A Slurp-Worthy Stop: Ge Yuan Ju Noodle Shop

When you picture a Beijing noodle shop, rarely do the words “clean” and “airy” enter your head. However, Ge Yuan Ju, newly opened in Shangdu Soho’s East Tower, is pleasantly well-scrubbed. Sit down and order the Zaipaimian, or pork noodles (RMB 27). In classic Chinese fashion, your food arrives mere minutes after you’ve paid. The braised pork is well-cooked and the soup is tasty enough for you to want to slurp the entire bowl down.

Outside of noodles, the restaurant also offers set meals with standards such as Chinese-style meatballs (RMB 26) and shredded meat with green peppers (RMB 22). But for a spicier dish, try the beef tenderloin stew (RMB 28), which, though on the greasier side, has a chili sauce that will really make your rice disappear. The set meals come with a side dish and your choice of soda.

There is also a small selection of dumplings and xiaolongbao. The plain meat xiaolongbao are savory, with a salty, meaty soup. Though the skin is on the chewier side, for RMB 13 for six baozi, they’re plenty appetizing for the price.

Ge Yuan Ju 个园居
Rm 1111, West Tower, 8 Dongdaqiao Lu, Shangdu Soho, Chaoyang Qu (5869 358, 5869, 3559). 朝阳区东大桥8号Soho尚都西塔1111

By subway: 900m northwest of Jintaixizhao stop, Exit A (Line 10), if cutting through Central Park

Photo: Lillian Li