Jiu xiang bu pa xiang zi shen

"If the wine is fragrant then it doesn't matter how deep you must go into the alley to find the restaurant"

YUEBIN RESTAURANT:
A few weeks ago Chen Tao and I took the trusty subway system to Cuihua Hutong in Dongcheng district pangbian Tian'an Men square. Amongst the winding streets of this unassuming hutong one can find the frangrent scents leaking out of Yuebin restaurant. Though its apparence isn't particularly breathtaking this restaurant bares quite the historic significance in Beijing and all over China.

Yuebin Restaurant (悦宾) was conceived by Guo Peiji and his wife Liu Guixian and was the first privately run restaurant to open in China after the end of the cultural revolution in 1978. The owners initially had to jump through hoops to get the liscensing rights to run a privately owned restaurant. From the start of the restaurant on September 30, 1980 they have yet to significantly change the menu at all. The dishes are delicious and remain quite resasonably priced until this day. The restaurant dining hall itself has also had minimal renovations since the opening. It started off the first day with a line down the street and to this day sustains a bustling crowd at all times.

According to Liu Guixian, the reasoning beyond opening the restaurant was not to stir up controvesy, just to make enough money to support their family of 7. At the beginning many publicly attacked the restaurant saying there was no place for a privately owned restauant in a socialist state. With time, government officials and foreign diplomats began visiting the restauarant, supporting the validity of its exsistence and spreading the word about its delectable foods. The support of these officials gave the owners the boost necessary to continue the proper functioning of their business. It has been said that after the opening of Yuebin in 1980, 10,000 more restaurants were opened in China in the early 1980's.
Liu Guixian continues to visit the restaunt every few days, but has turned over the secrets and the prestige to a staff of 14. The current chef was trained by Liu Guixian to continue making the food up to par. While we were there we had a conversation with Liu Guixian's daughter. in the past couple of years her daughter had retired from the job she has held since the 1980's in a hotel restauant. Now, in her retirement she spends her time at the restaurant sorting bills and continusouly calculating with an abacas and observing the dining area.


Upon arrival we basically had no time to observe the menu before the waitress had decided the dishes we were going to be eating. It has been a real cultural experience ordering food at restaurants in China. Typically in the United States when you are seated and given a menu the wait staff will give you a bit of time to choose your meal. In China they use a completely opposite system. The wait staff hoovers over you from the second you sit down until you can come up with a set of dishes to make up a meal. Sometimes, they even add in their ideas on the meal. Rarely will they tell us the specialties of the restaurant or their favorite dish, they usually just tell us that we have ordered too much or too little. It is also different from home because they rarely ask if you want something to drink here, or if they do ask I have never understood their questions.

So Chen Tao took the advice of the waitress and ordered us the following famous dishes from this historic restaurant...

• Suanni Zhouzi - elbow pork in garlic and vinegar

-I'm not really a fan of fatty meat and being able to actually see the bone of the pigs elbow... But the meet itself was really flavorful and tender. A lot of vinegar, but all in all a really tasty dish that Chen Tao put in a lot of effort to devour. I think pork is his favorite food. I think that a lot of Chinese pick the broad category of pork as their favorite food.

• Qingchao Xiaren - stir fried shrimp and cucumber
• Guota Doufu He - wok tofu boxes

- These little deep fried tofu boxes were ofcourse filled with meet. probably pork. Actually, pretty tasty, and I never really ate tofu before china. Correction, other than the Grove House tofu, I never enjoyed tofu before I cam to China.

• Wu Si Ton - egg rolls served with pancakes, leeks and hoisin sauce

-heavanly taste. I loves my egg rolls. Especially with hoisin sauce and cong. It reminds me of the food my daddy makes at home. This method of eating (with pancake, hoisin, cong and cucumber) I later found is how the Beijingers eat their famous Peking Duck dish.

• Ruanzha Huiguo Niurou - twice fried beef

HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS RESTAURANT if you are in the greater Beijing area. You will not be disappointed. It is quite the cultural adventure as well. Just follow your nose. or your stomach.