Xiang Huatian Restaurant 湘华天

Beijing’s Hunan invasion continues. The powerful Huatian hospitality group has taken over the enormous space formerly occupied by Cantonese stalwart The Deluxe Restaurant on Gongti Beilu. Classic specialties like double chilli fish head (双椒鱼头) jacketed with a layer of two kinds of diced peppers, and dry-wok fried donkey (干锅驴肉) are faithful to Hunan cuisine’s singeing sensibility. The lightly fried tofu (煎豆腐 RMB 26) will be a welcome standby for diners without Teflon stomachs, while the smoked bamboo with cured pork (熏笋炒腊肉) demonstrates that the chefs are as equally adept with smoke as with fire.