You know you are in the boonies when you see the sign for Jinggang’ao Expressway, the highway that takes you from Beijing to Hong Kong and Macau. Yes, Fengtai district in southwest Beijing is a world of its own, with giant complexes of car showrooms and home-furnishing outlets. It is also home to one of the city’s main food marketplaces, the Yuegezhuang Agricultural Wholesale Market, where a gander at all manner of fare is certain to whet the appetite.

More food court than cafeteria, this xiaochi pit stop is cheap and cheerful, with prices for a meal ranging from 5RMB to 22RMB. The popular stall 23 serves freshly made Shanxi noodles, from beef noodle soup to knife-cut noodles. Liangpi, the Shaanxi cold noodle salad with shredded cucumbers, serves as a perfect Beijing summer snack, while the all-season favorite jiaozi is a bargain at 9RMB for a plate of 18 juicy pork and fennel dumplings.

A measly 13RMB gets you a school lunch tray of choose-your-own meat and vegetable dishes served with a generous helping of steamed rice and a bowl of clear soup. Stall 16 serves the infamous Hebei spiced donkey sandwich on a warmly toasted crisp flat bread. Even the most expensive item in the food court, stirfried gizzards with chilies, is good value.

Clean and well lit, this one-monthold food court is well planned and even has a children’s playroom to boast of. So, if you head out to Yuegezhuang, bring your trolley, load up on fresh produce, then pop by Snack City for a good hearty xiaochi lunch.

Address: Yuegezhuang Agricultural Wholesale Market, 136 Middle Fourth Ring Road, Fengtai District 丰台区西四环中路136号岳各庄农副产品批发市场

Source: timeoutbeijing.com