

The next day, we went surfing in the Bay of Biscay (a venture that deserves its own post!) and then headed to the San Telmo Museoa to learn more about Basque history.

The museum undertook explaining the last 800 years of Basque history, from the traditional whale-hunting industry to the Basque homeland terrorism of the 1960s and beyond.

I found it interesting (and horrifying) that during Franco’s regime, it was forbidden to name your children Basque names or to speak the Basque language; Franco envisioned very centralized Spain with only one language.

Overall though, the museum was skippable. Lonely Planet describes the museum as having a “collection is a bit haphazard and the connections between the pieces vague” and I feel that’s spot on. Also, descriptions were written in both Spanish and Basque, with no English translation, so note that if you do decide to visit.

San Sebastián was different than I thought- I didn’t hear any Basque and I found pintxos to be so-so at best (post coming up). But San Sebastian was still one of the most beautiful cities I’ve visited with a fascinating history and culture I can’t wait to explore further.

Have you ever been to Basque Country?

The post A Taste of Basque Country in San Sebastián appeared first on Ashley Abroad.

Here’s a few shots of what I’ve been up to this week:

Paris is in full bloom! On Saturday I headed to the Jardin de Tuileries with Edna of Expat Edna for some springtime sunshine and a flower photo shoot.

We enjoyed an impromptu picnic of rotisserie chicken while watching the little boats pass by.

Later, we strolled the Seine at sunset. Rough life, I know.

I spent another Saturday tanning and chatting with my good friend in beautiful and thankfully little-known Parc Monceau… head here if you’re looking for peace, quiet and impressively well-kept grass.

And finally, a little memento in my purse from the night before out dancing in Bastille with friends new and old. I probably shouldn’t say more than the night was epic.

What’s your favorite Paris picture from this week?

The post Saturday Snapshot 31 appeared first on Ashley Abroad.

So this summer I planned a road trip to visit them all, as well as to indulge my Harry Potter fan nerd-dom and pretend to be Bill Bryson. (Have I also mentioned that I’m newly obsessed with Bill Bryson? He’s hilarious and brilliant.)

That was until I took a quick look at my Southeast Asia trip savings and realized there was no way I could afford a two-week road trip in England as well as a five-month backpacking trip in Asia. No way at all.

And thus my epic U.K. road trip must be postponed until next summer… but it will be happening eventually! Here’s the rough outline for my trip.

The South

London

I planing on beginning my trip with a city I have already fallen in love with- London.

From great museums like the Tate Modern and the British Museum, to trendy neighborhoods like Shoreditch and Canary Wharf, there is so much in London I have yet to explore.

I’m planning on staying in London with my friend Victoria, a London native who lives just outside of the city. Victoria is actually the one who will be my travel buddy in Southeast Asia! We met in Paris while she was living here for a few weeks so you may remember her from posts such as this one and this one.

Oxford

Next stop- Oxford. I know Oxford’s a respectable university town, but I mainly want to go there because the dining hall from Harry Potter is located there. Nerd confession- I love Harry Potter and as a child I wanted to be cast as Hermione Granger in the movie. True story.

The Cotswolds

I have wanted to visit the Cotswolds ever since I saw the probably-not-very-good-but-still-very-enjoyable chickflick The Holiday back in high school. I would especially love to rent one of the Sykes Cottages there for a week or so and enjoy a clotted cream and scone-filled writer’s retreat.

Bath

Bath’s main draw is of course its Roman bath complexes- but beyond those Bath seems really interesting considering it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site site with more than 2,000 years of history.

Bristol

Hometown of street artist Bansky, my Lonely Planet guide describes Bristol as “one of the southwest’s most creative corners” where you can find “live music, theatre and art scenes.” I’d love to hunt for some of Banksy’s earlier works there, which I’ve heard you can spot around the city.

Wales

I have no real reason to visit Wales other than I’ve heard the Welsh countryside is pretty and allegedly I’m of Welsh descent. But yet the country intrigues me; I’ve ever met a Welsh person and according to Bill Bryson the Welsh language sounds like “martian.”

I would first head to Cardiff to see the mock-Gothic castle many have summed up as “bizarre”, and then spend a few days hiking the rugged Snowdonia National Park.

The North

Liverpool

Beatles’ history, great nightlife, and a really cool Liverpudlian accent? Sounds like a happy couple of days to me. Liverpool, which was 2008′s European Capital of Culture, has attractions of interest such as the International Slavery Museum and Beatles Story.

Yorkshire

My good friend Lauren lives on a horse farm in Yorkshire, so our visit would involve sipping tea and riding horses all day, preferably in tweed. She’s also promised me that we would visit the country manors in Yorkshire, which will hopefully sate my Downton Abbey obsession.

Blackpool

This would be more to torture Lauren than anything, considering Blackpool is like the Jersey Shore of Northern England. Gwahaha.

York and Newcastle

I’ve heard so much about these trendy towns of the north that I finally need to go. Apparently York and Newcastle offer lots of great live music and pubs, and York especially has lots of beautiful medieval architecture.

Hadrian’s Wall

The Romans built Hadrian’s Wall nearly 2,000 years ago in order to keep out the indomitable Picts. (See, the Scottish have always been tough!) I would love to spend an afternoon soaking up Roman history while walking or bike-riding along sections of the wall.

And what about Scotland and Northern Ireland?

I’ve actually been to Scotland and absolutely loved it. Back in 2011, I tasted (and enjoyed) haggis in beautiful Edinburgh, then took a train to the wild and wind-whipped Isle of Skye and finally headed to St. Andrew’s to visit a friend who was going to university there. (I really need to blog about that sometime!)

And I’ve been meaning to get to Belfast to visit an Irish guy I met last year in Dublin, hike Giant’s Causeway, visit the Titanic Museum and take the Black Taxi Tour.

. . . . . .

Obviously my travel plans will depend on my resources, but I will hopefully be able to visit England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland in one trip- I’ve been to the British Isles on six occasions now and am always excited to go back!

But wherever I go, I intend to knock a few items off of my British bucket list, including enjoying a high tea with clotted cream and scones, riding horses around the countryside, sipping pints at the pub and finally having Sunday lunch (bonus points for Yorkshire pudding.)

Where are some of your favorite places in the U.K.?

. . . . . .

This post was brought to you by an advertising partner. All thoughts are, as always, my own.

The post My Dream (and Future) U.K. Road Trip appeared first on Ashley Abroad.

Biarritz is a French resort town known for its glitzy past as a 19th century seaside destination, when it was graced by European royals such as Queen Victoria and American royals such as the Vanderbilts.

And it turns out that Biarritz’ posh reputation remains intact to this day. As a French friend told me, “The Côte d’Azur is so passé, it was cool in the 1950s but not anymore. Now it’s much more chic to go to Biarritz.”

For our splurge night I chose the ritzily named Sofitel Biarritz Le Miramar Thalassa Sea & Spa Hotel.

(Don’t worry, I haven’t changed my ways- being the off season the room was still a fraction of its normal price.)

Due to our snazzy new suite, I’m afraid we didn’t see much of Biarritz for our first hours in the city- while my mom napped under the extraordinarily comfortable down comforters in our room, my sister and I took a dip in the heated, outdoor, salt-water swimming pool, which boasts views of the entire bay.

When the cold winds finally forced us out of the water (evidently outdoor swimming pools in April are still kind of iffy!) we made our way down to the beach and watched the surf crash to the shore while soaking up a little much-needed sun. If memory serves me well, the beach kind of resembled California.

But we certainly weren’t in California- Biarritz is located in French Basque country after all. From the traditional red and green Basque homes to the Christmas-colored Basque flag waving proudly in the fierce Biarritz wind, we spotted telltale signs of the Basque region all over.

After a little wave-watching it was time to find some grub.

Before leaving the hotel, our extremely helpful concierge recommended us several restaurants, many of which I suspected were over-priced and touristy. I used the basic but effective, “Um, that’s nice, but where do people who actually live here eat?” He immediately pointed out Bar Jean on the map, a traditional Basque pintxos bar.

Pintxos are essentially the Basque version of tapas, only they are often served on bread and in smaller portions. Most pintxos are served at the bar and skewered with a toothpick (hence pincho being Spanish for spike.)

Bar Jean serves up a delightful French-Spanish-Basque fusion menu- we tasted everything from French classics like mushroom duxelle on puff pastry and mousse au chocolat, to Spanish potato omelet (tortilla de patatas), Basque white wine (txakoli) and flan.

It was my first time having pintxos, and the honor system style of paying intrigued me- do they really charge you by counting toothpicks you used?

(My more devious side wondered about this arrangement- wouldn’t customers simply hide the toothpicks?)

Besides great food, the bar also offered a young, lively atmosphere, reasonable prices and devilishly handsome waiters (they sure grow ‘em cute down in Basque Country).

Due to my mother’s Midwestern insistence on eating dinner at 7 pm, we were still able to enjoy the sunset after dinner.

The rough waves around Biarritz lend themselves to an intense surfing scene- there’s even a surfing festival there every summer!

As sunset faded, my sister and I precariously stood on the rocks in order to take a few dramatic Instagram shots.

And on our final morning in Biarritz, we whiled away the hours shopping along the palm-treelined boulevards. My little sister made her big purchase of the trip- a navy blue Longchamps tote in which to carry her schoolbooks. (Note for all retail addicts- Longchamp is a lot less expensive in France than in the U.S.)

Overall it was a blissful 24 hours spent indulging ourselves: luxury hotel, sea views, shopping and pintxos included.

Do you ever take a break from budget travel and splurge for a night?

The post Getting Ritzy in Biarritz appeared first on Ashley Abroad.

Today’s guest post comes from Agness who shows us what to eat in Beijing. Agness is a Polish vagabond and foodie who blogs over at the excellent budget travel blog, eTramping. I have a minor obsession with Chinese dumplings so this post was especially mouth-watering- Agness’ photography skills may have a lot to do with it as well.

Hi! My name is Agness and I’m a Polish foodie. I have been exploring Asia with my mouth constantly chewing and smacking since August 2011. I am currently wrapping up a year of teaching English in Dongguan, China and more importantly, discovering new flavours Chinese cuisine dares to offer me every day.

Trying some vegetarian dumplings in Beijing.

Chinese food, especially Chinese breakfast, is one of the reasons I decided to stay 6 months longer in China. I just could not imagine my breakfast without having a plate of my favourite Chinese dumplings called Baozi or a bowl of fried noodles for my lunch. I fell in love with its unique taste, spiciness, a perfect combination of herbs and spices, Chinese mild tea and veggies. Although Chinese cuisine is full of oil, most of dishes are deep fried and I have put a lot of weight on, I still can’t resist the temptation!

A plate of Chinese dumplings I always have for my breakfast

My best culinary journey took place last May (2012) when I headed to Beijing. I took my best friend with me and our aim was to try as much food as possible to pick up a few we liked the most. After a few days exploring local restaurants and dining out at street food vendors, we finally made our decision. Today, I would like to share with you 5 most delicious authentic Chinese foods you just can’t miss when visiting Beijing, or in fact any province in China. They were just heaven in my mouth!

Baozi (包子)

A serving of Baozi.

Description: You can either love them or hate them as they are full of oil. Stuffed with a various kinds of meat (from pork to beef) and fried veggies, they just taste delicious. You will always get them served with some spicy sesame oil to dip them in. What I love about them is their thick texture. Baozi are mostly steamed and eaten for breakfast. 1 or 2 should be more than enough, but don’t feel guilty if you have 5 at one go, they are just irresistible!

Price: Baozi are typical budget food. You can get one for RMB0,5 – RMB1 ($0.8 – $0.16).

Location: Although the best Baozi are served at street food vendors, there is one place you should dine out at and it’s called Wuyi Shan (武夷山农家菜). It is open daily 11.30am-2.30pm, 5.30-9pm. Mobile 131 2669 6251. English address: Maliandao Hutong, Xuanwu district. Chinese address: 宣武区马连道胡同.

Jiaozi (饺子)

Fried Jiaozi with some spicy chili oil sauce.

Description: Jiaozi, unlike Baozi, are much harder and more stodgy. They are firstly steamed and then fried. Their shape and size are also different – they are smaller and crescent-shaped but the feeling is the same – veggies with pork or beef. What I love about Jiaozi is that they are extremely crispy and crunchy and most importantly, filling.

Price: You will pay around RMB3 (<$0.5) for a plate of Jiaozi (6-8).

Location: We were recommended to go to Mian restaurant (食度面馆) and we absolutely loved dining out there. The food is very affordable and extremely tasty. You started our dinner with a few Jiaozi which costed us nearly the same as we were having them in the street. This cozy restaurant is open daily from 11am to 6pm, telephone 5978 9975, English address Dashanzi, 4 Jiuxianqiao Jie, 798, Chaoyang district, Chinese address 朝阳区酒仙桥街4号大山子艺术区.

Peking Duck (北京烤鸭)

Beijing duck

Description: Although the meal is extremely time-consuming and a bit more expensive in comparison to other Chinese meals, its taste is absolutely worth it. The duck is well baked and has a great crispy crust. It is served with Mandarin pancakes, green onions and creamy sauce.

Price: The whole course costs RMB100 ($16).

Location: I would highly recommend the Dadong Roast Duck (Dongsi) restaurant located at 1-2 Nanxincang Guoji Dasha, 22A Dongsishitiao, Dongcheng district, Beijing 100007, China (Beijing Workers’ Sports Complex). Service was superb and food was just excellent.

Beijing noodles (北京杂酱面)

A bowl of take-away noodles.

Description: It is by far, my favourite Chinese street food. It takes a few seconds to make it and it has a very aromatic taste of thick noodles, salty nuts and parsley. You can add some chili to make it spicy, but I always enjoy a mild version of it.

Price: A decent bowl of noodles costs RMB 5- RMB 8 ($ 1 – 1.25).

Location:We got them at one of the food vendors located just outside the Summer Palace in Haidian District just outside the west gate of Tsinghua University.

Youtiao (油条)

A bowl of Youtiao.

Description: Deep fried Chinese bread stick made with yeast, very oily and might be a bit salty. They are very soft inside and crispy outside so you feel like eating a puffy bread. There are only pain Youtiao available, but you can dip them in peanut or chocolate butter.

Price: 1 You tiao usually costs RMB1 ($0.16).

Location:You can get them anywhere around Beijing Downtown Backpackers Accommodation which is 85号 南锣古巷 Dongcheng, Beijing, China.

After months of living, travelling and eating Chinese food, I have learnt that the more adventurous you are with the food, the more it will surprise you and I love surprises!

If you have been to Beijing, what was your favourite Chinese food you couldn’t resist?

Agness is a Polish vagabond who, after graduation, left her comfort zone and set off for a journey of her lifetime to China in 2011. She has been constantly travelling the world since then (slowly, but surely as she says), living like a local for less than $25 a day. She became a photography passionate and adventure blogger sharing her life enthusiasm and travel experience with everyone around. Follow her journey via her blog, Facebook page or Twitter.

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