This is another visit to a Yelp-bookmarked restaurant out in Nassau County, this time, Beijing House in Syosset. Beijing House is located in a set of stores on Jericho Turnpike in Syosset. Upon entering, it's noticeably bright and comfortable with amedium-sized dining room filled with 4 seat tables.
I assumed that the restaurant served Beijing-style food because of its name. Although I am not thoroughly versed in the cuisine, I did find many unfamiliar dishes, which I assume are from that region. The first thing that I noticed on the menu was that more half of it contained pictures with numbers. It's not the usual small squares, but full illustrations taking a third to half a page. I felt it was helpful for diners navigating an unfamiliar regional Chinese cuisine.
We ordered one appetizer, and three shared entrees. They were: scallion pancakes, fried squid tentacles with celery and chili, preserved vegetables with braised pork belly, and stir-fried cumin lamb. Since I do not have the menu in front of me, the names are approximations of what I think the dishes are called.
Here are my thoughts about the dishes:
The scallion pancakes, were thinner than usual, but above average. They were crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.
The fried squid dish was really good, but I felt there could have been more squid. It was well-seasoned and had delicate thin strips of celery to give your mouth a break from the saltiness of the squid. The heat level was negligible.
The preserved vegetable with braised pork belly was excellent. This dish isn't dong po pork, although it looks a lot like it in the menu. It's actually pork belly cut in thin strips, like bacon and cooked together. When you eat, you just peel off each layer. Coupled with the umami of the preserved salty vegetables, it was excellent. Don't worry about the saltiness because it isn't.
Finally, the stir-fried cumin lamb was different. In Sichuanese restaurants, you usually get it deep-fried and then stir fried in a cumin-salt mixture. However, in the Beijing version, you actually see the cumin on the lamb slices! There's only a tiny bit of chili added for heat and finally, this version is strictly stir-fried, so no crunchy layer on top, just pure lamb flavor. I assume the Beijing version of this dish is stir-fried. This is a great change of pace for those looking for something different.
I felt the service was good. The food took some time and came out sporadically but this is because they are making these dishes from scratch and not in a haphazard way. You can tell from the quality and care. As for prices, you can go from $13 to $30 per entrée depending on what you order. I would definitely come back if I want something other than the more common Sichuanese, Cantonese or Shanghainese restaurants. read more