... and salt, and MSG. Cantonese Da Pai Dang (大排档) is supposed to stick-to-your-ribs greasy satisfaction, but the Chaoyang Park west gate branch takes oily saltiness to a whole new extreme. The rice casserole we had was essentially a pot of dried out rice smothered in super salty soy sauce with some tepid animal parts thrown in, while the bi feng tang fried beef (deep fried in a bed of fried garlic mash) and fried yellow croaker were so salty, my tongue feels like it's been coated in varnish.

To top it all off, we found a plastic brad ("oh it must have been from the frozen fish packaging," explained the manager non-chalantly) in our fish.

The wait staff are a morose, catatonic bunch dressed in drab blue prison uniforms with the attitudes to match.

This place is popular from what I can tell, but more likely because of the rarity of this type of Cantonese cuisine in Beijing than the actual quality of the food. My Guangdong ancestors are rolling their eyes in their graves.

Richang at Chaoyang Park was almost my kitchen...even the waitress remembered me after a long time...always went there with my gf...the food was amazing...
special half chicken, fried eggs with beef, the famous rice pot with cantoness sausage and chicken...really good prices...
but I recommend them to improve the decor..it seemed old and a little grossy...

This place gets kudos for it's snappy service and its wide choice of Cantonese food choices, but it's cleanliness (depending on location) leaves a bit to be desired. A classy dining environment it is not; however the somewhat crowded diner-like renao atmopshere is classic Hong Kong. Their foil-wrapped chicken wings are great as are their "bi feng tang" dishes -- shrimp and chicken wings are two options -- are delicious.

Atmosphere is simple, a little dirty and lively with dozens of tables packed into a small space and fuwuyuan running back and forth at high speed.
The waitstaff only speak chinese but their menu is now in english and of excellent quality with pictures that actually look like the food.
The food is the strong point, guangdong fare mostly with a large selection of imports from singapore and beyond. Their kitchen must be full of rare ingredients as it seems like each dish is made with something not found anywhere else on the menu. Almost everything is excellent and of very good value for the money.