Spice It Up! Authentic Sichuan Chuanchuanxiang at Dongwai Xiaoguan
As a longtime Beijinger, we must always be ready for change. That's more true than ever today, with the ongoing "Brickening" and other constant renovations. We've learned to let go of the past and embrace the new – a muscle we were able to flex when, all of a sudden, we found the Dongbei restaurant at a local residential area replaced by a new Sichuan restaurant: Dongwai Xiaoguan. The new place is the total opposite of the former – neat, clean, and elegant, with no flies, kind waiters, and plenty of space.
Named Dongwai Xiaoguan, it is a place for chuanchuan xiang (串串香). You'll know what I’m talking about if you’ve ever been to Chengdu, but for those unfamiliar, it's a famous and ubiquitous Sichuan street food. Diners choose from a range of chuanr options, and put the food on bamboo sticks into a spicy hot pot – think boiling malatang (麻辣烫) in a hot pot broth, similar to Chongqing hot pot.
This 300sqm chuanchuanxiang shop is well-decorated with touches of both the old and new – grey walls, drawings of old Chengdu streets on the walls, traditional rattan chairs around large and heavy tables, and paper lanterns.
Originating from street food, the chuanrs here are upgraded but still down-to-earth. As with any hot pot establishment, it’s all about the broth. Here, they use beef tallow mixed with colza oil, made fresh daily and shipped from Sichuan. So are the ingredients: The tripe is also shipped from Sichuan simply because “the tripe in Beijing tastes different.” To balance the spicy flavor, they add Sichuan laoying tea to the chili and peppercorn-laden broth instead of adding the regular meat broth because the tea can soothe some of the broth's bite and cleanse the palate. The other half of the yuanyang broth (RMB 58) was made with pork broth with mushroom.
Don’t be overwhelmed by the fridges of chuanrs, which include over 100 varieties. Their price range is a reflection of the source – Sichuan, with one chuanr going for just RMB 0.9, and meat skewers just RMB 1.8 for two sticks. We especially enjoyed the beef with cilantro, which was refreshingly herbal in flavor.
As for the dishes, they are mostly on the spicy side (duh) – pork lungs in chili oil (RMB 36), poached pork brain in chili oil (RMB 68), prawns in chili oil (RMB 78), fried frog with chili (RMB 88), and many more things in – you guessed it – chili oil. The poached chicken (RMB 28) stood out with its peppery, sweet, and spicy flavor, benefiting from the Sichuan special peppercorn, Bird’s Eye chili, and ginger.
We couldn’t get enough of the beef with chilies (RMB 68), the beef tenderloin marinated first, then deep-fried with chilies, turning the beef brown and tender with a dry and crispy outside, and a juicy and flavorful interior. Since there were no bones, the spicy and peppery flavors were screaming out for a drink, making it a great companion for beers.
For the brave, try the poached pork brain in the chili oil (RMB 68), which tasted like beef marrow with a super soft texture, or you can go for the poached beef marrow in the chili oil (RMB 68). We also love the deep fried rice cake (红糖糍粑, hongtang ciba, RMB 22), deep-fried cakes of glutinous rice with crispy shells. Dip these piping hot cakes in the melted brown sugar then roll them in the mung bean powder provided for sweet and satisfying relief from all the spice.
To ease the burn like a Beijinger, order the suanmeitang, or sour prune drink. All the ingredients are from the time-honored traditional Chinese medicine drugstore, Tongrentang (同仁堂). This iced drink with smoked plum, rock sugar, osmanthus, hawthorns, orange peel, and licorice could easily ease the burning pain of your tongue, or you could go for the alternative soymilk, like a real Sichuan local, or get the bottled fresh Taishan beer.
There is a half-price dish every day, such as braised pork knuckle (RMB 34) on Tuesday, spicy frogs with ginger (RMB 44) on Wednesday, and the aforementioned beef with chilies (RMB 34) on Friday. They also offer a RMB 5 dish, mapo tofu (spicy bean curd), or stir-fried egg with tomato.
This week's icy wind calls for heartwarming and spicy dishes to warm you up, and thankfully you can sit comfortably at a small table for four in the hall or a group of people in the private room at this elegant restaurant instead of a hole in the wall with the greasy smell clinging to your hair for days.
Dongwai Xiaoguan
Daily 11am-10pm. 1/F, Bldg 6, 6 Shizipo Dongli, Shizipo Jie, Dongzhimenwai, Dongcheng District (6461 7202)
东外小馆: 东城区东外十字坡街十字坡东里6号楼一楼
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Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
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Photos: courtesy of Dongwai Xiaoguan, Tracy Wang
