When I was in graduate school in New York City, my colleagues and I frequently scoured Chinatown in lower Manhattan in search of the most authentic and fiery Sichuan (aka Szechuan) cooking we could find. Unfortunately, since moving to Utah I hadn’t had much luck finding Chinese restaurants specializing in Sichuan food. No luck, that is, until I happened recently upon Beijing restaurant in Sugar House.
If you’re unfamiliar with Sichuan cuisine, it originates from China’s Sichuan Province and is famous for its bold and spicy flavors. Sichuan cooking often features ingredients like garlic,dried chili peppers, and Sichuan peppercorns, which create a unique numbing sensation known as “málà”. It’s a diverse cuisine, with dishes ranging from fiery hot to sweet and sour. Some iconic dishes from the Sichuan oeuvre include Kung Pao Chicken, Mapo Tofu, and Sichuan Hot Pot. If you’re looking to wake up your tastebuds, I highly recommend seeking out Sichuan food. And specifically, I recommend doing so at Beijing restaurant.
Beijing doesn’t take reservations and word of mouth has quickly made it a popular destination for authentic Chinese cooking. We were fortunate to be able to snag a table for five without waiting, but within minutes of being seated a queue had formed of folks waiting for tables. Dishes emerge from the kitchen rapidly, however, so tables turn pretty quickly.
Pan-fried Pork Pot Stickers
The menu at Beijing is daunting, with nearly 90 different items and another 14 lunch specials for $10.95-$11.95. Lunch specials are served with a spring roll and two dumplings. We began our meal with an order of Pork Pot Stickers ($7.95). I wish I’d have noticed that there are two pot sticker options on the menu: steamed or pan-fried. We wound up with pan-fried dumplings which were fine, but I’d have preferred steamed ones.
Spring Rolls
Spring Rolls ($2.95), we discovered, are also fried and come with a vibrant sweet chili sauce. Other interesting starters at Beijing include Scallion Pancakes ($6.95), Beef Tendon & Tripe in Spicy Sauce ($12.95), Diced Rabbit in Chili Sauce ($12.95), Shredded Potato in Hot & Sour Sauce ($8.95), Garlic Cucumber Salad ($8.95), and something called Chinese Traditional Black Jelly ($10.95). Incidentally, servers at the restaurant are very helpful but things can get lost in translation. For example, we had asked about the availability of vegan dishes for a member of our party and wound up with a plate of braised green beans with bits of meat in the sauce. Our server removed the offending dish and took it off of our bill. The bottom line, surprisingly, is that Beijing is not an optimal dining spot for vegans or even vegetarians.
Mapo Tofu
One of my favorite Sichuan dishes is Mapo Tofu, which at Beijing is listed on the menu as “Tofu in House Special Spicy Sauce” ($15.95). Served family style – as is everything at this restaurant – the mapo tofu was a generous portion of cubed, silky tofu bathed in a fiery sauce brimming with ground pork, red chili peppers, chili crisps, Sichuan peppers and black peppers – all of which will leave your tongue tingly and with that numbing sensation that SIchuan cuisine is famous for.
General Tao’s Chicken
One member of our party is partial to classic Chinese-American dishes and so asked for General Tso’s Chicken which, on the Beijing menu, is listed as General Tao’s Chicken ($15.95). I’m not sure if that’s a typo or just another name for the dish but it was better than I’d expected. Lightly battered boneless chicken strips fried with dried red chilies in a slightly sweet and spicy sauce, somewhat akin to teriyaki and very tasty. The chicken dish came with a trio of perfunctory broccoli pieces.
Signature Fried Rice
Another member of our group orders fried rice whenever it’s on the menu so we wound up with a huge plate of Signature Fried Rice ($12.95) which included chicken, shrimp, beef, egg, carrots, peas, scallions, and chili peppers. He enjoyed it very much and had plenty of leftovers to take home.
A-Choy
Among the vegetable dishes at Beijing like Eggplant in House Garlic Sauce ($15.95) and Sauteed Shredded Cabbage ($11.95) is one we enjoyed: A-Choy in a hearty black bean and garlic sauce. A-choy is a leafy green vegetable that is a variety of lettuce and a staple of Taiwanese cooking.
Chongqing Style Chili Chicken
A dish that everyone at our table enjoyed was Chongqing Style Chili Chicken ($18.95). The emphasis, here, is on chili. There had to have been 50 or 60 chopped dried chilies in the chicken dish, which is an authentic rendition of the fiery Chongqing Chicken. It’s the perfect dish to wash down with a cold beer, but Beijing currently serves no alcohol.
If you’re looking to splurge, Beijing offers some pricy Chef Specials like Steamed Fish Head with Diced Hot Red Peppers ($38.95), Chef’s Special Dry Chili Kobe Beef ($28.95), Tibetan Lamb Chop ($28.95), and Sliced Beef Tenderloin in Golden Soup ($22.95). However, in general Beijing restaurant is a terrific bang for the buck. Our flavor packed meal for five people came to just over a hundred bucks and I’m greatly looking forward to making my way through more of the vast menu.
Photos by Ted Scheffler
Culinary quote of the week: “I’m obsessed with Chinese food and culture. It’s food that I adore above all others.” – Andrew Zimmern
