From 0-100 in 5 seconds.
At least, that’s how quickly we went from freezing to boiling point at Ru Xian Tai Xian, the best Sichuan restaurant we’ve tried in a while. Ok, we’re scaring you. It’s not that hot. But it is crazy good.
Located at the far north end of Beiluoguxiang, this hip new restaurant serves all of our Sichuan favourites – but goes one step further than most neighbourhood joints.
From the la zi ji ding (diced fried chicken in a bed of chillies) to the douhua (fluffy white tofu) and speciality fried rice – everything is beautifully presented and delicious. Instead of spilling over the edges of a cracked white plate, for example, a portion of juicy stir-fried wandoujian’r comes out on an elegant blue long dish; the rice in bowls with colorful porcelain spoons. Top marks there then.
If we were using a form to check off cool signifiers (and we don’t, honest), this restaurant’s interior would also do pretty well. Oversized paper lanterns, simple wooden tables and benches, artworks, a giant circular mirror, a young and enthusiastic bilingual owner…
But perhaps one of our favourite things about it is the drinks fridge – crammed with retro beverages and even good wine. Try the Huasheng Lu – a light and milky peanut drink perfect for cooling your tastebuds when you’ve overdone it on the chillies.
Ru Xi Tai Xian (a slang phrase meaning someone is ‘too deep in the drama’) isn’t quite as dramatic an opening as the one we featured last month, but it is one we’ll likely be dining at more often. For a tasty meal in the hutongs around Gulou, it’s hard to beat.
Ru Xian Tai Xian: No.15 Beiluoguxiang, Dongcheng district (Tel: 188 1018 3731). Want Bespoke to curate the restaurants you visit during your trip to Beijing? That’s what our Trip Customization Service is for!