Tastiest Chinese food in my whole life, and I’m a Chinese

#bestchinesefood Been here quite a few times. Let me talk about their must-try. The Satay Beef Brisket Ribs were stewed to incredibly tenderness while keeping a slight chewiness in the tendon parts. As for the flavor, usually I don’t appreciate satay sauce as much because the satay sauce in many places tend to be a bit too busy with a variety of spices. But the satay sauce here has a rich but clean, well-thought flavor layering. The Haihuang Braised Tofu was the dish that I ordered in my first visit and got me converted. There’s barely any seasoning in the dish, but the generous amount of dried scallops, oysters, and dried shrimp in the base render an intense, complex umami to complement with the rich bean flavor of the tofu. The textural variety is rich too: the crumbs in tofu, thread-like texture in dried scallop, chunkiness in dried oyster, shell-like texture in dried shrimps etc. The Braised Radish Rice was another dish I thoroughly enjoyed. The dried shrimp and dried scallops contributed a good deal of savory, oceanic taste; and each grain of rice was coated by just the right amount of oil, firm & moist without being greasy. Honestly this rice is not hard to make at home, but what made it unique here was that they mix in some thoroughly steamed radish cubes, which contribute a refreshing sweetness and soft texture to the already well-seasoned rice. One of the items in the set menu I ordered included Fish Maw and Loofah Stew. When it’s first served to the table, I was actually disappointed because the soup seemed a bit thin in consistency. But as soon as I tasted it, I realized it wasn’t what I thought. It was an incredibly fresh and slightly milky soup with a hint of pepper, which made it especially comforting in winter. The fish maw and loofah were stewed just right, smooth in texture but still with some bite, just like the tendon said earlier. The only dish that I found meh was the Tieguanyin Smoked Fish. It was fried very crispy, and the seasoning was balanced between salty and sweet (not nearly as sweet as Shanghai smoked fish), but the Tieguanyin tea aroma was barely noticeable. It was a good standard smoked fish dish, but far less impressive from the other dishes. Hands down the best Chinese food I’ve ever eaten in my past 34years being a local Chinese. Not the cheapest thing, but with the quality and care in the food, it is a place I must visit whenever I go to Beijing. 📍Address: 景福轩, Beijing