The Real Taste of Beijing at Dongsiminfang Restaurant
Shimao Shopping Mall at Sanlitun has become a hot spot for traditional Beijing family restaurants. After 32-year-old boiled tripe specialists Baoduhuang opened a branch on the second floor, the over thirty-year-old Dongsiminfang Restaurant has expanded onto the third floor.
The new location is really preserving the old ways: rumbustious atmosphere and indifferent service included. You can also find the loud wallpaper, outdated heavy tables and chairs, huge red lanterns and Chinese knots, and a red carpet with tacky patterns that you know and love. But don’t get me wrong; this is a place for family dining, with affordable prices, sizeable dishes, and the traditional home-cooked taste, which brings to mind many a festive meal I had with my own family. You can get a true sense of Beijing hutong life here, listening to the birds tweeting from the huge cage around the fake tree at the entrance to the restaurant.
Now let's get to the dishes:
Da lapi (大拉皮,RMB 25), a popular cold dish in summer, was piled up on top of shredded carrot, cucumber, and radish, and covered with a thick spoonful of sesame paste. The Lapi, made of mung bean powder, was al dente, and the veggies mixed with the sesame paste were refreshing.
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We recommend 焦溜丸子(jiaoliu wanzi, RMB 48). The stir-fried meatballs had a crisp crust, and were tender inside, while the umami flavor of the sauce was balanced by sweetness and acidity from vinegar, and the green chili gave it a kick. We also liked the 芝麻酱糖饼(zhimajiang tangbing, RMB 28, image below), literally "sesame paste pancake". This popular traditional food is made of brown sugar, sesame paste, and flour. The pancake had a delicious crunchy crust, golden in color, and the steaming hot filling was sweet and thick, with a heavy sesame flavor. The only drawback was that we had to be patient – it took half an hour to make.
For bigger groups, they'll also prepare yutou paobing (鱼头泡饼, fish head with pieces of wheat pancake), roast duck, and home-style pig knuckle to share. Crowds of locals, especially seniors, can be spotted here, some of whom don’t mind having a “small drink” on a workday afternoon, such as baijiu. With affordable dishes and an authentic taste of Beijing, it’s not hard to see why Dongsiminfang Restaurant is so popular.
Daily 10am-10pm. 3/F, Shimao Department Mall, Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District (6409 4988)
东四民芳餐厅：朝阳区工体北路13号-世茂广场工三3楼
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Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
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Photos: Tracy Wang
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