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)
