Southern Barbarian 南蛮子
Mushroom aficionados know that Yunnan cuisine is a gold mine of delicious shrooms, and this Shanghai-based Yunnan eatery has them. There’s a wide range of mushroom dishes, including a mushroom hot pot. Try out the mixed wild mushrooms wrapped in banana leaf (RMB 78) for a cornucopia of smoky sweet fungi. Non-mushroom eaters will revel in the delicious cheeses and hams unique to Yunnan.
Daily 11am-11pm. 107 Baochao Hutong, Gulou Dajie, Dongcheng District (8408 3372, 186 0113 2471) www.southernbarbarian.com
东城区鼓楼大街宝钞胡同107号
The Veggie Table 吃素的
There’s one meat-free burger in town that won’t make you miss beef, and that’s the Shiitake Mushroom Burger (RMB 62) at The Veggie Table. Served with potato wedges and coleslaw, this substantial meatless wonder will make you wonder why burger patties weren’t made of mushroom in the first place.
Daily 10.30am-11.30 (last order 10.30pm). 19 Wudaoying Hutong, Lama Temple Area, Dongcheng District (6446 2073, 400 600 6209, beijingveggietable@gmail.com) weibo.com/theveggietable 东城区雍和宫五道营胡同甲19号
Ganges 恒河印度餐厅
Indian food may conjure up thoughts of naan and tandoori chicken, but the extensive menu at Ganges has a number of savory mushroom dishes that will please even the most ambivalent of mushroom eaters. Mushrooms get the subcontinent treatment in curry, soup, and on the barbecue; for a mix of classic Indian flavors, go for the mushroom tikka masala (RMB 48), which features barbequed mushrooms with green peppers in tomato-based gravy.
Daily 11am-10.30pm. Rm 202, 2/Fm Bldg 1, Shimao Department Store, 13 Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District (6416 0181/6121, 139 1062 9470) ganges-restaurant.con 朝阳区工体北路13号世贸百货1号楼2层202室
See Directory for more locations.
Biteapitta 吧嗒饼
At this Sanlitun standby, pita pockets are just waiting to be filled with mushrooms. Biteapitta jazzes up its classic hummus and pita by adding sautéed mushrooms, which you can get as a plate (RMB 45) or as a pita sandwich (RMB 38). Purists can forgo the hummus and opt for the sautéed mushroom pita sandwich (RMB 33) or even a plate of sautéed mushrooms (RMB 57).
Daily 11am-11pm. 2/F, Tongli Studio, Sanlitun Houjie, Chaoyang District (6467 2961) 朝阳区三里屯后街同理2层
Baoyuan Jiaozi Wu 宝源饺子屋
At this bustling but modestly-sized dumpling destination, the menu contains an encyclopedia’s worth of dumpling fillings (including the mighty mushroom). For a traditional route, try the pork and mushroom dumplings (zhurou xianggu, RMB 18/liang or six dumplings). Fillings with more bite include the su sanxian (RMB 12/liang), which has two kinds of mushrooms with bamboo shoots; as well as xian xianggu (RMB 12/liang), which has mushrooms, cucumber, and chicken.
Daily 11am-10pm. North of 6 Maizidian Jie (west of the Haiyue Mingmen
compound), Chaoyang District (6586 4967) 朝阳区麦子店街6号北侧(海悦名门西)
photo by Flickr user mlamprou