Furongji Serves Modern Dim Sum on Baochao Hutong
The team behind popular hutong hotel The Orchid have another hit on their hands in the form of Furongji, their newly-opened modern dim sum restaurant on Baochao Hutong. Serving a mix of classic and creative dishes, Furongji looks to shake up Beijing’s hutong dining and dim sum scenes in equal measure. However, while the menu and the interior are far from traditional, this is not fusion. As the team says, Furongji isn’t just about slapping different colored skins on the dumplings or adding truffles; it’s about cooking with freedom and fun.
Furongji's vintage-style logo (photo courtesy of Kristen Lum/Lumdimsum)
This concept comes courtesy of Beijing-based consulting chef Sue Zhou, who has worked with many of Beijing’s top restaurants. The menu features more than 30 dishes divided into sections such as steamed/boiled, soups/congee, and fried/roasted. The best dishes are the ones that put a creative spin on dim sum staples and the stand out of all of these is the chicken curry sesame balls (RMB 48). These slightly sweet deep-fried sticky rice balls are usually filled with sweet bean paste but Furongji fills them with chicken curry and, as an added bonus, melted cheese. As such, we can see these becoming one of those “destination dishes” in Beijing.
Sesame balls with surprise chicken curry filling
Equally good is the pan-fried radish cake with homemade XO sauce and poached egg (RMB 28 – a secret menu dish that requires you to tick a mysterious third box), which feels like it was designed exclusively with hangovers in mind, and we look forward to enjoying it as such. Of the more overtly “traditional” dishes, we liked the shaomai (RMB 36), which are really packed with shrimp and pork, and the house wontons (RMB 48), which come with a great soy-based dressing and plenty of toasted garlic.
Pan-fried radish cake with perfectly poached egg
Not everything on our visit was perfect – one or two of the dishes could have used a touch more seasoning and my yuenyeung (coffee and tea mixed together, a classic Hong Kong drink) was a little milky, although not unpleasantly so – but the kitchen was just days out of soft-opening so these minor niggles are understandable and didn’t dampen our overall dining experience.
Yuenyeung with cute latte-style art
As you would expect from The Orchid team, the design of the restaurant is at once slick and cozy, featuring plenty of white walls, blonde wood, and exposed rafters, while finishing touches such as vintage-looking Hong Kong-style milk tea cups add a sense of fun. One thing we did appreciate is that the outside of the building is basically untouched, making it feel right at home in the hutongs and adding to the pleasant surprise of the warm interior design within. Another pleasant surprise is the inclusion of good quality espresso-based drinks (espresso RMB 20, latte/cappuccino RMB 30) alongside expected dim sum tipples such as Pu’er tea and milk tea, something we’ve often wished to see on the menu at a dim sum place.
The interior at Furongji (photo courtesy of Kristen Lum/Lumdimsum)
With hutong dining seemingly in a bit of a downward spiral in recent years, it’s encouraging to see a fresh new concept take shape in the area. One final note: Furongji is best enjoyed in a group so that you can sample as many dishes as possible. Alternatively, go alone and enjoy multiple plates of wontons all to yourself – you’ll probably find us on the table next to you doing exactly that.
Tue-Sun 11am-10pm
63 Baochao Hutong, Dongcheng District
东城区宝钞胡同63号
(010) 5394 5228
Photos: Robynne Tindall, Kristen Lum (via Lumdimsum)
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