Affordable Non-Spicy Chaoshan-Style Hot Pot at Nanguangwei on Fangjia Hutong

With the temperatures dropping, we can finally start considering eating hot pot again, and Nanguangwei, tucked away near Andingmen, will satisfy that craving without emptying your wallet.

The owner started out with a small restaurant on Nanjing's Communication University of China campus, and has since upgraded the business, taking to Beijing's rapidly gentrifying Fangjia Hutong.

It's hard to miss the restaurant – its bright yellows and blues stick out on the way to El Nido and Cellar Door, luring you in before you continue with the rest of your evening. At around 30 square meters, the space includes five tables for diners to enjoy Chaoshan hot pot, a food native to Guangdong Province's diaspora.

This type of hot pot uses non-spicy broth, normally filled with sliced beef, beef balls, dried bean curd sticks, and a special Chaoshan satay sauce, as well as garlic and chili sauces.

There's only one type of beef bone broth on the menu (RMB 38), which refreshingly has no kick at all, and comes with sliced white turnip and corn by default. Add handmade beef balls (RMB 35), handmade pork balls (RMB 20), sliced beef (RMB 35), and various vegetables (RMB 10 each). The beef balls were very elastic, yes, they were a little like ping pong balls that you want to pick up and play table tennis with. We also ordered some dried bean curd sticks (RMB 10), which were soaked with the flavors from the broth, and still a bit crispy.

The Chaoshan satay sauce (潮汕沙茶酱, RMB 7 per person) was delicious and set the meal apart: with heavy peanut flavors balanced with dried garlic, onion, sugar, soy bean sauce, coconut, and chili. Flavors like this remind us of Southeast Asia.

We also ordered the sliced boiled chicken (白切鸡, RMB 30) a popular cold dish in Guangdong. We did worry, “how good could the boiled chicken be?” Yes, it looks clean and neat, just like an average chicken, with soy bean paste and chili sauce aside. However, it exceeded our expectations. If you pick up one slice, dip it in the soy bean paste, and put it in your mouth, trust me, you will forget that you even came to the restaurant with a friend, and want to spend the rest of your dinner with this chicken alone. The soy bean paste brings a sweetness to the dish while the chopped ginger sauce gives it a spicy kick.

They also serve up minced pork rice (卤肉饭, RMB 25), fried rice noodles, and signature noodle soup, with prices ranging from RMB 15 to RMB 28. We also like the lazy and cozy atmosphere, with calligraphy on the wall saying “Nanguangwei is not authentic but tasty.” In the end we paid RMB 60-70 per person, which is quite affordable, and we had our stomachs lined for an evening of Fangjia Hutong drinking.

Nanguangwei
Mon-Fri 5.30pm-10.30, Sat-Sun 11.30am-10.30pm. 71 Fangjia Hutong, Andingmen Nei Dajie, Dongcheng District (135 8178 0011)
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Photos: Tracy Wang