Street Eats: Hong Kong-Style Tong Sui at The Sesame
Cantonese cuisine is especially comforting in the winter – imagine, what could be more satisfying than trays of steaming dim sum followed by bowls of sweet tong sui? For the uninitiated, tong sui literally means sweet soup, and comes in many varieties, including black sesame, double skin milk, red bean, and sweet potato.
The Sesame, located in the basement of Pacific Century Place, specializes in such Hong Kong culinary mainstays which are presented within the confines of a low-key café-style joint. Don't let the simple getup fool you, however, as the photo wall quickly reveals owner Lin Haohui's foodie credentials and favor among a plethora of Hong Kongese celebrities. After 19 years of operating in Hong Kong, and winning the gold award in 2005's Grand Cuisine Awards, Lin decided to open his first branch in Beijing.
Their signature double-boiled fresh milk with sesame (RMB 28) comes with a layer of black sesame soup submerged a top coating of milk, a concoction that is even provided with instructions on how to eat it – first dig into the milk curd, then eat the sweet sesame soup, and finally mix the two together. The ginger milk curd (RMB 28) was a fiery mixture of abundant ginger and soothing milk, which warmed us up from the belly outwards. Those who aren't a fan of dairy-related sweet soups will want to try the spicy ginger tea with sticky rice balls and sweet potato (RMB 25), featuring sweet potato slices and glutinous rice balls with black sesame fillings in a ginger-flavored sweet soup; a surefire winter warmer, but a bit too spicy for our tastes.
The durian banji (班戟,RMB 18 for two), a Cantonese take on pancakes, featuring whipping cream and blended fruit wrapped in a thin crepe, were creamy and suitably punchy courtesy of the durian flavor (there's also the option of mango if the infamously pungent durian is too much for you). They also offer a dozen shaved ice desserts, but we would rather save those for summer.
The service was kind and homely, with the owner's wife checking up on us from time to time, which helped elevate our trip to The Sesame to about as close as you can get to experiencing the humble but hearty taste of Hong Kong in Beijing.
The Sesame
Daily 10am-10pm. B1-103, Bldg B, Pacific Century Place, 2 Sanlitun Beilu, Chaoyang District (6500 1950)
芝麻绿豆甜品屋：朝阳区三里屯北路2号盈科中心B座b1-103层
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Photos: Tracy Wang
