Local Gem: Bolognese by Any Other Name Would Taste as Sweet

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Nostalgia can be a powerful force when it comes to food and it's one that I usually avoid. There’s nothing worse than going back to a once-loved restaurant only to find that the chef has changed, your favorite dish isn’t on the menu anymore, and that friendly waitress just isn’t quite as friendly these days. So it was with trepidation that I revisited what was once my favorite noodle joint after a hiatus of at least four years. 

Formerly Mian Dui Mian (面兑面), now Mian Zong (面总), this unassuming spot is tucked away in the courtyard next to exit B of Dongsi subway. The restaurant has expanded over the years, but you’ll still need to go outside of peak lunch and dinner hours if you want to get a table straight away. There are even some nice seats outside if you can stand slurping noodles in the hot weather we’re having.

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The menu offers a fairly wide selection of options, but you’re here for the meat sauce noodles (肉酱面 ròu jiàng miàn) (RMB 15.8/ small, RMB 19.8/large). The slapdash presentation and topping of frozen peas and sweetcorn kind of make them look like something from a kid's menu, but do persevere. Think of them as a sort of Sichuan-style bolognese (some of the sources I read online point to these kind of meat sauce noodles originally coming from Wanzhou District in Chongqing), with minced pork braised in a Sichuan pepper-scented sauce. 

Being a roughly Sichuan-style dish, you can choose your spice level, but I recommend ordering the noodles lightly spiced and then adding chili oil to taste. The noodles themselves are thick and slightly chewy – all the better to grab on to all that delicious sauce. 

Don’t forget to get a side order of the sour and sweet cucumbers (酸甜瓜条 suān tián guā tiáo) (RMB 9.8), which not only cut through the richness of the meat sauce but are also pretty moreish on their own. For less than RMB 30 total, that combo makes a pretty outstanding lunch. 

Without wishing to get all emotional, the first bite of these noodles really did transport me back to my first few years in China. My only gripe is that they don’t serve their delicious boiled eggs braised in the meat sauce anymore, but I guess some change is inevitable. 

Mian Zong
Daily 10.30am-9.30pm. 7-2 Dongsi Toutiao (next to Dongsi subway exit B), Dongsi Beidajie, Dongcheng District (6400 8781)
面总肉酱面：东城区东四北大街东四头条7-2号

Images: Robynne Tindall, Dazhong Dianping

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