As the capital of China, Beijing is never short of tasty dishes. Most of the city’s restaurants offer a blend of styles from around the country that have been adapted for local tastes.

But Authentic Beijing Restaurant offers something different: real Beijing dishes.

Authentic Beijing Restaurant has three branch locations in Beijing. On Dianping.com, the restaurant has been praised for its delicious food and affordable prices – the most expensive dish is Beijing roast duck, which was recommended as equal to or better than Quanjude’s famous duck.

The restaurant also serves popular Beijing snacks such as fried guanchang and madoufu (spicy tofu).

Fried guanchang is a Beijing snack with its origins in the Qing Dynasty. It’s a sausage made mainly of spices and starch. Traditionally, sliced guanchang is fried in an oil made from pig intestine. Today this is mostly replaced by common vegetable oil. When fried, guanchang turns golden and crispy. The usual sauce is a simple combination of salt and garlic.

Madoufu is a easy to fall in love with for its spicy taste. Although its translated name is usually “spicy tofu,” the dish is very different from anything that comes out of a southwestern kitchen. When seen from a distance, it looks like black paste with dried red chilies. The dish can appear intimidating for people who aren’t already fans of spicy food.

Fried guanchang and madoufu are the restaurant’s most popular snacks. The restaurant also serves traditional snacks such as wandouhuang (sweet pea cakes), yundougao (sweet navy bean cake) and almond juice.

The restaurant’s branches can be found in Xicheng and Chaoyang. The location by Dongdaqiao is reputed to be the best of the three.

Source: beijingtoday.com.cn