A while back, with out of town guests dropping by, it felt like it was time to make good on that overdue visit. With the weather being amazing, we decided to hit the Houhai branch so that we could also take in the beautiful sights, enjoy the mild temperature outdoors and a great meal. We did get 2 out of 3 and in this case, it was more than enough.

The branch is located off the western end of Deshengmen, a fair bit of a commute if you do not happen to live in that side of town but I do feel it’s worth it just on the strength of the environment. Beijing able to eat while looking over the lake is one hell of an enjoyable experience. When we got there at 8:00 pm, the restaurant was jam packed with people waiting their turn. Thankfully, we had a reservation and a group big enough for a private room since they hadn’t yet opened their outdoor dining area.

The first good surprise came in the form of a full color menu with Chinese and some English which made ordering a lot easier than the dongsi branch i had visited years ago. We decided to try a couple of classics and some new twists. The fatty fork, méigān cài kòu ròu 梅干菜扣肉, scared the out of towner at first before they realized how good it was and gulped up the whole thing. The subtle tartness mixed really well with the pork without overpowering it.
The Sweet n Sour Ribs, Táng cù xiǎo pái zàn 糖醋小排赞, were an instant hit with everyone present; To say they were inhaled would be an understatement! Just the right amount of crust to cover the meat and the right balance of sweet and sour flavors. They were just right.

We wanted to get the West Lake Fish but the manager on duty recommended we try their newest specialty for a change: Secret Spice Fish, Mì zhì lúyú 秘制鲈鱼, which turned out to be a great choice. Instead of the subtle west lake soy flavors, we got ourselves a nice earthy broth covering a good-sized catfish. Can’t complain.
The hit of the night though was a chicken dish reminiscent of Beggar Chicken that was so awesome. The meat fell off the bone and just melted in our delighted mouths… dumbass me forgot to write the name though so that’s gonna be a good excuse to go back and investigate it further. Pretty much everything we ordered was well made and met my expectations. The out-of-towners weren’t big fans of the jellyfish though but you can’t win them all.

The service was also quite good but there were two negatives: When we reserved for outdoors seating, they didn’t tell us it was still not open for dining. I checked with them 3 times and still… I wouldn’t have gone that far had i known it was shut down. The other problem was the glass of fresh corn juice we ordered that never made it to the table despite our asking many times in a row. They were busy but still…. other than that, impeccable friendly service!
Overall, a great meal in a beautiful place. It’s definitely worth going to the Houhai branch while the weather is gentle. I know I will, very soon! The whole meal came out to about 600rmb for 10 of us which is a steal IMHO when you see what the prices are like these days. This is definitely worthy of the meal steal tag..

Note: My camera settings were completely wrong that day so i’ve managed to make a beautiful meal look unappealing. Sorry!

KongYiJi 孔乙己 (Houhai Branch)

South shore of Shichahai, Deshengmennei Dajie, Xicheng District
西城区德内大街什刹海后海南岸, 宋庆龄故居河对岸
6618 4915/17

Map & Reviews
City Weekend | The Beijinger | Dianping

Keep in mind that there are probably branches closer to where you live in Beijing.

- Grouping Provincial Restaurants was a good idea IMHO. That said, if this category stays, I can see Chuanban winning it year in and out! It’s conveniently located, got good food and always jam packed. It’s a mainstay as far as Provincial Restaurants go.
- I’m kinda surprised that no western restaurant made it into the “late night dining” selection, especially the Den. I’m even more surprised that not a single Ghost Street establishment made it into the final 3. The whole street is an after hours mecca with some great food options like Xiao Yu Shan.
- Haidilao, Da Dong and Quanjude pretty much won everything with Duck de Chine and Jin Din Xuan making a good showing. It’s hard to argue that in this case, name recognition trumps everything else. The majority of The Beijinger’s readers are expats and let’s face it, it’s tough to remember the name of that restaurant around the corner where you had a mind-blowing meal. Don’t get me wrong, they’re all fantastic places and deserve patronage but there is better out there to be had…
-I would have like to see the “best kungpao chicken” or “best hot pot” categories… Those are always fun!

Now, let’s dissect the winners and look at some alternatives:

BEST RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR (CHINESE)
Readers’ Choice: Da Dong
Outstanding: Din Tai Fung, Duck de Chine
Noodle Pick: Na Jia Xiao Guan

Predictable and safe! These cats are pretty much in the top 10 Chinese restaurants in Beijing and they will most likely always win the expat vote on name recognition. This is one case where Editor’s Choice is always better/more interesting in my opinion.
I’d give the nod to Na Jia Xiao Guan instead. This is a fantastic alternative with great food, beautiful location, fantastic service. The place is always busy, lunch or dinner! Did I mention the Venison stew yet?

BEST BEIJING DUCK
Readers’ Choice: Da Dong
Outstanding: Duck de Chine, Quanjude
Noodle Pick: Hua Jia Yi Yuan

Can’t argue here.. they all serve some amazing duck! Chinese and foreigners alike love them. That said, I’d love for some other establishments to get a bit of recognition for their duck. Hua Jia Yi Yuan, off of Ghost Street, is a fantastic alternative! beautiful duck, perfectly roasted, nice variety of dipping sauces and even funky wrappers with a little hint of wasabi. I just had it last week and it was amazing.

BEST IMPRESSING VISITORS (CHINESE)
Readers’ Choice: Da Dong
Outstanding: Duck de Chine, Haidilao
Noodle Pick: Xi He Ya Ju or Na Jia Xiao Guan

With Da Dong & Haidilao, I would really like to see a breakdown of which branch is being voted for. Sure, these places are guaranteed to impress tourist and you can’t go wrong with them. I’m personally a big fan of courtyards and believe that visitors really get off on being in a traditional setting. From that perspective, I would take them to Na Jia Xiao Guan or Xi He Ya Ju. Both restaurants are located in beautiful old-looking buildings, well refurbished, with great service and amazing food.

BEST LATE-NIGHT DINING
Readers’ Choice: Haidilao
Outstanding: Bellagio, Jin Ding Xuan
Noodle Pick: Xiao Yu Shan

This is really a surprise as I mentioned above… Not much more to say! I’m glad that the local restaurants had such a strong showing on this one. That said, I’d go anywhere on Ghost Street for a great late night meal with Xiao Yu Shan being the best option! The place has constantly delivered great fare of all types, may it be chuanr, duck, soup or roast fish.

BEST PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT RESTAURANT
Readers’ Choice: Chuan Ban (Sichuan Provincial Government Restaurant)
Outstanding: Xinjiang Islam (Xinjiang Provincial Government Restaurant), Yunteng Shifu (Yunnan Provincial Government Restaurant)
Noodle Pick: Chengdu Representative Office

Can’t argue here… good choices and pretty much all 3 are at the top of their game. I would suggest the Chengdu Representative Office or Dali Representative Office, both smaller, cozier alternatives that serve some great food and are less likely to be jam packed.

BEST XINJIANG
Readers’ Choice: Crescent Moon
Outstanding: BLCU Muslim Restaurant, Xinjiang Red Rose
Noodle Pick: Xinjiang Islam (Xinjiang Provincial Government Restaurant)

this is like The Tree winning best pizza for too many years in a row. Crescent Moon is a good little place but they’re far from the best! Name recognition helps a lot on this one and good for them! They’ve been doing it for a few years in a row without any major complaints. The BLCU restaurant is completely out of left field! I would have expected a few other names before this one and can’t really understand how the votes came about. Our expats don’t tend to travel far so this is either voted on by students or we have a huge number of ex-students haunting the streets of Chaoyang.
I’d suggest people try and experiment by heading over to XiZhiMen and checking out the Xinjiang Rep Office for a more authentic taste.

BEST DIM SUM
Readers’ Choice: Jin Ding Xuan
Outstanding: Crystal Jade, Lei Garden
Noodle Pick: Tang Yuan

This is where branches come into play! Jin Ding Xuan delivers quaffable fare but the quality is really different between branches. The Ditan park location seems to still rule things as far quality but the others lag behind. I don’t know much about dim sum so I’d welcome everyone’s alternatives. My good friend over at Quirky Beijing used to swear by Tang Yuan over in Chaoyangmen. The few times i are there, it was impressive!

BEST YUNNAN
Readers’ Choice: Middle 8th
Outstanding: Dali Courtyard, In & Out
Noodle Picks: Aimo Town & Baoqin Dai Ethnic Restaurant

Not sold on these.. Middle 8th is a safe choice and the others greatly over-hyped. Name recognition reigns supreme yet again! I wish people would get the hell out of sanlitun more and try the likes of Aimo Town or the Baoqin Dai Ethnic Restaurant up in Haidian. Both of these places serve some amazing fare, quite worth the trips to Gulou or all the wau to Haidian. The noodles and potato balls at Baoqin are something to behold.

BEST DUMPLINGS
Readers’ Choice: Bao Yuan Jiaozi
Outstanding: Lao Beijing Jiaozi Guan, Xian Lao Man

No argument… I’m actually happy about this selection, or at least 2/3rds of it. I haven’t been to Lao Beijing Jiazi Guan yet. I’m not even gonna bother with alternatives here.

NEW RESTAURANT (CHINESE)
Readers’ Choice: Nanjing Impression
Outstanding: Green Bites To Go Dumpling Bar, IFW, Park Hyatt Beijing
Noodle Pick: Da Li Ren Jia

If there’s ever been a tricky category, it’s this one! It’s difficult to keep track of new Chinese restaurants or know when they open. The scene is just not covered enough by the magazines. Sanlitun voters got a few in there with Nanjing Impressions apparently worthy of the title. I personally haven’t tried any of them but will be making the rounds very soon.
I’d say that the restaurant that has made a huge impression last year was none other than Da Li Ren Jia. The place came out of nowhere and became quite the crowd favorite earning rave reviews from plenty of folks. It has gone through an ownership change since so I’m not sure how things are right now.

BEST SERVICE (CHINESE)
Readers’ Choice: Haidilao
Outstanding: Da Dong, Din Tai Fung
Noodle Pick: Man Fu Lou

Decent choices but safe selection again.. these are apparently the only restaurants people know in Beijing… maybe it’s time to get out and explore a little bit, no? I’ll give the nod on this one to Man Fu Lou. I’ve been singing their praise for years already and I was happy to see their name popup on cityweekend just recently. They’re my go to hot pot location and have been for years.

so… what are your picks? Any recommendations worth checking out?

My first reaction when the winner was announced was: this yet another example of why democracy fails… people have no clue or recognition of what’s good and they should only be allowed to decide within certain regulated parameters. Then I came to think better of it: Home Plate is the anti Element Fresh: A down to earth place, local beijinger business, serving decent food and working hard to keep things honest. Patrons love it and don’t mind waiting quite sometime for a seat. This win is in many ways reflective of the Shanghai/Beijing debate: Expats here are more down to earth and care less about the superficiality of things.

now, let’s get something straight… It’s not in the same league as the fine dining establishments that are Maison Boulud, Salt, Brasserie Flo, Agua etc. But then again. we’re not talking about “Fine Dining Establishment of the Year” we’re talking about the reader’s votes for restaurant of the year and last time I checked, a restaurant is a locale where food is served. Home Plate BBQ qualifies.

What I am wondering though is whether or not this is a statement as to where the market is going: We’ve had it with overpriced western food in this city! Let’s face it, a lot of the western restaurants are plagued by service problems and attitude reminiscent of early Beijing days. The management behind these establishments doesn’t seem to understand or realize that times have changed and that there is stiff competition in the market.

If I hear the sorry of excuse of it being hard to find and train staff, I’m liable to puke over the person saying it. Some establishments like Salt, Capital M or Purple Haze, just to name a few, have managed for year to retain staff and deliver consistent service. Some of the local restaurants, albeit away from the expat radar, have such amazing service it might put a 5 star hotel to shame. If you’re going into F&B in Beijing, then you are aware of the staffing issue… you factor it into your business plan or you have no business plan!

Basically, I think Beijing’s expat population is fed up with the excuses at this point! If you want to offer fine French dining, then do it. If ingredients are a problem, then don’t open that type of restaurant. Same goes for any type of establishment.

In many cases, salaries are lower, life is more expensive and the folks are being a bit more conservative in their spending: RMB 500pp meals are no longer a norm, at least not for your everyday meal. If that 80rmb burger tastes like a whopper and I’m gonna get shitty service, tell you what, next time, I’ll go to Burger King….

To make a long story short, the next year might prove to be a year where “great value” runs supreme in the F&B industry. New restaurants will be opening away from the prohibiting rents of sanlitun & Co. vying for the value conscious customer that doesn’t mind going an extra 5mn for a better experience. These place will be unburdened by rent while they get properly set, build up a customer base! At least I’m hoping so… I’m curious to hear other thoughts.

For whatever reason, looking at all the restaurants i go to on a regular basis, this one gets forgotten.. no more, it’s time to give it its due! Qin Tang Fu 秦唐府 (Chaoyangmen Branch) sits pretty in its spot, surrounded by a mix of 5 star hotels, Italian luxury imports and divey restaurants.. and it’s pretty darn happy being right where it is! When it comes to quality food at good prices and reasonable service, they just know how to get it done!

The first thing you notice when you get inside the restaurant is the lilliputian sized furniture. I read somewhere that “ the Shaanxi folks like to slurp their noodles close to the ground” but don’t quote me on it. It’s as good as an explanation as i have managed to find! That said, it’s not uncomfortable at all to sit and enjoy a good meal. While some folks might not like it, I find that I enjoy the rustic setting. It just fits the place!

For most people, this is the ‘Mo to rule them all! And by ‘mo we’re talking about ròu jīa mó 肉夹馍, aka the Chinese hamburger. And sure enough, they make a mean one! To me, this is closer to an old fashioned pulled pork sandwich than a burger. The ratio of meat to fat is always right, the bread find its balance and the whole thing is a please to chow on! You get the pick between a regular and lean version, both of which are freaking good.

For me, the real reason i go there is..you guessed it… the noodles! Oodles of them available and all so freaking awesome it’s hard to choose. The Youpo Chemian 油泼扯面 (Sticky Noodles with chili flakes), which according to Baidu dates back 3000 years, is the best I’ve had anywhere.. that’s including Xi’An itself.

The Yang Rou Pao Mo 羊肉泡馍 (lamb and bread chunks Noodle Soup) is as tasty as they come but beware, it will knock you out! That thing goes down to your stomach like a lead ball and sits there, waiting for some baijiu or mijiu to help digest it. It is pretty addictive though!

Their Sao Zi Mian 臊子面 (long hand pulled noodles) – Covered in their own post a while back – are something of a wonder. The pork variety is just awesome whereas the beef one, in a non-spicy stock- falls a bit short. They also have an interesting take on this classic using spinach noodles （ Bocai Saozi Mian 菠菜臊子面).

It’s not just the small stuff that rocks! Try their Chang An Ji 长安鸡 （ Whole crispy chicken) kicks some major ass. I’m not sure how they do this one but it manages to be perfectly crispy on the outside while retaining that inner-tenderness. Don’t forget to get some of their Suan Tang Shui Jiao 酸汤水饺 ( Dumplings in Sweet and Sour Soup). To the risk of sounding repetitive, they’re just freaking good!

The price are ridiculously cheap for that quality in Beijing… Come to think about, they’re just ridiculously cheap, period.

The service can be hit or miss depending on the time of the day but it’s never been bad! The staff is generally smiling and efficient, at least at the Chaoyangmen branch. I haven’t actually made it to the other two but I can see myself ending in the Dongsi store soon.

I’m honestly not sure why this place doesn’t get much more word of mouth amongst the expat crowd but then again, I’m not sure that such a bad thing. I haven’t had a bad dish there before and I’m hoping the streak continues… so far, I’ve like their take on those dishes more so than the one of the provincial restaurant. So.. why don’t you go and try it for yourself?

….and I need to go get me some noodles there like now!

Qin Tang Fu 秦唐府

69 Chaoyangmen Nan Xiaojie
东城区朝阳门内南小街69号
tel: 6559 8135

Reviews and Maps:

The Beijinger | Timeout | City Weekend

I set out on a quest to find a chain restaurant, with 10 branches or more all over Beijing, which rated pretty high with the locals… well, low and behold, let me introduce you to the duck nobody knows: Dayali Beijing Duck 大鸭梨烤鸭店 Chain with over 50 restaurants in the greater Beijing area, all pretty much outside the 2nd ring road.. yeah, that’s 50+ branches! By sheer luck, on a Hot springs outing, K-hua suggested to go for duck in their north 5th ring road branch (changpin) for lunch and it was packed to the brim folks… There was a queue well into the 2:00 pm side of things and I am told that each and every dayali branch is pretty much like that: Good affordable Beijing fare in a mid to high end setting.

all the Branches on Dianping
http://www.dianping.com/search/branch/2/0_22037/g0n1p1

The branch we visited was massive with room to seat a few hundred people, waitresses decked out in faux-fur uniforms and managers roaming the floor to keep things flowing. We were pretty lucky going in a little past 1:00 pm and having a table within a few minutes. Other groups with less people still had to wait. The venue was really elegant and looked fairly new… The menu looked even better! Dishes were affordable for the standard item with generous portions and good presentation, something I’m not used to at that price level.

Having “kao ya” in your name is almost a dare to order the duck (rmb89).. and so we did! for an extra RMB12, we could also get them to make a soup with the bones/skin. A few vegetables, some dried fish flavored with alcohol, flaming chicken wings, noodles and more. I was really curious to see how it would turn out!

The “Drunken Fish” as i call it was first out. Beautifully presented and quite tasty! It wasn’t overly sweet and you couldn’t taste much alcohol but I liked that. A previous encounter with the dish at the Anhui provincial restaurant had me feeling like i was eating dried baijiu! This one was definitely better.. I could have done without the bones though.

The flaming wings were quite the dish: brought to the table with an open fire on the plate itself while the wings were still sizzling in the aluminum foil. A couple of “ohh.. ahh..wow” later, we were biting into some of the most tender chicken wings i’ve had in China. The meat fell off the bone and the sauce had a beautiful BBQ and ginger thing going for it.

The duck came out a bit later and was pretty darn good in my book. mind you, I am not a duck snob and my criteria for a good duck is low: I like it non fatty, tender meat, crispy skin and non-offensive flavor. This duck covered it all! It was not as good as the one i get from jing sun but it was not bad at all.

The rest of the dishes followed the same MO: Good presentation, Solid Taste, Easy on the Wallet and above average service! The only problem we had was asking 3 or 4 different waiters for a ladle so we could serve ourselves the duck soup. The rest of it was pretty darn smooth even though the place was jut non stop busy from the time we went in until we left well past 2:00 pm.

The bill for 5 of us, including duck and what not, was a reasonable RMB40 per person which is pretty darn good nowadays in Beijing, especially for that standard. As we walked out, just about all the dishes we saw on the neighboring tables looked as good as ours did.. Almost made me wanna go for a second round just to try a few more dishes! I left convinced that even after years in the capital, it hasn’t surrendered all its culinary secrets yet… far from it! How can this place still be below the radar with the number of branches they have?

Admittedly, most of these are in strange locations but some are close enough for regular dining, especially for those that don’t live smack downtown Beijing:

Da Ya Li Roast Duck 大鸭梨烤鸭店

San Yuan Qiao / Zuo Jia Zhuan:
http://www.dianping.com/shop/581652

Bai Zi Wan:
http://www.dianping.com/shop/5480495

Xi Zhi Men
http://www.dianping.com/shop/510312

Da Ya Li Website:
http://www.dayalihome.com/cn/index.aspx

Dayali Writeup on China.org

CNTV Top 10 Beijing Ducks

During the Qing Dynasty, they were apparently considered as a “good auspice noodle” (see dragon legend below), if we’re to believe the records on Baike You’ll find saozi mian across the country, with the most distinctive varieties coming out of Shaanxi, Ningxia and Gansu as each has its own unique flavour and take on the dish. One of the more striking differences if the use of pork in Shaanxi whereas the predominantly Muslim regions of Gansu and Ningxia tend to use lamb.

Another common difference is how Saozi Mian is referred to sometimes as Shaozi Mian… fear not, it’s the same thing, the only difference is regional pronunciation! Qishan saozi mian, yangrou shaozi mian..it’s all the same baby!

Of course, behind every good noodle there is a great history, story or stories… in these noodles’ case, it’s all about the sister-in-law (saozi). The generic version is that they said to be the invention of a mother-like sister-in-law (saozi), who helped her brother to succeed in becoming a notable scholar out of a poor family.
In another Legend It was said that Zhou Wenwang (1152-1056 BC), who was an orphan from an early age, was raised by his brother’s wife. Once when he became ill in battle, his sister-in-law nursed him back to health by serving him piping hot noodles. He recovered soon after and named the dish saozi mian, or “my sister-in-law’s noodles”.

Yet another story says it was his son who popularized the noodles: A demon wreaking havoc in the region, and Zhou Wuwang, son of Zhou Wenwang, led a posse to kill the pest. They won, and used its meat to cook noodles with. It was delicious, they say, and the noodles became a favorite food, enjoyed during weddings, births and other celebrations.

In Beijing, I’ve tried the dish in some pretty diverse places: familly style ones just outside of 2 Kolegas that were made by Wu NingYe’s wife, extremely authentic ones at the Ningxia Representative office, Qing Tan Fu‘s masterpieces or solid variety from Yellow River (Review). They’re all quite different but I don’t think you can go wrong with any of those four. Another good take comes in courtesy of Sijia at XiXia FengQing (review).

Lixia, frontman for Nucleus/Buyi and proud Yinchuaner, swears that the ones he gets at the Ningxia Representative office rival the ones he grew up eating back home. I found them a bit too plain for my taste! However, Qing Tan Fu’s take is just superb: an amazing balance of sour and hot, soft and chewy that appeals to my taste-buds.

So, they might not be one of China’s Five Big Famous Noodles （中国五大名面）but as far as I’m concerned, they’re right up there in the winners’ circle. So, next time you’re out for noodles, go seek these babies out.. they’re perfect for a snack while being hearty enough to make a full meal. They also make for a great companion to a roujiamo

I’ll be headed over to Yinchuan in February where I can’t wait to eat them in their homebase…

Pretty much everything that was said on that review still stands true. The place delivers outstanding service, excellent Hot Pot with quality ingredients and still has an air of authenticity about it that many places lack.It is still one of my go-to options whenever i have out of town visitors. The individual copper pots are a beautiful concept that i wish more places copied.

Last night’s meal was a bit special as I’m going through a cleansing detox in my diet so I couldn’t over indulge on meats and strange ingredients. I was pretty much limited to the usual fatty lamb, lots of greens, radish, some tofu and the like but it was very much filling and just as enjoyable as a regular meal there. I have to make a note to myself to return sooner than later for a little taste of their chuanr which i could indulge in this time around.

As i was saying to K-hua yesterday, I love going back to a restaurant where i had a great experience and find out that they’re still just as good if not better. This is one such case! Keep in mind this is not a run of the mill dining option either, the restaurant has been around for over 20 years in Beijing ( no small feat) and is not cheap. expect to pay about 80 to 100 RMB pp depending on the order…. trust me, it will be worth it!

Man Fu Lou 满福楼涮羊肉
Xi Cheng Qu DianMenNei Dajie 38 Hao
西城区地安门内大街38号
Tel: 010-6403-0992

Time Out Beijing is looking for an enthusiastic gourmand with a good grasp of the city’s dining scene. A love of Chinese cuisine and an encyclopedic knowledge of local food is a must. Candidates should preferably have previous magazine-writing experience. This is an in-house position and the successful candidate will be providing content for both Time Out Beijing magazine and its website. A willingness and desire to explore and discover new things is mandatory. To apply for this position, please send a CV and cover letter to Gareth Clark at gareth [at] timeoutcn.com

The Time Out gig mess replacing Lillian Chou, a former chef as well as Gourmet Magazine contributor. I met her a few times and she always came across as sharp, I-shoot-from-the-hip kinda person. Some of her work for timeout including her digging into Korean food or holes in the wall restaurants was pretty commendable. I’m gonna miss her contributions.

Thebeijinger is looking for an experienced and well-connected dining editor to cover the best in the capital’s f&b scene. Qualified applicants should be native English speakers, passionate about wining and dining, able to network extensively around the city and have over one year of experience writing and editing on a professional basis in related fields. Long-time Beijing experience and a commitment to eating your way around town highly preferred.
Send your cv and at least three dining related writing samples to editor [at] thebeijinger.com.

The Beijinger hasn’t had much luck with food editors lately having to bring back old standby, Tom O’Malley, after he had already resigned. Tom’s dedication to hutong dining was commendable! He will be remembered for discovering gems like Da Li Ren Jia. His Burger wars and Pizza wars was an entertaining endeavor that left me shaking my head in disbelief sometimes but was ultimately good.

so… who wants the gigs?

Dumplings are the new wings apparently and we never get tired of them! City Weekend did a cool little write up on Mr. Shi’s dumplings (link), another one of Gulou’s hidden gems. This little hole in the wall has been getting rave reviews form locals and foreigners alike which doesn’t happen much on the low cheap spectrum of things. Check out the review and go try it out for yourself. I’ll be doing that soon!

The Beijinger dispatched Foodie buddy, Tom O’malley to Na Jia Xiao Guan to write up a Back For More Column (link). By the sounds of it, good old NaJia is still kicking ass and taking names. Tom raves about the Venisson Stew that has given me many gastrogasms over the years and just looking at it, I feel like ditching everything and heading over for a portion. I’m overdue for a Najia Visit.
Here are the Original write-ups i did on it:
- http://thenoodlediaries.com/2009/food/na-jia-xiao-guan/
- http://thenoodlediaries.com/2010/food/najia-xiao-guan-review-revisited/

While you’re at it, read Tom’s excellent roundup of decent Beijing Duck (link) options in Beijing. He goes through the usual suspects ranking them and mentions a few of my favorites including Jingzun Peking Duck Restaurant. I’m slightly surprised not to see Xiao Wang Fu on there though. It seems like this perennial favorite has somewhat gone low profile over the past year. The picks are being debated intensely on weibo with over 150 forwards and comments already. check it out here: http://weibo.com/1986261782/xB4AT1REs. Feel free to read the old review for Jingzun that i wrote last year:
http://thenoodlediaries.com/2009/food/jingzun-peking-duck-delivers-great-value/

With winter hitting hard, one name that might be set to light Beijing Foodie scene ablaze is 中卫御苑福膳 Zhong Wei Yu Yuan Fu Shan in Haidian. This not so little eatery is making a name for themselves mixing healthy Chinese cuisine and Chinese medicine! Apparently, Medicine has never tasted this good. I haven’t been there yet but I do expect a interesting mix of tastes, textures and flavors like isatis leaf tossed with almonds or a lucid ganoderma Mushroom roll.

The menu is presented in a sheet of paper that looks like a giant lottery ticket…. all in Chinese though so it’s not tourist friendly per say. The staff is busy and doesn’t have time to babysit, especially during rush hour so arm yourself with a dictionary or speak a bit of Chinese as they’re more than willing to write down your order.

As far as dumpling options, the sky is the limit… they list a huge variety of combos, classics and weird, but nothing stops you from ordering your own creation: Yangrou Dacong 羊肉大葱 (lamb and chives) is just as acceptable as Huluobe Jidan 胡萝卜鸡蛋 （carrot and egg). Another favorite of mine is the Huluobo Xiangcai Dong Doufu 胡萝卜香菜冻豆腐 ( cilantro, carrot and Tofu)…

you get the idea. What makes a difference in this place is that when you slice open your dumpling, you can see exactly what’s in it… it’s not the mystery filling that you get in so many places around town…. and I love that. Of course, boiled/steamed dumplings are not the only thing these lads have… definitely order a plate or two of their Guo Tier (fried dumplings)

Sure, the noodles are the stars of the show but do not discount the rest of their goodies… the staff at Xian Lao Man can rock some pretty darn good dishes. How about a special version of a gongbao Jiding 宫保鸡丁 using dark meat? oh yeah.. pretty rocking! The madoufu 羊油麻豆腐, that venerable Beijing snack made from mung bean pulp fried in lamb fat and spiced up is often cited as one of the better ones in the city.

Their Dongbei Lapi 东北拉皮, yes that simple dish of cucumber, rice noodles all seasoned with sesame paste and vinegar, is made to perfection: never soggy or sticky, just right! The Zha Guanchang 炸灌肠 is a probably on of the most popular dishes in the house with every table sporting a plate… just don’t expect me to tell you what’s in it. Feeling more in the mood for a spicy dish? How about a balanced version of Shui Zhu Yu 水煮鱼 that won’t suffocate you with the capsicum fumes?
Some dishes are better avoided like their take on the the Laziji 辣子鸡 which tasted good but should have had a different name.

I could go on raving about this little gem or maybe better just leave it up to you! As far as I am concerned, it’s one of the top restaurants in Beijing value wise, especially for dumplings. Don’t get me wrong, I have been to Bao Yuan and think their Jiazi are ace… but give me Xian Lao Man for now and I’ll stay a happy satisfied man.

Xian Lao Man 馅老满 (andingmen)

āndìng Mén Nèi Dàjiē 252 Hào
东城区安定门内大街252号

Reviews and Maps on:
Dianping | The Beijinger | City Weekend | Beijing Haochi