Try the Shaomai, Skip the “Choke Surface” Noodles at Sansheng Shide

When the clock hits 12, and your stomach is already growling, there are few better ways to ease those hunger pains than a tray of hot and hearty shumai. And Sansheng Shide, at the Ping’an Finance Centre, is a prime new destination for these delectable steamed treats.

The menu consists of three types of meaty shaomai (RMB 24-30): pork, pork with shrimp, and beef, along with a vegetarian option. Originating from northern China (specifically Inner Mongolia), shumai (shāo mài, 烧麦) is a kind of steamed dumpling with a thin, unleavened wrapping, and a pleated border. The fillings are normally made of beef or mutton with ginger and scallion. We ordered the basic pork shaomai with bamboo shoots (RMB 24 a tray), a minced pork-filled variety dusted with flour, which is much larger than its Cantonese cousins. The top was flaky and bloomed elegantly like a flower, while the filling was juicy with umami flavor from the bamboo shoots.

Their other signature dish, stir-fried intestine with garlic (RMB 49) is a traditional Beijing dish (and different from the dry-pot Sichuan style). It was deeply flavorful with a subtle chili kick. The use of whole cloves of garlic and laba garlic (raw garlic soaked in vinegar for at least a week) gave it a distinctive tang, and brought out an acidic quality to balance the richly hot flavor of the intestine.

They also offer “Old Beijing Choke Surface” (RMB 29), which is actually noodle soup with stir-fried Chinese cabbage. However their take on this classic dish was screaming for flavor, thanks to the absence of dried shrimp, bean sprouts, and pork, which are typically key ingredients. Instead, there was an oily layer of shredded Chinese cabbage, floating on top of limp machine-made noodles.

There are many restaurants in the basement of Ping'An International Finance Centre (formerly City Mall), but it might be a maze for first-timers. Tip: go to the sunken plaza in the back of the building, then walk down the stairs outside. You'll see Nasca Café, then enter the mall through the door next to Nasca, and turn left, where you'll see Sansheng Shide next to Subway.  

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Sansheng Shide
Daily 9am-2pm, 5-9pm. B1, Ping'An International Finance Centre, 1 Xinyuan Nanlu, Chaoyang District (6460 0199)
三生食德：朝阳区新源南路1号平安国际金融中心B1层

Photos: Tracy Wang