2010 Aug 30 Rare Herbs and Spices: Yi Sichuan Restaurant
This warm and gracious restaurant is named after its owner, a young Sichuanese woman whose goal is to share her favorite cuisines with you. Her menu features homestyle Sichuan dishes with unique Thai and Tibetan touches. (Yi has lived in Thailand and her mother runs a restaurant in Tibet.)
Some dishes showcase hard-to-get ingredients, such as purslane (machixian 马齿苋, a succulent with a sweet-sour flavor and a chewy texture), ageratum (huoxiang 藿香, another typical Sichuan herb) and mint, while others are garnished with caraway (zang huixiang 藏茴香, a cumin-like spice often used in Tibetan cuisine). There’s even handmade sugar rose-petal sauce, courtesy of Yi’s grandma.
Thus, popular specialties include purslane salad (suanla machixian 酸辣马齿苋 RMB 18), beef cold cuts with caraway sauce (zhaopai xiaoniurou 招牌小牛肉 RMB 32), braised fish with ageratum (huoxiang jiyu 藿香鲫鱼 RMB 48) and the traditional Chengdu snack of rose-flavored bingfen (冰粉 RMB 6).
As a Sichuan native, however, I must admit I most enjoyed the juicy and flavorful soy-braised pork belly (hebing zheng kourou 荷饼蒸扣肉 RMB 42). I bet you will too.
Also try: Repenjing, Gold Barn
Yi Restaurant
Daily 10am-3pm, 5-10pm. 22 Shuiduizi Dongli (northwest of No. 9 Bus Terminal), Chaoyang Beilu, Chaoyang District (8596 8995)
易馆, 朝阳区朝阳北路水碓子东里22号（9路公交总站西北侧）
Got something to say about this or any other Beijing venue? Register as a user at the Beijinger.com and post your review on our online directory.
You might also be interested in :
Capital Bites: Valentine's, Veal, Pasta and Pingtan
With Valentine's Day approaching, new pasta deals at Flamme and much more to report, here we are with this week's roundup of the latest news, gossip and scandal from Beijing's restaurant scene. Let's go!
Pho La La: Introductory Vietnamese
If landlords explained rent increases as being directly related to the number of new restaurants opening in a given area, the residents of Xingfu Ercun could hardly complain. Shimao Department Store has added a dozen new (mostly Chinese) options just a few minutes’ walk away, and this small Vietnamese spot brings further variety even closer to home.
A Star Is Reborn: Authentic, Affordable Yunnan
It doesn’t seem that long ago I was making wildly enthusiastic faces about Dali Renjia (my mouth was really full). But in the breakneck world of Beijing chow, chefs move on, places are sold, prices and salt levels rise. Soon enough, your order of tudou wan comes daubed in ketchup.
Thankfully, you can’t keep a good idea down. Wen Juan, one of the former Dali Renjia owners, has opened Haney right across the street.
Thai Express: Quick Curries at Jianguomen
Thai Express has merit as a handy lunchtime stop. Convenience and speed are the essence, with efficient service and a chilli-coded menu. Thai specialties like Tom Yam Goong (RMB 48) and soft-shell crab are featured, but Thai Express’ strengths are the simpler meat and vegetable curries.
WasPark: Cuteness and Cheeseburgers in Soho
Like almost everything in Soho Shangdu, this tiny cafe is hard to find. You might be charmed by cheerful owner Mela and her cute Chinglish messages, handwritten on chalkboards. If Amelie had her own cafe, it would have been like this. The prices certainly appeal – burgers start from just RMB 17. And the cheeseburgers are good, in a get-what-you-pay-for kind of way. The bun is dry, the whole package a bit roughand-ready, but the effect suits the cafe’s DIY style.
