Boulder-sized Orbs of Juicy Pork - Guo Jia Cai restaurant

Guo Degang, one of China’s most famous cross-talk comedians, has done what any self-respecting celebrity does in Beijing: open a restaurant. Housed in Guo’s own theatre (De Yun She), the attractive teahouse-like space offers a wide spectrum of popular Chinese cooking, with several dishes linked to Tianjin, his native city.

Worth trying are the Tianjin potstickers (RMB 20), filled with shrimp, egg, leek and fennel, and Guo’s “Smashed Meatball,” (RMB 58), a solitary, boulder-sized orb of juicy pork, herbs and spices. The house special, “Imperial Decree” (圣旨到), is an mpressive show of creativity and skill: clams and black beans presented as calligraphy on tofu skin “paper,” with cucumber carved into the shape of a jade paper-roller.

Daily 11.30am-2pm, 5-9.30pm. Inside De Yun She Theatre, 4 Gongti Donglu (opposite Yashow Market), Chaoyang District. (6592 8816/7) 朝阳区工人体育场东路4号德云社内（雅秀对面）

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