Already wildly popular in Shanghai, this mold-breaking Yunnan restaurant has marauded its way north and found its way onto Baochao Hutong (yes, the same street as The Orchid) – and it’s good. Very good.
Sleek, stylish, and simple, you won’t find any clichéd ethnic garb lining the walls at SB. Instead you get modern photographic works by Huang Qingjun, industrial chic light fixtures and Areca palms dotted between tables…this is a Yunnan restaurant after all.
But the best bit has to be the extensive menu, which has all of the classics (Yunnan mushrooms, spicy mint salads, crunchy potato pancakes) plus a few with a twist. Hell, you can even spend the evening munching on grasshoppers and honeybees should you be so inclined.
And unlike most Yunnan restaurants, owner Feng Jianwen has crafted an impressive drinks menu consisting of dozens of imported beers (German Dead Guy Ale anyone?) and a handful of sexy cocktails (we like the herby, sweet and delicious Basil Drop).
Though one or two dishes are bland and worth avoiding (the Pork Balls Rolled In Egg Ribbons and Broad Beans with Garlic Shoots are two we’ve been less impressed with) everything else we’ve tried has been moreishly tasty.
So go, and heed this one final tip: if it’s atmosphere you’re after, be sure to arrive after 8.30/9pm – for some reason this Barbarian doesn’t stir to life until much later in the evening.
Southern Barbarian Beijing 107 Baochao Hutong (off Gulou Dong Dajie), Dongcheng district.