Zha Zha Bistro's Paca Li: I am a Guizhou Native At Heart

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Zha Zha Bistro, one of Beijing's very few restaurants specializing in Guizhou fusion cuisine, opened its second restaurant recently in Jianguomen, making it a significant addition to Beijing's ever-expanding universe of southern Chinese cuisine. Although diners can find a few restaurants like Side Street and NOLA around this area, Xi Shang Zha Zha's unique blend of décor and dishes representative of Guizhou flavors really make the place stand out.

I spoke with Zha Zha's owner Paca Li to find out more about how her background inspired her choice to open a restaurant that highlights spicy-and-sour Guizhou cuisine.

Q

Can you tell me a little about yourself?

A

I was born and raised in Beijing. My father is from Guizhou. I went to Guizhou to attend high school for three years. Opening a restaurant that specializes in Guizhou food was never part of my plan until I revisited Guizhou three years ago. I was totally surprised to see how much Guizhou has changed; there were hip coffee shops and bars everywhere!

Guizhou has changed a lot in Paca's eyes

Q

Do you prefer Beijing food or Guizhou food?

A

Honestly, I still prefer Guizhou food. Growing up, I was used to eating all kinds of food, however, my love for southern Chinese cuisine has grown particularly fonder over time. My grandma comes from Sichuan and later settled in Beijing. Her cooking also had a huge influence on my tastes.

Q

What inspires you to open a restaurant like Zha Zha Bistro?

A

Even though I grew up in Beijing, I am a Guizhou native at heart. My husband is a Spaniard. My background in the restaurant industry had been skewed towards Western cuisine as I had opened a Western restaurant called RAMO in Fangjia Hutong in 2014.

While I was in Guiyang, I came across many bistros specializing in the local cuisine, and the idea of opening a restaurant that combines Guizhou culinary traditions with Western techniques hit me when someone offered me the opportunity to check out a venue after I got back to Beijing.

Q

What makes Zha Zha Bistro stand out?

A

You know in Guizhou, we are famous for our 酸粉 Suān fěn , which is a type of rice noodle that involves a lot of fermentation. Of course, a lot of northerners can never stand the sour smell and consider the texture to be a little too coarse. But I'm perfectly fine with it because I was so used to the flavor when I was studying at high school in Guizhou. 

The sourness and the smelliness found in typical Guizhou dishes like 折耳根 Zhé Ěrgēn (fish mint) and 豆豉火锅 Dòuchǐ huǒguō (hotpot with fermented black soy beans) that most northerners find unbearable really speak to my heart. Although this restaurant mainly serves fusion food that is by no means authentic Guizhou food, we are still proud to add some unique Guizhou elements to the dishes.

The pork jelly, another headliner at Zha Zha Bistro

Q

If you could pick any dish that Zha Zha Bistro serves, what would be one dish that is most representative of Guizhou flavor?

A

I would say our  酸汤肉丸饭 Suān tāng ròu wán fàn (Sour Soup Noodles), which is unique to Guizhou. A lot of people have been telling us that it tastes a bit like Tom Yum, but there are a few key differences. Tom Yum Gong usually contains coconut milk; however, Guiyang’s version of the Sour Soup noodles has fermented tomatoes, aka 毛辣果 Máo là guǒ, which is a kind of tomato native to Guizhou that is quite small and is marked by its high acidity.

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Q

This is Zha Zha's second restaurant. What's the biggest difference between the two restaurants? 

A

The one at Qianmen offers more traditional Guizhou dishes. I realize the vibe at Jianguomen is slightly different from that of Qianmen. Lots of people living here turn out to be fitness junkies. So, we pretty much got rid of everything that was fried. At our Jianguomen location, you won't find fried food like 香酥鸭 Xiāng sū yā (crispy duck) or 豆腐丸子 Dòufu wánzi  (fried tofu balls)  on the menu.

Zha Zha Jianguomen's interior design is fresh and vibrant

Q

What are some of the guests' favorite dishes?

A

Thus far, the two top dishes we've been serving have been our Stuffed Chili, and southern style mashed potatoes.

Zha Zha Bistro's stuffed chilies has always been a top pick!

Q

How did you come up with these fusion dishes?

A

Take the southern mashed potatoes as an example. In Guizhou, we like to eat a lot of 洋芋粑 Yángyù bā , which is like Guizhou's version of hash browns. We usually fry them over and over again. You can find many vendors selling this kind of street food all over Guizhou.

Yangyuba, a popular Guizhou street snack

When I was designing the dish, I added the exact same ingredients that you'd find in yangyuba -- including cured pork and special sauces. However, the only difference is the dish is executed in the shape of mashed potatoes, instead of a pancake.

The southern mashed potato has a unique twist of Guizhou flavors

Q

Now let's move on to Zha Zha's amazing selection of craft beer and cocktails. Can you tell us more about these?

A

People from Guizhou can't live without rice wine. Here at Zha Zha, our signature cocktail is the one called Someone Likes It Hot, which features pickled radish, soda, lemon juice, and a hint of pepper to taste since Guizhou cuisine is usually spicy.

Someone Likes it hot hits all the right spot!

A lot of our customers in this area are connoisseurs in beer, and that's why we also offer a wide selection of craft beer here. We are the only restaurant that features Chinese cuisine on this street among a bunch of Western restaurants. I really like the vibe of this area. I cannot wait for warmer days to come so that people can sit out and chill in the sun on our patio while sipping some wine.

Zha Zha Bistro 席上喳喳

2-105, Bldg 28, 17 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District
朝阳区建国门外大街17号28号楼底墒2-105

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Images: Courtesy of Paca, Irene Li

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