Zhang Mama: A Hutong Classic... in Sanlitun?
By Dominique Wong
Nothing says success – or, perhaps, excess – like Sanlitun. And so, taking its cue from other hutong establishments before it – ahem, Mr. Shi’s Dumplings – everybody’s favorite Sichuan restaurant, Zhang Mama, has opened a new branch on the north stretch of Sanlitun Lu.
And it’s unbelievable.
First, let us explain: The original Zhang Mama, on Fensiting Hutong, and its second location, on Jiaodaokou Dongjie, are known for home-style Sichuan food and the lines of people that are willing to wait for it. It’s humble in both name and decor (Zhang Mama is a real, well, mama) – and that’s why we love it.
But when we visit the new Sanlitun branch, our excitement quickly turns to confusion. It looks… different. It’s big and empty, for one. Granted, it’s mid-afternoon. But there’s also a menu with English translations, plush private rooms and wine bottles. Decked out with Picasso-inspired murals and floor-to-ceiling mirrors, even the bathrooms are extra.
Maybe this is insulting, but we ask the waitperson if this is in fact the Zhang Mama (we’ve had our fair share of copycat experiences, see the fake Jing-A in Tongzhou, or the fake Nando’s, also on Sanlitun Lu). The waitperson assures us it is the same.
One bite of brilliant, numbing boboji confirms this. Our plate of fried pork and chili peppers is also deliciously familiar. The food itself looks and tastes the same, and the prices seem pretty similar too.
Yet we still can’t shake the feeling that everything has changed. Change can be a good thing – ordering off the menu is a lot easier now, for example – but it also threatens the standing order of things. Don’t get us wrong, the new location is very attractive in a generic sense, but maybe we like eating in a too-crowded space sans trendy lighting fixtures.
This is Sanlitun, yes, but it all seems rather incongruous given Zhang Mama’s whole ethos and cuisine. The real Zhang Mama would never do this, we think. But maybe we never really knew Zhang Mama after all.
Daily, 11.30am-10.30pm, 7 Sanlitun Lu Jia, Chaoyang (opposite the Belgium Embassy) 朝阳区三里屯路甲7号比利时大使馆对面 (5624 1717)
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