Xinjiang Islam Restaurant: No Hardship, Only Revelry at China’s Official Xinjiang Restaurant

As we approach the end of our long-running mission to taste the wares of every official provincial government restaurant in the capital, we now find ourselves tucking into pulled noodles, roasted lamb, and circular bread – the defining delicacies of the Uyghur people, the dominant ethnic minority of China’s Xinjiang province. And while we’re spoilt for choice when it comes to the rustic joys of Xinjiang food in Beijing – the green signs, crescent moons, and picture book menus beckoning many a Mandarin-illiterate foreigner through their restaurant doors, nurturing an early love that lasts long past final departure – this government-run take on Xinjiang cuisine can boast being one of the city’s best.

Stepping past the massive LED-laden pillar and faux-mosque façade, and into the sprawling dining hall of the Xinjiang Islam Restaurant and hotel, our first thought is that if the ongoing clampdown on Muslim culture in China’s westernmost province was framed in terms of banning its food, the fine people of Beijing may just rise up. Such is the enthusiasm of the hundreds of diners being served by friendly and attentive staff, who weave their way between tables serving rounds of Wusu beer and cakes from a small bakery in the center of the chandelier-lit room.

A cold starter of tender Xinjiang-style chicken with peppers and a coating of chili oil (RMB 29) is reminiscent of its Sichuan cousin koushuiji and has the same effect, whetting our appetites to the point that nothing but a pillowy, just-out-of-the-oven bun stuffed with ground lamb and chopped onions (RMB 4 each) will curb our salivation. The smoked horse sausage (RMB 46) is decidedly authentic, a mound of circular slices of cured meat that flake apart on your tongue. The lamb chuan’r, though not an easy dish to get wrong, is a little fatty for our tastes but adequately dusted with chili flakes and cumin, the cornerstone spices of Xinjiang cuisine.

Of course no proper Xinjiang feast would be complete without a big plate chicken (dapanji, RMB 98) and this “official” version ironically boasts the use of free range birds. In it, large chunks of chicken sit atop equally large pieces of soft potato, diced green peppers, and thick belts of chewy noodles. Ignore the fact that you’re already too stuffed to stand up, and order naan to submerge into the spiced gravy, at the same time letting yourself wallow in the bustling atmosphere that arises from big sharing plates of good food done right; even if the context is hard to swallow.

Xinjiang Islam Restaurant
Daily 11am-10.30pm. Xinjiang Provincial Government Office, 7 Sanlihe Lu, Xicheng District (6830 1820)
新疆伊斯兰饭庄：西城区三里河路7号

Looking for more provincial dining? Feast here on the various cuisines of China.

Photos: Tom Arnstein