Mall Dumplings: Mr. Shi's Gets the Food Court Treatment at Parkview Green
Seeing a Mr. Shi’s dumpling kiosk in a mall is enough to make many Beijingers do a double take. That’s of course because the long-beloved dumpling brand first made a name for itself as a mom-and-pop restaurant in Baochao Hutong, albeit one with savvy Western-catering market research such as cheese-stuffed dumplings and other East-meets-West fillings to the now iconic name and logo (based off the man himself pictured above) that is easily recognizable to foreign and Chinese patrons alike.
They've since opened a second branch, but that was no less street level approachable, its Sanlitun Xijie location always having been more bohemian than its glitzy Taikooli neighbors, so it’s still a surprise to see a renowned artisan Beijing brand make the leap to mall food court franchising. Yet Mr. Shi’s appearance in the basement of Parkview Green Mall does make more sense in the light of projects like Woodstage, where other indie Beijing foodie brands like Ramo, Palms L.A., and The Orchid all get the shopping mall treatment.
Having Mr. Shi’s at Parkview Green also makes sense when you consider the other midrange food court options it’s situated beside catering to nearby office workers in need of an alternative to The Butchers Club and other such stratospherically priced options at this upscale-and-then-some mall.
And how do their doughy goodies translate in such a commercial setting? We’re happy to report that they aren’t McDonald-ized to franchise blandness, instead sporting the same crunchy and cushy textures (according to whether they’re fried or boiled, respectively), and they also retain freshness and flavor, which is highlighted by the staff rolling, stuffing, and folding dough behind the window of their miniature open kitchen.
The fried "beef burrito" (RMB 25 for four) and boiled egg and cabbage dumplings (RMB 32 for a plateful) as well as the few quintessentially Northern-style sides like cucumber and garlic salad (RMB 10) and tofu and stir-fried celery (RMB 10 for a small plateful) that we tried all tasted just like we remember at the old hutong Mr. Shi’s.
Does the frenzied mall dining hall setting make us pine for the laidback, boozy chatter around the hutong Mr. Shi’s that we fell in love with way back when? No doubt. But if you’re in need of a quick bite after being dragged on a shopping trip around this flashy mall, you could certainly do worse than finding some down-home culinary relief at a refreshingly lao Beijing food stand. And we can’t deny a bit of pleasure at knowing Mr. Shi’s streetside restaurant success has ballooned enough to help the grinning red jacket-wearing laoban in their logo rake in some big bucks and take a shot at livening up mall dining with a franchise deal.
Mr. Shi's Parkview Green Kiosk
Daily 10am-10pm. B1, Parkview Green, 9 Dongdaqiao Lu, Chaoyang District (5626 9779)
朝阳区侨福芳草地东大桥路9号地下1层
Photos: Kyle Mullin
