Last Orders: Lexie Morris, Founder, Lollipop Bakery

“Last Orders” is a regular magazine column in which we ask noteworthy Beijingers to imagine their final meal before leaving the city for good.

The venue
Nice Rice on Jiaodaokou Nandajie, as it’s got a wonderfully homey yet chic atmosphere, though the spices floating around in the air always make your eyes water when you first go in. Plus they serve sparkling pink bubbly, which goes surprisingly well with homestyle Hunanese food. A bonus: With taxis so scarce, it’s just round the corner from Mao Mao Chong, which makes a great next stop after dinner.

The starters
Deliciously fatty roujiamo from the Shaanxi Ming Xiaochi (陕西名小吃) by my house on Dongdaqiao Lu. Very naughty starter as they’re so filling – but so good! I often grab one on my way home from the bakery after a long day. Though I have noticed they’ve started to do a low-fat version – something I really don’t hold much water with. Either indulge or don’t.

The mains
Definitely shuizhu yu from Yulao Kaoyu (渔佬烤鱼) on Gui Jie. This place does the most fantastic fish, with all the trimmings, and I also love their huge selection of chuanr. A particular favorite are the barbecued straw mushrooms. This eatery was introduced to me by a dear friend, whose helpful directions were: “It will be obvious, darling, it’s the place with all the lanterns.”

The desserts
I usually pass on dessert in Beijing, I’m afraid, as nothing quite lives up to expectations. See next question!

Something from your own kitchen
I only do it for special occasions, but for a last dinner I would most definitely whip up a batch of Sichuanese Peppercorn Chocolate Cupcakes in the Lollipop Bakery kitchen as a treat. I soak huajiao overnight to get at the oils and add them to the batter before baking off the cupcakes. It gives an incredibly fragrant taste and scent to chocolate cake, but surprisingly with little of the numbing! A very unexpected hit!

The music
I love my cheesy songs, and am notorious for listening to them on repeat, so it would have to be a bit of Han Hong – specifically “Endless Love” (美丽的神话) on loop. Failing that, a bit of Richie Ren never goes amiss.

This article originally appeared on page 34 of the January issue of the Beijinger.

Photo: Sui