Serving up some Guangxi classics

The luweifen is a bowl of rice noodles with pork strips, tart pickled beans, crisp soybeans and dried red chili flakes. [Photo/China Daily]

Beijing

Dan Gui is a tiny restaurant hidden in a narrow street south of the SDX Joint Publishing Company in Beijing's Dongcheng district.

There are only five tables seating a maximum of 12 people, but the little shop has enjoyed good reputation, especially on the Internet, among those who understand what good Guilin-style cuisine is all about.

Those who are more critical point to the extremely simple seating arrangements, poor hygiene and what they consider ordinary food. But many appreciate it for offering authentic Guilin fare.

Especially famous among the offerings is luweifen, a bowl of rice noodles with pork strips, pickled beans, crisp soybean and red chili. It is a famous local snack in Guilin, Guangxi. What we sampled was good, but did not seem to deserve its fame, especially because there was no soup in it. In Guilin, it is supposed to be served with hot soup and an unlimited amount of side dishes.

Some dishes exceeded our expectations for such a small outlet.

Sour preserved bamboo shoots fried with beef slices was so tart that some people may not like it, but it's guaranteed to make your mouth water and whet the appetite.

Sanhuang or free-range chicken is dry-fried for lots of flavor, and the dried bamboo shoots in it are a winner.

The water spinach stir-fried with preserved bean curd is a nice choice.

Other dishes such as potato slices fried with chili, fried mustard leaf and pork stir-fried with taro were all a bit wanting. Even so, our friend who treated us to the meal, herself from Guilin, was very satisfied with the food quality, because she found the dishes authentic.

The average bill came to about 30-50 yuan ($5-$8) a person and there is freeflowing complimentary tea, and a cold mung-bean sweet soup for dessert.

The chefs and waitresses are from Guilin - all nice people, although they don't know too much about service. But food was served fast. The menu is in Chinese only.