This one falls again into the hole-in-the-wall category, and without the help of my Chinese friends I never would have found this place. Wong Wei arranged the whole culinary adventure – researching the place on the Chinese version of Chowhound and making the reservations nearly a week in advance. All I knew before going was that we were going to have some famous Beijing fried chicken (and it was not KFC, which is everywhere here!).
The restaurant tucked away on a narrow hutong and was tiny and unassuming – big fire barbeque pits lined the entry courtyard and the three dining rooms were furnished with simple wooden tables and low-slung stools.
There were 2 main food items on the menu: chicken wings on a stick and bread, also on a stick. The chicken came in three flavors: not spicy, medium spicy (one side covered in red pepper flakes) or super spicy (both sides covered). Each tier of chicken started with the same base marinade, which featured Sichuan peppers. I tried all three, though I have to confess I was only able to eat one of the super spicy ones – my lips were on fire!
The bread was delicious as well – still steaming from the fire, crusty and crisp and a touch oily on the outside and super soft and warm on the inside. I also noticed that the women making the bread would flavor the bread by whacking it with some of the chicken skewers. Yum.
Photos of the chicken platters – served in seemingly unending heaps – and the aftermath. Note that Peter’s pile of chicken bones is not quite as expertly cleaned as He Wei Dong’s, one of the Chinese interns.
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