Rustic Xinjiang cuisine goes chic

Popular plate: Try the fabulous cold noodles with sesame and peanut sauce.

Tipple of choice: Xibo serves Sinkiang Black Beer, brewed in Urumqi, the region's capital.

Xinjiang is an autonomous region in the westernmost part of China, bordering Pakistan, and Xibo serves unabashedly upscale Xinjiang cuisine, arriving at the neatly plated and free from pools of oil.

Owner Kuo Xin Rui’s goals are to preserve the heritage of her people and bring their cuisine to a wider audience, and has done so admirably; the place is perpetually packed out with expats and local Chinese alike.

Try traditional dishes like roasted eggplant with red and green peppers and lamb spiced with chili and cumin, the extra sauce mopped up with hunks of chewy bread.