Fungi feasting
By Ye Jun (Beijing Weekend)
Updated: 2005-01-06 10:57

Black chicken and mushroom always make a delicious mix.

Every now and then, we read something about the benefits of eating mushrooms. Some say it lowers cholesterol and blood pressure. Others even claim mushrooms help prevent cancer.

Whether that is true is a question for researchers. What we are more interested in is devouring the delicious funghi.

Mushroom-focused restaurants are sprouting all over the capital city.

Ye Shan Jun Mo Gu Yan (wild fungus and mushroom banquet) is such a restaurant specialized in serving mushroom hot pot.

Located at the southwest corner of the crossroads of Qianmen Dongdajie and Taijichang Dajie, the restaurant is always serving up a variety of mushrooms.  The restaurant’s decorating is a bit old fashioned and the arrangement of tables feels a tad disorderly.

On the walls and hanging from the ceiling are colourful plates introducing all the mushrooms available at the restaurant, each with a picture, English name and an explanation of its benefits and flavour in Chinese.

For example, Bai Xue Long (white snow dragon), a white fungus, is said to be beautifying and can moisturize the skin. Huang Gan Jun (yellow liver fungus), can moisturize the lungs and put qi, vital energy, in order, according to the description.

There are 61 different mushrooms on the menu in Chinese. But one can also choose at a desk upon entering the eatery, where there is a display of samples of different mushrooms.

The most expensive mushroom here, priced at 68 yuan (US$8.2) a plate, is Yang Du Jun (sheep stomach fungus), whose shape resembles that of a sheep stomach, a popular food in North China. Another recommended choice is Song Rong (pine tree antler), said to grow on pine trees, which costs 28 yuan (US$3.4) a plate. Each plate has more than 100 grams of the mushroom, according to a waitress.

The fresh mushrooms are the best choice, as some of the water-soaked varieties proved a bit bland.

Like in other hot pot venues, one needs to choose the broth for the hot pot. The three most common choices of soup here are black chicken, a black skinned chicken believed to be very nutritious, tortoise and fei long, a game bird.

Priced at 48 yuan (US$5.8), the black chicken soup comes with a whole black chicken in the broth.

 Black chicken and mushrooms are always a delicious mix.

Ingredients like beef, mutton and vegetables available at other hot pot restaurant can be found here too.

Two people can finish four plates of mushroom. One may also want to order one plate of mutton and one helping of green vegetables to go with the mushroom hot pot for a bill of about 160 yuan (US$19.4).

The atmosphere is a bit lacking, but by selecting a sampling of fresh mushrooms, one can enjoy a steamy healthy meal.

Business hours: 11 am-2:30 pm, 4:30 pm-10:30 pm

Location: A 2 Qianmen Dongdajie, Chongwen District

Tel: 6512-2708