By Ye Jun (Beijing Weekend)
Updated: 2008-01-21 09:36

The best thing about Liuzhai Shifu is its cozy hutong location. The restaurant offers homely dishes, traditional Beijing style foods, such as Peking roast duck, noodles with fried brown bean sauce, cabbage roll with mustard. There are three rooms in the courtyard eatery, but a roof over the yard allows people to eat in the courtyard yard too. Wooden Chinese tables, benches, and lovely imitation vine with pink flowers in the yard make a traditional setting.

For a starters, one can order pork jelly with diced bean curd, carrot and bean in it. Deep-fried pork meat ball is crisp outside and tender inside, served with pepper and salt, and a jelly sauce that is both sweet and salty. Deep-fried eggplant rolls are wrapped with starch and stuffed with pork, served on sliced onion. Looks good and tastes fine. Peking roast duck tastes similar to other restaurants and costs the same at 68 yuan per duck.

The pine-tree smoked pork stripes with vegetable soup served in heated bronzed pot, is worth a try. The pork is finally smoked, although too fatty. The white soup tastes good.

For something different to drink, one can order black soy bean juice, which is served warm.

Location: 8 Jiangjia Dayuan Hutong, Meishuguan Dongjie, Dongcheng District
Tel: 010-6400-5912