German cuisine: It's not just pork and sausages

The golden, crispy skin is sure to elicit crunches of delight.

Quality restaurants offering Western food are difficult to find in China, Paingt says.

"If you are looking at restaurants that offer homey European dishes, they are few and far between, apart from the high-end ones in the five-star hotels. Including drinks, I'd say the average cost per person here is 75 yuan ($12) for breakfast, 80 for lunch, and 150 yuan for dinner. That is about on par with the price of a similar family style restaurant in Germany."

Over the past 10 years, he says, he has worked on a number of food and beverage projects in Beijing and Shanghai, including consulting for successful brands such as O'Steak, Amandine, Enoterra, and April Gourmet.

Bodensee Kitchen boasts an extensive menu. For drinks, there is a judiciously chosen selection of wines from Germany and Austria; German beer such as Bitburger draft beer, Weihenstephan wheat beer and Schofferhofer. For vegetarians, there are Schlutzkrapfen, Austrian dumplings, which are stuffed with chopped spinach, garlic and a coating of nutty parmesan. There is also a menu for children.

Finally, a warning about the ample size of the dishes, which mean that this cozy Brauhaus-style eatery is well suited to families and friends dining together.

If you go
Bodensee Kitchen
8am-midnight daily 2F, South German Bakery, 27 Lucky Street, Chaoyang Park Road, Chaoyang district, Beijing 13146852613