Punk and Hearty Noodles at Maizidian's Qimianting

Punk's not dead – it just retired, moved to Chaoyang, and started making Japanese food. At least that's certainly the case at Qimianting, which opened just over a month ago on Maizidian’s Ichiban Street; a slice of Japan frequented by the nearby office workers for lunch or late into the evenings for creamy draft and sake.

Replete with posters from Punk-O-Rama all-stars like Bad Religion, Rancid, The Descendents, and Dwarves, the aptly named, but charmingly low-key Chaos, and his business in partner, both busy punkers themselves in the Beijing scene, decided to open a little joint to escape the beer-drenched evenings of yore.

The space itself is both lively and laidback, the punk-to-country soundtrack giving a warmth and personality that you don’t find in other faceless joints. While carmine red walls work well alongside the wooden furniture to make this place inviting – five tables and 10 seats along the heightened bar adding up to sit close to 40 people – they perhaps don’t go so far as to make it romantic.

Drinks span your usual Japanese concoctions – high balls, whiskeys – as well as some more beverages such as matcha shochu and draft beer with tomato juice, if you’re into that kind of perverted nonsense.

As for food, the focus here is Japanese and Taiwanese soupless noodles, which are easy to navigate thanks to the picture menu but starters might get a little tricky if Chaos isn’t present to translate. Thankfully, when we visited he was around and eager to help and we ordered a batch of pan-fried radish dumplings (大根饺子 dàgēn jiǎozi), beef tongue and scallions (葱盛牛舌cōng shèng niú shé), and pan-seared tuna topped with fish flakes (炙烤金枪鱼排 zhì kǎo jīnqiāngyú pái).

By far the best dish was the beef tongue; generously thick slabs of tongue sat well-marinated and buttery in slightly sweetened soy, underneath a bed of scallions. The dumplings were nothing special but were enjoyable for the subtle slices of ginger rolled into the chewy but slightly-too-oily skin, and the fat chunks of seared tuna were let down by being served cold, the tell-tale fish flakes giving none of their usual fiery dance.

Moving onto the mains, this was my first time ever to try what were simply described as “Taiwanese noodles” (台湾拌面 Táiwān bàn miàn), a saucy mix of minced pork, scallions, onions, seaweed, spice, garlic, and a raw egg yolk. The balance of flavors couldn’t have been more comforting – after mixing, the bouncy noodles, soothing yolk, and umami meat sauce give way to the slight burn of the chili powder and raw onion. Upon finishing, you’ll want to (and are encouraged to) ask for a spoon of rice to soak up the remainder of the ingredients once the noodles have been long slurped down.

On the complete other side of the spectrum, the “slimy bomb bowl” (粘粘炸弹面 nián nián zhàdàn miàn) forfeits balance for texture, the name leaving little to the imagination. Cubes of preserved tuna are mixed with gooey mountain yam, fermented beans, and okra, pushing for the title of the gloopiest combination of ingredients in one dish. Compared to the Taiwanese noodles, these left my tastebuds lacking, yearning instead for a more savory side, or stronger flavored tuna, to balance out the mild and sticky vegetables and beans.

The final bowl of noodles we stuffed in (belt undone in anticipation) were the dipping noodles (七麦町蘸面 qī mài tīng zhàn miàn), which basically come with all the dressings of ramen (slices of pork, bamboo, scallions, and a soft-boiled egg) sans soup. Instead you get with a side of dipping sauce, which unfortunately fared the same fate as the tuna, coming out of the kitchen far too cool. This meant that the flavors of the rich broth failed to steam and stick to the noodles, which otherwise had a very satisfying bite.

Next time you’re in the area, preferably ravenous for bowl of thick noodles, a dose of buttery beef tongue, a side of punk, and some of the friendliest management around, Qimianting is there to pick you up off the mosh pit floor and fill your belly.

Qimianting
Daily 6pm-midnight (during soft opening). 2/F Beili Yifan Jie, Maizidian, Zaoying, Chaoyang District (no phone)
朝阳区麦子店枣营北里一番街内2层七麺町

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Photos: Tom Arnstein