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Dance on Table
Provider:Afunti Restaurant
At0086 Rating:

This raucous Xinjiang (the Muslim/Uighur region in northwest China) restaurant attracts both local and foreign gourmands looking for hearty food and heartier still entertainment. Even the classic Xinjiang dishes, such as roasted mutton joints, barbecued beef and meat kebabs struggle to prize diners' attention from the dazzling spectacle of central-Asian musicians and dancers. The belly dancers are particularly distracting. Most evenings end with everyone dancing on the heavy wooden tables to this mad musical accompaniment. The experience is unforgettable, but is very popular with large corporate groups, so be sure to book several days in advance.

Afunti is a sanitised Uighur restaurant that has established a reputation for excellent Uighur food. It is a bit of an institution in Beijing, so tourists now outnumber locals. The reputation for the post-meal dancing on the trestle tables, the Uighur music, and the... err... cabaret performance have pulled in the punters. Sadly, the excellent food is rushed in order to get the tables cleared away so the dancing can begin. For this reason, you need to arrive early - no later than 6:30pm - to allow time to eat. It also closes early, and once it is down to a handful of remaining drunken revellers, the music slacks off (you can't really whoop it up on a table to Greensleeves) and you are ushered out into the night. Houhai or Sanlitun beckons. It is not the most typical of Xijiang or Uighur restaurants, but it is the easiest. Don't miss the yang rou chuanr (barbecued lamb skewers), lamian (long noodles with tomato sauce), naan (flatbread with garlic), and roasted leg of mutton. Forget about chopsticks. Forget about cutlery. Even the plate may be optional. Just gnaw. Unusually for Muslim restaurants (except in China), they serve alcohol, and everyone drinks. This could be the reason that anyone is even prepared to contemplate dancing on a trestle table to Greensleeves.
 
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Reviewed By noushi
 Age Range: 25-29
Hometown: London, 0
Journals: 14

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Open Hours: 11a-midnight M-F, 11a-late Sa-Su