Best Food In China

Location

Some great man should have said “Not all sheep are created equal,” but as it stands, I will have to attribute the quote to myself. Yangjia Hutong, which specializes in Beijing mutton and lamb dishes, recently opened a second branch in Pudong much to the acclaim of yours truly. Yangjia Hutong serves up huge portions of cheap food, much like the western provinces where portions are bigger, tastier and cheaper. Chinese restaurants like this one are not commonly found in Puxi, and could be worth a trip (with lots of hungry friends) down line 2.

The specialties at Yangjia involve everything mutton (not a good place for vegetarians). Leg, stomach, head, ribs, spine, and rolls dominate the menu. The big seller here is hot pot, obvious by the tables of Chinese people surrounding us, all shrouded by fragrant steam. We chose the light soup for our personal hotpots and were served plates of raw hand rolled lamb (29 yuan for a “small”), beef (38 yuan), and a basket of vegetables (15 yuan) to self-cook. Even my Chinese dining partner was shocked by the size of the platters of food, which could have easily served four. The quality of the thinly sliced meat, while not 100% top of the line was definitely grade A. Sesame dip, which accompanied the hot-pot, is well suited for the gamey meat and should be used liberally.

For the real stars of this meal, look to the dishes already cooked. Don't pass up the pickled garlic, which is served as a sort of Chinese amuse bouche along side peanuts and hot green peppers. Since they are preserved, the cloves have lost their over-powering garlicky flavor, and come out sweet and crunchy with a nearly translucent acid tang. My partner in dine fought me for the last piece. Next worthy note were the traditional Beijing sesame cakes . Dense, and fragrant with toasted sesame and numbing pepper, these savory layered cakes are best eaten hot.

But, as mentioned earlier, Yangjia is all about mutton. The absolute Oscar-winner of the evening was lamb spine (38 yuan/small), which comes out in a golden stew pot. Lamb spine may sound intimidating to those not used to eating around bones, but to give these a miss is to waste the Yangjia experience. The vertebrae have been slow cooked in a rich sauce that is at once searingly spicy and deeply complex. Numbing spice, curry, chili and cinnamon create a complete flavor that is so irresistible we continued to eat the succulent, tender meat and marrow long after our stomachs cried out for mercy. Leg of mutton is also tender and well cooked, served with a sweet and spicy chili sauce. The dish is good enough to stand on its own, but pale in comparison to its vertebrae cousin. Wash it all down with a pitcher of sweet and sour, refreshing snow plum juice which prevented all the spicy flavors from over-running our tastebuds.

Overall, Yangjia Hutong is well worth the trip to this side of Pudong, especially if you're craving a hearty, meaty meal on these cold rainy days.

-by Monica Liau

To know more food lovers, please visit Bestfoodinchina community on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/pages/BestFoodinChina/255247

photos: 

photos: 

photos: 

photos: