Bring the taste of empire to Beijing

I might not make any friends by pointing this out, but British, Australian and New Zealander don’t crack anyone’s “best cuisines” list. French, Italian, Chinese and Thai are favorites, but the local nosh produced in what was once the British Empire? Not so much.

Now before the complaints roll in about how British restaurants are rated up there with the best of the world, and nothing beats the freshness of Australia’s local produce, I’m talking more about these countries’ post-pub fast food—food that falls at the cheap and cheerful end of the scale.

It’s interesting, then, to see Chinese restaurateurs with ties to these countries who have brought back two beloved symbols close to the heart of any patriotic Brit: fish and chips and meat pies. It’s only fair after all—Britain and Australia are full of Chinese restaurants. Surely it’s time to return the favor.

Meat pies, for example, divide the world into two camps: the happy untroubled types who think nothing of ordering a pie or three at the footy, and those who have read one too many articles on how said pies are roughly four percent meat by weight. I have to admit, I’m not much of a pie enthusiast, but even I was impressed by the pies from Kiwi Pie, which opened last month in Soho Shangdu, just north of The Place shopping center. Jake Kao and his dad lived in New Zealand and decided to return to Beijing and open this unpretentious store, bringing a good steak pie to the masses. The pastry is tasty and packed with fillings like the classic steak and the excellent bacon and egg, both of which are anything but scary.

Mention fish and chips to anyone but a Brit, and he is more likely to think of a heart attack on a plate than delicious flakes of fried fish accompanied by a generous portion of fat chips glistening with salt and vinegar. Thanks to Fish Nation, these cravings can be satisfied without jumping on a plane to Heathrow. According to Amanda Newman, her husband Leng Jie came up with the idea on a trip to England where chips were the only food he found edible. First in Sanlitun, then the companion restaurant on Nanluoguxiang, Fish Nation now has its own mini fish and chips empire. The restaurant’s clientele is 50 percent expat and 50 percent Chinese. It looks like locals enjoy going out for an English. - Helena Iveson