Kong Yiji Jiudian
Desheng Men Nei Dajie (next to the octagonal Teahouse of Family Fu on the northwest bank of Hou Hai)
Cuisines: Chinese, Asian
About
This popular restaurant was named for the alcoholic scholar-bum protagonist of a short story by Lu Xun, the father of modern Chinese literature. It offers an enjoyable dining experience, although it is somewhat weighed down by its own popularity. Service is not what it once was. A small bamboo forest leads to a traditional space outfitted with calligraphy scrolls, traditional bookshelves, and other trappings of Chinese scholarship. The menu, written vertically in the old style, features several hair-raising dishes, including the infamous zuixia (drunken shrimp), served still squirming in a small glass bowl filled with wine. Less shocking, and highly recommended, are the mizhi luyu, a whole fish deep-fried then broiled in tin foil with onions in a slightly sweet sauce; and the youtiao niurou, savory slices of beef mixed with pieces of fried dough. Nearly everyone orders a small pot of Dongpo rou, extremely tender braised fatty pork swimming in savory juice, and a plate of huixiang dou, anise-flavored beans. Fans of Lu's story will appreciate the wide selection of huangjiu, a sweet "yellow" rice wine aged for several years, served in silver pots, and sipped from a special ceramic warming cup. Less crowded branches have opened at Yayun Cun (tel. 010/8480-3966) and Dong Si Bei Dajie 322 (tel. 010/6404-0507).
