The Hollywood connection, right here in Beijing
almost 3 years and counting since I started having lunch at the geekiest of places in Beijing, day in day out! This establishment manages to provide a rare mix of convenience, comfort and diversity to keep me patronage for this long! Yup, it is the place where i’ve had the most meals ever considering my track records of moving countries and what not. It’s also a place that you won’t find listed in any guide: My office!
Lost in the confines of Beijing’s CBD (Jianwai SOHO) hides this little island of sanity and no matter how many times i’ve eaten there, it never crossed my mind to think about it in culinary -dare i say gastronomical- terms!
Yeah, sure! there is no shortage of business lunches around the area from Time Cafe and Cafe Europa amongst others but who’s got time for those? My provider of choice? a little known chain called Hollywood and they have failed to disappoint me over and over again.
Why Hollywood?
- It’s convenient and they deliver within 10 to 20mn
- The variety of choices on the menu is pretty darn good
- The pricing is more than reasonable with RMB15/20 on average
- The hygiene standard is pretty high up there
- and, last but not least, their stuff tastes pretty darn good!
- they got one of the coolest Chinglish mottos around
On average, I’ll eat Hollywood delivery twice to three times a week and after 3 years, I still haven’t gotten tired of them.. neither did anyone else eating at the most fabulous restaurant in Beijing otherwise known as “Our Office”.
The big favorites around here are:
The beef burger: pretty darn good and solid for the price! one of the best burger values in Beijing! RMB15 gets you a patty with cheese, tomato, onion and (too much) lettuce + fries. RMB20 gets you the same with double the beef and cheese. It’s a fresh grilled patty and one tasty burger once you get rid of the lettuce. The fries ain’t bad either
Terriyaki Chicken (kao ji rou fan): Served with rice and pickled veggies in a neat little to-go box! This baby has been a solid performer in the office over the years. Often doubted and snobbed in favor of newer dishes but never forgotten. We always end up coming back to it. The chicken is tender, the terriyaki sauce tasty and just goes well with the rice! for RMB15 when it’s on special, it’s a great value. Heck, even for the normal RMB20, it’s a great deal!
Hollywood has branches all over the city and they’re definitely an option to consider when you’re on the run and need a quick good fix that is not jianbing!