Springtime Means Spring Rolls: Where to Eat Chunbing in Beijing
advertisement
With
daytime temperatures in the mid-teens and blue sky days seemingly more
frequent, it's safe to say that spring is on its way in Beijing. There
is no better time, then, to eat one of northern China's most traditional
spring dishes: 春饼 chūnbǐng, or "spring pancakes." This simple,
rustic dish refers to plain wheat flour wrappers (sometimes colored
with spinach or carrot) that are served alongside a variety of small
stir-fried dishes, which diners then wrap in the pancakes and eat (a bit
like Peking duck).
Chunbing are typically associated with two traditional festivals: 立春 lìchūn, the first solar term of the Chinese agricultural calendar, which marks the beginning of Spring, and 龙抬头 lóngtáitóu,
the second day of the second month of the Chinese calendar. However,
we'll take any excuse to devour these delicious morsels so we've put
together a list of our favorite places to eat them.
Dianping just named the Shilipu branch of this local chain as one of Beijing's "2017 Must-Eat Restaurants" so you know it must be good. The pork hock, which is braised and then chilled and sliced, is particularly good here. There are also branches in Sanyuanqiao, Wangjing, and Huixin Dongjie.
Er Yue Er Chunbing
Named after the date on the agricultural calendar when it is traditional to eat chunbing, the simple decor at Er Yue Er belies the quality of its cooking. The pancakes are thin yet elastic and the accompanying dishes – pork strips stir-fried with sweet bean paste, stir-fried eggs, and beansprouts – are fresh and simple. Apart from chunbing, the restaurant also serves classic Beijing dishes like 炸灌肠 zhà guàncháng (deep-fried sweet potato starch). For venue details, go here: thebeijinger.com/directory/er-yue-er-chunbing
A favorite of the denizens of Beixinqiao and Yonghegong (and also of tipsy Café de la Poste patrons, which it sits opposite), Chunbing Jingweicai serves a solid rendition of chunbing and its associated dishes at very cheap prices – you could easily eat dinner for less than RMB 30 per head here. We particularly like Chunbing Jingweicai's version of "vegetables wearing a hat" (合菜戴帽 hé cài dài mào), a stir-fry of bean sprouts, tofu, chives, and vermicelli, topped off with a thin omelet.
Douyacai Chunbing
This
small restaurant near the eastern end of Guanghua Lu is best known for
its seaweed flavored pancakes, which apparently took many rounds of
trial and error to balance and perfect. The pancakes have just the
faintest flavor of the ocean. The menu offers the usual selection of
side dishes and, helpfully, they offer a set menu for one (RMB 32),
which includes a couple of pancakes and three smaller servings of their
most popular side dishes, taking the stress out of ordering if you're
eating alone. For venue details, go here: dianping.com/shop/66647859
READ: Beijing's Best Bar and Restaurant Openings, Jan-Feb
Photos: xiachufang.com, Patrick Li, Dianping
Want to know what awesome events are happening in town? Scan/Extract the QR code above to get the list of our Editors' Picks.
Got something to sell? Looking for a job? Or an apartment? Then scan/extract the QR code above to visit our Classified Ads.
Do you have what it takes to be a True Runner?
Scan/Extract the QR code above to check out our current job openings.
The Beijinger
Always something fresh
Scan/Extract this QR code to follow us!