Interesting article in IHT today:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/08/.../trbeijing.php

Taking a culinary tour of China, without ever leaving Beijing
By Ann Mah International Herald Tribune

Published: August 16, 2006
BEIJING When Yan Linqing craves the strong, sour flavors of her native
Guizhou Province, she heads to the restaurant in the Guizhou Mansion, a
bustling eatery owned and operated not by a local restaurateur, but by
the Guizhou provincial government. Here, the menu features dishes like
ze'er geng, or cold fish root, an intensely flavored vegetable, beloved
in Guizhou, that is imported directly from the southern province. "I
like to take friends there because I understand the food," said Yan, the
food editor at the China Book Business Report.

In China, the diversity of the cuisine reflects the enormity of the
country. From the lamb kebabs of the west, to the pan-fried cheese of
Yunnan, to the searing spices of Sichuan, the provinces' flavors are as
unique as they are varied. But in the capital, it is possible to taste
China's panoply of regional cuisines without ever leaving the city. Each
of the country's 22 provinces and five autonomous areas have
representative offices in Beijing and almost all offer eateries that
serve the dishes of their regions.

Beijing's hunger for regional cuisines has been evident since the 1920s,
when no itinerant warlord would establish a household without bringing a
chef to recreate his hometown favorites. "They really set the scene,"
said Eileen Wen Mooney, a food critic for Time Out Beijing, a local
entertainment magazine. In recent years, China's capital has attracted
migrants from around the country who are nostalgic for a taste of home,
and who want to sample the complex flavors of far-flung provinces. As a
result, interest in regional cuisines has blossomed, making Beijing's
gastronomy the most diverse in the country - and these provincial
government restaurants the city's best-kept culinary secret.

The popularity of the Sichuan government restaurant, known among
regulars as the Chuan Ban, was certainly evident on a recent Saturday
evening, as crowds filled the dining room and a line of people spilled
out the door. Some patrons, like Susan Zhao, a human resources manager
whose office is near the restaurant, eat there two or three times a
week. "It's cheap," she said as she tucked into a plate of mala liang
mian, a cold noodle dish. "The food is good. It doesn't get much better
than this."

The restaurant imports Sichuan spices - including dried chilis, chili
sauce and huajiao, or Sichuan peppercorn - to create the characteristic
numbing burn of the southwestern province's cuisine. These special
ingredients are handled by expert hands: All of the restaurant's chefs
and servers train at a culinary school in Sichuan. "The flavor is very
authentic, very spicy," said Wang Xiaonan, a patron, as his face turned
red from the fiery meal. "This is the best Sichuan food in Beijing."

But authenticity isn't limited to Sichuan cuisine. At the Xinjiang
government restaurant, customers stuff kebabs of cumin-scented halal
lamb into the region's chewy flatbread, nang, or enjoy savory chicken
stews hearty with tomatoes and thick noodles. The far western province's
rough cuisine has been strongly influenced by the Uighur people, as well
as by its Central Asian neighbors.

With an emphasis on delicate herbs and vegetables - "so many wild and
special plants," said Wen Mooney, the food critic - the Yunnan
government restaurant flies in fresh produce three times a week from the
southern province. Crowds flock to enjoy salads of mint leaves, bigger
and more flavorful than their northern counterparts, and seasonal
mushrooms, including morels, which in Chinese are called yangduzi, or
sheep's stomach. Slices of raw-cured Yunnan ham are saltily akin to
prosciutto, while shavings of deep- fried cheese, traditionally made by
the region's Dai minority, are crisp and light with a milky essence.

Not all the government restaurants focus on food. Décor takes the
spotlight at the restaurant for Mongolia, a province not usually
celebrated for its cuisine. Here, patrons dine in individual yurts, each
adorned with a stuffed sheep's head and a portrait of Genghis Khan. The
menu offers roasted lamb rib roast and salads of wild greens, washed
down with salted milk tea. When diners order a flask of airag, a
Mongolian spirit, the staff sings a traditional drinking song.

Those seeking to recreate the meals at home can combine a lunch out with
a shopping trip. Most government restaurants also have stores that sell
hard-to- find ingredients from their regions. Fragrant bags of Sichuan
peppercorn, packages of dried five-spice tofu, and jars of Xianglajiang
- a renowned chili sauce - are all for sale at the Sichuan government
store. "Our chilis and peppercorn are fresher than anything you can find
in Beijing shops," said the restaurant's manager, Cheng Lihong, who
moved to Beijing six years ago from Sichuan to work at the restaurant.

Other government restaurants sell fresh vegetables, tea, cigarettes and
liquor from their regions.

The flavors of regions outside Beijing are becoming so popular that some
fear the city's local cuisine - a wheat-based diet of thick noodles,
dumplings and flat breads - is taking a back seat. "Everyone wants to
taste something different," Wen Mooney said. "That's fine, but you're
forgetting your own food."

And, in spite of the authentic food available, some people find that
dining at state-run restaurants has a downside. "There's absolutely no
ambiance," Wen Mooney said, referring to the cavernous, fluorescent-lit
Sichuan government restaurant. Yan Linqing, who acknowledged that her
native Guizhou cuisine is becoming easier to find in Beijing, expressed
disappointment in the poor service at the Guizhou government restaurant.

Still, a lack of atmosphere and efficiency has not affected business for
the provincial government restaurants, many of which pack the dining
room every night. In fact, the Sichuan government restaurant is so
popular that a third branch is to open next month.

As he finished his Sichuan meal and swilled the last of his beer, Wang
Xiaonan said he was not surprised by the success. "Crowds of people line
up here everyday," he said. "If it's run by the Sichuan government,
everyone knows it must be good."


BEIJING When Yan Linqing craves the strong, sour flavors of her native
Guizhou Province, she heads to the restaurant in the Guizhou Mansion, a
bustling eatery owned and operated not by a local restaurateur, but by
the Guizhou provincial government. Here, the menu features dishes like
ze'er geng, or cold fish root, an intensely flavored vegetable, beloved
in Guizhou, that is imported directly from the southern province. "I
like to take friends there because I understand the food," said Yan, the
food editor at the China Book Business Report.

In China, the diversity of the cuisine reflects the enormity of the
country. From the lamb kebabs of the west, to the pan-fried cheese of
Yunnan, to the searing spices of Sichuan, the provinces' flavors are as
unique as they are varied. But in the capital, it is possible to taste
China's panoply of regional cuisines without ever leaving the city. Each
of the country's 22 provinces and five autonomous areas have
representative offices in Beijing and almost all offer eateries that
serve the dishes of their regions.

Beijing's hunger for regional cuisines has been evident since the 1920s,
when no itinerant warlord would establish a household without bringing a
chef to recreate his hometown favorites. "They really set the scene,"
said Eileen Wen Mooney, a food critic for Time Out Beijing, a local
entertainment magazine. In recent years, China's capital has attracted
migrants from around the country who are nostalgic for a taste of home,
and who want to sample the complex flavors of far-flung provinces. As a
result, interest in regional cuisines has blossomed, making Beijing's
gastronomy the most diverse in the country - and these provincial
government restaurants the city's best-kept culinary secret.

The popularity of the Sichuan government restaurant, known among
regulars as the Chuan Ban, was certainly evident on a recent Saturday
evening, as crowds filled the dining room and a line of people spilled
out the door. Some patrons, like Susan Zhao, a human resources manager
whose office is near the restaurant, eat there two or three times a
week. "It's cheap," she said as she tucked into a plate of mala liang
mian, a cold noodle dish. "The food is good. It doesn't get much better
than this."

The restaurant imports Sichuan spices - including dried chilis, chili
sauce and huajiao, or Sichuan peppercorn - to create the characteristic
numbing burn of the southwestern province's cuisine. These special
ingredients are handled by expert hands: All of the restaurant's chefs
and servers train at a culinary school in Sichuan. "The flavor is very
authentic, very spicy," said Wang Xiaonan, a patron, as his face turned
red from the fiery meal. "This is the best Sichuan food in Beijing."

But authenticity isn't limited to Sichuan cuisine. At the Xinjiang
government restaurant, customers stuff kebabs of cumin-scented halal
lamb into the region's chewy flatbread, nang, or enjoy savory chicken
stews hearty with tomatoes and thick noodles. The far western province's
rough cuisine has been strongly influenced by the Uighur people, as well
as by its Central Asian neighbors.

With an emphasis on delicate herbs and vegetables - "so many wild and
special plants," said Wen Mooney, the food critic - the Yunnan
government restaurant flies in fresh produce three times a week from the
southern province. Crowds flock to enjoy salads of mint leaves, bigger
and more flavorful than their northern counterparts, and seasonal
mushrooms, including morels, which in Chinese are called yangduzi, or
sheep's stomach. Slices of raw-cured Yunnan ham are saltily akin to
prosciutto, while shavings of deep- fried cheese, traditionally made by
the region's Dai minority, are crisp and light with a milky essence.

Not all the government restaurants focus on food. Décor takes the
spotlight at the restaurant for Mongolia, a province not usually
celebrated for its cuisine. Here, patrons dine in individual yurts, each
adorned with a stuffed sheep's head and a portrait of Genghis Khan. The
menu offers roasted lamb rib roast and salads of wild greens, washed
down with salted milk tea. When diners order a flask of airag, a
Mongolian spirit, the staff sings a traditional drinking song.

Those seeking to recreate the meals at home can combine a lunch out with
a shopping trip. Most government restaurants also have stores that sell
hard-to- find ingredients from their regions. Fragrant bags of Sichuan
peppercorn, packages of dried five-spice tofu, and jars of Xianglajiang
- a renowned chili sauce - are all for sale at the Sichuan government
store. "Our chilis and peppercorn are fresher than anything you can find
in Beijing shops," said the restaurant's manager, Cheng Lihong, who
moved to Beijing six years ago from Sichuan to work at the restaurant.

Other government restaurants sell fresh vegetables, tea, cigarettes and
liquor from their regions.

The flavors of regions outside Beijing are becoming so popular that some
fear the city's local cuisine - a wheat-based diet of thick noodles,
dumplings and flat breads - is taking a back seat. "Everyone wants to
taste something different," Wen Mooney said. "That's fine, but you're
forgetting your own food."

And, in spite of the authentic food available, some people find that
dining at state-run restaurants has a downside. "There's absolutely no
ambiance," Wen Mooney said, referring to the cavernous, fluorescent-lit
Sichuan government restaurant. Yan Linqing, who acknowledged that her
native Guizhou cuisine is becoming easier to find in Beijing, expressed
disappointment in the poor service at the Guizhou government restaurant.

Still, a lack of atmosphere and efficiency has not affected business for
the provincial government restaurants, many of which pack the dining
room every night. In fact, the Sichuan government restaurant is so
popular that a third branch is to open next month.

As he finished his Sichuan meal and swilled the last of his beer, Wang
Xiaonan said he was not surprised by the success. "Crowds of people line
up here everyday," he said. "If it's run by the Sichuan government,
everyone knows it must be good."

ian wrote:
> Interesting article in IHT today:
>
> http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/08/.../trbeijing.php
----------------------------------
thanks for the article, Ian. i didn't go to Guizhou
Mansion but i can believe every word describing the
other place. [99% of this article is devoted to
it!] after 8 fantastic days in Chengdu i must have
the last Sichuan lunch. that restaurant didn't
disappoint. attracted a lot of attention being the
only tourists there and taking photos of my food too
and the staff were very courteous. while eating i
saw a small lory right outside the window unloading
endless boxes and on every box you could see the
'product of Chengdu' [or other towns in Sichuan
province] text! they were very surprised we found
the place as it doesn't look like a restaurant from
outside, and no English sign or anything. fabulous
food. and so is Peking. next spring when i take my
second China trip i'll have my very first Peking
meal at this restaurant again.

Saudades (FG) wrote:

> ian wrote:
>
>> Interesting article in IHT today:
>>
>> http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/08/.../trbeijing.php
>
> ----------------------------------
> thanks for the article, Ian. i didn't go to Guizhou Mansion but i can
> believe every word describing the other place. [99% of this article is
> devoted to it!] after 8 fantastic days in Chengdu i must have the last
> Sichuan lunch. that restaurant didn't disappoint. attracted a lot of
> attention being the only tourists there and taking photos of my food too
> and the staff were very courteous. while eating i saw a small lory
> right outside the window unloading endless boxes and on every box you
> could see the 'product of Chengdu' [or other towns in Sichuan province]
> text! they were very surprised we found the place as it doesn't look
> like a restaurant from outside, and no English sign or anything.
> fabulous food. and so is Peking. next spring when i take my second
> China trip i'll have my very first Peking meal at this restaurant again.

I have yet to make my first China trip, but I will definitely be going,
sooner or later. Any addresses or directions you have to these places
would be welcomed by both myself, and, I am sure, others. It all sounds
so delicious!

Ian

ian wrote:

>
> I have yet to make my first China trip, but I will definitely be going,
> sooner or later. Any addresses or directions you have to these places
> would be welcomed by both myself, and, I am sure, others. It all sounds
> so delicious!
>
> Ian
>

i don't have my notes here within hands reach but
i'll look them up for you when you're on your way.

Saudades (FG) wrote:

> ian wrote:
>
>>
>> I have yet to make my first China trip, but I will definitely be
>> going, sooner or later. Any addresses or directions you have to these
>> places would be welcomed by both myself, and, I am sure, others. It
>> all sounds so delicious!
>>
>> Ian
>>
>
> i don't have my notes here within hands reach but i'll look them up for
> you when you're on your way.

Thanks.

ian