Looking to try something more interesting this weekend I decided to track down the Qomolangma Hotel. This is a Tibetan provincial government hotel just north east of Lake Huhai, located in its basement is an authentic Tibetan restaurant.
After arriving via taxi, I was guided downstairs by a hotel worker to a large and completely empty dining room. As I looked through the menu I wondered if something I didn't know had scared all the locals away from the place. It didn't take me long to decide on my main coarse, as soon as I saw the dish titled "Lucky Sauteed Sheep head", I knew I would be full of regret if I didn't try it. I also ordered some yak dumplings and deep fried ginseng to try and sample a broader range of Tibetan food
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| Qomolangma Hotel |
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| Inside Qomolangma Hotel Restaurant |
The dumplings and ginseng were delivered first, so I dug in while I waited for my head to arrive. Between the two dishes, I preferred the ginseng, which gave me the unique feeling I was chewing on crispy smoked wood. Unfortunately head takes an excruciatingly long time to prepare so by the time it showed up I'd consumed more of the side dishes then I'd planed on. This made the pile of head look like a daunting challenge, however after I got my first taste of this savory olive oil soaked meat, I went on autopilot toward cleaning the plate.
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| Fried Ginseng |
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| Yak dumplings |
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| Sheep head and skull |
By the time I asked for the check I was beginning to feel a bit unsettled, inside me a battle was being fought between the sheep I'd just consumed and my overloaded stomach. To make matters worse, the skull of the sheep was still sitting on the table right in front of me while I waited for the bill, the whole time I could feel it peering into my eyes while I sat there suffering. After the bill was paid I left the restaurant and walked toward Beiluoguxiang hoping the sheep's curse would wear off with some activity, luckily after about 45 minutes wandering the hutong my stomach finally won the battle and I was free to enjoy the rest of my night.
