We love the stalls and small-time family shops that make up the backbone of Beijing’s home-style cuisine, but sometime the greasy tabletops, toilet-paper napkins and haze of cigarette smoke can prove too much. Mama de Weidao offers an alternative source for casual northern Chinese staples in a clean and comfortable atmosphere.

The specialties are clearly marked and, taking their suggestion, we start with sweet and sour short ribs (tangcu xiaopai 糖醋小排) and the snake-sliced cucumber with peanuts (suoyi huanggua 蓑衣黄瓜). The short ribs are perfectly tender and fall clean off the bone with a smack of tangy red glaze, while the cucumber is an artful spiral of thinly sliced crisp green, intersected with bright red chillies.

Other familiar dishes are served with equal attention to favor and presentation. The hongshaorou (红烧肉) arrives glistening, with delicate lines of fat layering the deep crimson cubes of pork. The aubergine stuffed with pork (qiezi jia茄子夹) is juicy and well- seasoned with garlic and scallion, but the oily sauce is too heavy.

The quality of the dishes, the friendly laid-back service and clean, modern feel of the place make Mama de Weidao stand out, not only among family-style Chinese joints, but Gongti as a whole.Address: 6-110 Zhongguo Hong Jie Building, 2 Gongti Dong Lu, Chaoyang District 工体东路2号中国红街6号楼110室Source: timeoutbeijing.com