أمسية خاصة في بكين - طعام هوتونغ + تذوق المشروبات الحرفية

One detail from the day: the stop I expected to like least turned into the one we discussed afterward. That is the advantage of tasting with someone who can explain what is in front of you. I would rather keep the pause at the hutong lanes than add another stop.

The Beijing stops were organised, but the food did not arrive like a rehearsed tasting menu. Each place kept its own character.

A practical note: one Beijing dish was outside my comfort zone, which was half the reason I booked. Asking how locals eat it made the stop much more interesting. With 4 hours to work with, the balance felt sensible.

In hindsight, I liked this more a day later, when I looked back through my photos and realised how different Beijing and the hutong lanes had felt. The time around the hutong lanes was not the part I would cut.

Honestly, I booked mainly for the hutong lanes. I was glad I did because of Beijing.