"We open this eatery because we were all very impressed by the food in the vast Northwest China," said Cathy Gao, one of the four coowners of the restaurant.

Shangbala is a Tibetan word for a heavenly place where everyone is merry, free and surrounded by happiness. The word became known to the world after a French traveler mispronounced it as Shangri La.

Shangbala's executive chef Venju Henzela, from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, said he is very keen to promote dishes from his hometown.

"Take the 'finger mutton' for example," said Henzela. "It makes me unhappy to see people use chopsticks to eat it because, as the name suggests, it is supposed to be eaten with your fingers. But I've learned to compromise. Now I am happy as long as people like the food."

Finger mutton is mutton chop boiled with onions, tomatoes and a little salt for half an hour. When the dish is served, the bold Xinjiang people pick it up in their fingers and eat it.

Stewed mutton hotpot is another specialty of Shangbala. The mutton is stewed with carrots and several spices like fennel, anise and cumin. With sliced ginger and red dates floating in the thick brown soup, the colorful hotpot looks very tempting on cold winter days.

Other popular Xinjiang dishes include mutton with pancakes, roast lamb, finger rice (rice fried with mutton and carrots which is to be eaten with fingers) and fried mutton with nang (a kind of bread).

A French gentleman, who claimed to be a regular patron, says his favorite dish is the mutton with pancakes. For the dish, mutton is chopped and fried with onions, and then served with thin pancakes. You wrap it up burrito style and enjoy.

The restaurant's barbecue section offers a full range of kabobs, chicken wings, beef balls and fish.

Cairo Wu, a vice president of an investment service company, said she liked the restaurant as the food was worth the money and the atmosphere made her feel at home.

All the tables and chairs in the restaurant are made of bamboo, and many beautiful pictures taken by hikers or other travelers hang on the walls.

Gao said that since she and the other owners like traveling around the country, their restaurant finally developed into a gathering place for young people who have the same hobby.

One group of hikers often gathers in Shangbala to plan their trips, said Gao. The group has successfully arranged several trips to mountains in Shenzhen, Hunan and Tibet.

The Shangbala's second-floor dining hall is actually on the roof of the building. Gao had it renovated and put in glass ceilings which allow the sun to shine through.

The hall has been equipped with hi-fi video equipment and Gao says it is an ideal place for social gatherings. "Which is probably why the hikers always come here to show off pictures and talk about their experiences with their friends," said Gao.

(Southcn.com January 15, 2003)