It might lack the dazzling ethnic flavors of Yunteng Shifu or Golden Peacock, but this unassertive alleyway diner is probably the only spot in town where you can chase a spicy mint salad with a saucer of oily ma doufu. The hybrid menu – half northern Yunnan, half lao Beijing – is skewed towards affordable homestyle cooking, a good fit for the cozy, plant-strewn dining room lit from above by glass partitions.
Start by getting messy with the novel signature dish of sliced pork with julienned veggies, fried pancakes (bing) and a sticky dipping sauce. The “self-assembly” concept is Beijing duck; the price (RMB 22) is Kentucky Fried Chicken. Continuing the kuaican (fast food) theme, the Kunming potatoes achieve a rare combo of hash brown-y exterior and velvety mashed insides, sprinkled liberally with peanuts, exotic chillies and herbs (though the magic here may well be a trick of the MSG). Steamed chou doufu (RMB 25) – smooth, soft and smelly, with a touch of chilli – is wonderfully authentic. Their homemade hawthorn berry drink, ladled out of an English pub pint glass (RMB 5), is sour, sweet and refreshing. Though it owes its origins to Beijing, it pairs particularly well with the Yunnan dishes on offer, such as stir-fried “hotbed” chives with black pork. Or try the smoky, salty imported Yunnan ham cooked with green baby pumpkin (another ingredient seldom found in Beijing) – unfussy, thoroughly pleasant food that deserves recognition.
Location
Contact
No event here now.