Beijing's hutongs are known for their winding narrow paths and houses. With their delicately carved tiles, big red doors and stone lions, these unique buildings contain stories of many generations. But there's also some wonderful smells emanating from these hutongs. You can find some cozy eateries that may not be luxurious, but the food is irresistible.

 

*Xuxiangzhai

 

Located west of Yonghegong, or Dalai Lama Temple, Xuxiangzhai is a vegetarian eatery offering delicious dishes flavored with black pepper, chili, onion, ginger and garlic. There are a variety of dishes here cater all kinds of tastes. There are expensive icy vegetarian abalone, stewed eight precious mushrooms, sea cucumber as well as affordable vegetarian noodles priced at just several yuan.

 

Free soybean milk is offered every first and 15th day of each month. Soybean milk here is made from a secret recipe and contains not only the milk of soybeans but also some peanuts and walnuts.

 

Location: Jia No. 26-1, Guozijian Dajie, Dongcheng District

Tel: 010-64046568

 

*Suhuang Shitang

 

Although it's a bit small, Suhuang Shitang is clean and offers standard Shaanxi food. Paper-cuts and masks from the province hang on the wall creating an ambience of northwestern China and the shop owner and wait staff here are all Shaanxi people.

 

Recommended food is roujiamo (buns stuffed with meat). This is a commonly found Shaanxi snack which is available at many street stalls. Yet the roujiamo here is more succulent and the buns are crispier. Yangxue fensitang (mutton blood rice noodles soup) is spicy and tasty, and is a nice treat in the winter, which can effectively drive away the chilly weather.

 

The biggest selling point of this restaurant is sweet-scented osmanthus wine, which is a Shaanxi specialty and said to have originated in the Tang Dynasty. This wine, sweet and fragrant, tastes divine.

 

Location: No. 503, Dingfuzhuang Beijie, Chaoyang District

Tel: 010-65729797

 

*Aunt Fan's Good Cooking

 

This restaurant is dedicated to home-made dishes such as slow-cooked porridge, hand-made noodles and spring onion cakes. Most clients say Aunt Fan's Good Cooking is a welcoming eatery with pinky blue and pinky red flowers patterned on the wall contrasting sharply with the surrounding grey walls. And the menu here is written with Aunt Fan's witty words about good food. Recommended dishes are the tianshan xiaoyangtui (roast lamb leg) and the most memorable is the spring onion cakes which are crispy and spicy and have many spring onions and are served in a big portion.

 

Location: No. 1 Dongyingfang Batiao, Dongcheng District

Tel: 010-65528336

 

*Laohanzi (old Chinese characters) Kejiacai

 

Laohanzi is a restaurant dedicated one of the most popular dishes in Beijing called kejiacai. In fact, kejiacai doesn’t refer to a particular dish, but a group of dishes served on a big plate and combines various ingredients.

 

Hidden in a winding lane, Laohanzi is hardly noticeable. Yet its delicious dishes are well worth finding the place. Recommend dishes are mizhi baoluyu (sweet fried weever). The fish is wrapped in tinfoil when being fried, so it is slender and tastes petty spicy after being fried. Another dish is lancai sijidou (mustard leaf, olive, string beans and meat are fried together). This dish is a bit salty and best accompanied with rice.

 

Location: 1/F, Jiezuo Mansion, No. 57 Xingfu Zhonglu, Chaoyang District

Tel: 010-64177720

 

*Yueminglou (shining moon tower)

 

The restaurant's name is taken from an ancient Chinese poem. As the restaurant is located beside Shichahai Lake, its surrounding scenery lives up to the name. On a clear night, people dining at Yueminglou may have two shining moons, one in the sky and the other in the lake.

 

Yueminglou sells guanfu dishes, which are prepared from secret recipes that used to be exclusively for high-ranking Chinese feudal officials. Recommend dishes are tanzirou, fatty meat braised in a crock pot, strawberry shrimp balls and some typical Beijing snacks like ludagun (glutinous rice rolls stuffed with red bean paste). For one person, less than 50 yuan is enough to feed the stomach.

 

Yueminglou has a terrace dining area. Though a bit narrow and only big enough for two people, the terrace has a beautiful evening view: red lanterns line a path through the thin fog to Shichahai Lake. And except for Monday, there are traditional Chinese songs and story telling performances.

 

Location: Jia No.21, Ya'er Hutong, Shichahai, Xicheng District

 

(bjyouth.ynet.com December 7, 2007)