Local Gem: Refuel Your Energy at This Tiny Home Style Eatery
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Local Gem is an exploration of Beijing’s diverse palate. Get out of your comfort zone and try something new! To share your own neighborhood pride, please contact us via editor@thebeijinger.com
While the aim of this column is to showcase hidden gems scattered across the lesser-known areas of Beijing’s gastronomic map, as my explorations run deeper I've quickly realized that even in places with foot traffic as bustling as Sanlitun, there are certain corners and establishments that continue to find themselves well outside the center of attention.
Knocking on the door is like showing up at your parents' house
So it is for this week's star restaurant, 蘇飯 sū fàn Sufan, which, as the old saying goes – A hermit can hide in the wild, but can truly be hidden in a city – is discreetly tucked in the neon jungle of Taikoo Li's 3.3 Mall. Among all the hip vintage shops and carefully curated designer stores, the restaurant's humble storefront is made even more nondescript when compared to its environs. Lunch service usually starts around 11.30am, however, since there are only three tables in the dining room, the waitlist always stacks up quickly, with people waiting upwards of an hour just to be seated.
Their short menu changes a bit depending on the availability of seasonal produce
The handwritten menu only contains six dishes, making it not only the shortest among all the local gems I have discovered so far but possibly one of the shortest in all of Beijing. What's more, the fare is a far cry from some fancier restaurants that claim to be home-cooking eateries, only to serve up abalone and sea cucumber in tiny, Instagrammable portions. Rather, Sufan manages to create a feeling of home with simple ingredients in its limited space. Compared to the shorter menu available at Omakase, where diners head into a gustatory odyssey led by the chef, Sufan's menu is more akin to the one created by a working parent who nailed the art of balancing nutrition, flavor, time, and budget.
It is cold outside, so drink your soup first
All dishes come with a cup of tomato egg soup, a bowl of whole-grain rice, a plate of stirred fried veggies, and a small cup of yogurt, a nod to every mom who insisted that you eat your veggies, even if you only order the sweet and sour pork ribs. Likewise, it wouldn't feel like home if you couldn't refill your rice and soup freely. No wonder, this stubborn yet caring eatery ranks number one on the list of Beijing's home-cooking restaurants on Dianping.
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For people who are not into fatty meat, their red braised pork is relatively lean but not dry at all
Of course, this accomplishment is not solely achieved by its intimate dining experience, but also its outstanding quality. In fact, on some level, it's even more challenging to run a restaurant that prides itself on home-cooked meals as opposed to fine dining because generally speaking, your customer base is going to know these dishes, and they're going to know them well. For me, Sufan undoubtedly stirred up memories that had long been dormant. For instance, when I was a kid my grandma used to cook 红烧肉 hóngshāo ròu red braised pork for family dinner, its shiny deep-crimson glaze and plump pork skin shining like rubies in my mind.
Not a single drop of the gravy should be wasted
After she passed away, however, and I started paying closer attention to what I was eating, I seldom opted for this guilty pleasure, and I could feel my connection to the dish gradually fading away. So it was something of a blessing when my partner ordered Sufan's variation. Admittedly, while the flavors don't lie and it tasted different from that which I remember, it nonetheless spoke to something deep inside my heart. And despite my best efforts to only indulge in a few bites, I couldn't help but ask for a few more refills of rice, eager to devour every last drop of the delicious gravy.
All the succulent crab flavor with none of the fuss
And of course, you're gonna need another bowl of rice
Likewise, 赛螃蟹 sài pángxiè better than crabs is another dish tied to my youthful, bygone days. For a while, I was obsessed with anything crab-flavored and particularly 蟹粉豆腐 xièfěn dòufu tofu with crab meat and cream. Admittedly, it wasn't until much later that I realized most of what I ate was just salted duck yolk with tofu, a clever ruse to trick your tastebuds into thinking that they're eating crab. Even if you don't suffer from a shellfish allergy, or are hoping to find an affordable alternative to crab, this dish will win your heart with the greasy, comforting taste of the duck yolk and the fluffy, light texture of the egg white.
Given that one of my favorite things to do as a child was soak my rice in broth, this 野蘑菇汤泡饭 Rice soaked in wild mushroom broth is a dream come true
Sufan is not a restaurant that will leave you in awe with extravagant ingredients nor sophisticated techniques. It's also not in the habit of continually changing its menu and trying to reinvent itself. Instead, Sufan relies on a tried and true recipe of consistency and stability, making the restaurant as dependable as mom and dad.
Daily, 11.30am-3.30pm; 5.30-10pm. B1026, 3.3 Plaza, No.33, Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang District (1365 1211150)
朝阳区 三里屯路33号3.3大厦B1层B1026
READ: Eat Like A Mongolian Warrior to Brave Beijing's Cold Winter Nights
Images: Yohomars, Dianping, Zeus Zou
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