Deliciously Different Dog Food

by Mick Jones

Guizhou is one of the poorest and least-visited areas in China. Up to 70 percent of its population may be illiterate, and 30 percent of its villages are inaccessible by road. Millions live below the national poverty line. Yet this undistinguished and little-known province conceals a wealth of fine cooking.

Beijing has yet to really catch on, but the success of a small chain of restaurants originating in Guiyang - the capital of Guizhou - suggests that it's only a matter of time before the capital finds a new food fad. The Guizhou Hometown Dog and its sister eateries, Guizhou Hometown Goose and Guishan Goose, are practically bursting at the seams every evening.

"Although Guizhou cuisine is not included in the official 'famous cuisines of China'  it combines the best parts of others," said Wu Guiquan, assistant to the general manager of the company that runs the three restaurants. "It's quite avant-garde, and more and more Beijingers are getting to like it."

It has also attracted a number of the nation's top stars, including Zhang Yimou and "Ode to Outlaws" singer Liu Huan, who looks like he knows a thing or two about eating.

"They especially like the goose head," said manager of the Goose Gan Yuanqiang.

BTM took a multinational tasting team and a Guizhou expert to both the Dog and the Goose to check out what was pulling the crowds. What we found was an excitingly different dining experience.

For cold starters, we tried Ma la ni qiu (18 yuan), which were crunchy, highly spiced small eels that would make an ideal beer snack, and Guai wei yu tiao (18 yuan), "strange-tasting" pieces of fish whose mild and sweetish flavor complemented the eels perfectly.

Resisting the lure of the dog hotpot, we moved on to yu xing cao la rou (15 yuan), which was a "typically Guizhou smelly vegetable"   according to paralegal Yan Gui - who spent her early years in the province - combined with the kind of spicy bacon that will be familiar to fans of Hunan cuisine. The yu xing cao offered a very strong, vaguely gingery flavor that is definitely an acquired taste. It cures 'flu, though, says Yan.

The bacon is brought from Guizhou, according to Wu, because the pigs there are naturally fed and therefore taste better.

Another dish involving bacon was the La rou er kuai ba (20 yuan), which included heavy slices of a fairly glutinous consistency that had been made from rice flour -- although relatively tasteless, they were actually a pleasant complement to the hot spices in the dish. Fans of stodge can safely order this one; others should leave room for further experiment.

Er kuai ba also popped up in a highly original soup - Suan tang er kuai ba (25 yuan) - that combined hot spice with sourness in a way reminiscent of Thai cuisine.

Guizhou la shan ji (65 yuan) was a red mountain of hot chilies and chicken pieces. It had rather a numbing effect on the tongue and lips, but if you can take really spicy food, this is for you. Wu said they bring the chilies from Guizhou, as those available here in the north just aren't the same. Veteran Beijinger Zhou Huaying agreed: These are better than any I've ever had," she said.

Qing jiao chao cui shao (18 yuan) comprised fried green peppers and small cubes of pork that had been crisped so that they resembled meaty croutons. This was excellent, and quite unlike any Chinese dish any of our team had previously encountered. Still more unusual was the Cui pi si ji dou mi (18 yuan), which some felt was the best dish of all, if only because it was so unexpected. The main ingredient was red kidney beans, which had been fried in such a way that the case was crispy, but the texture of the inside was much lighter than normal. We had to double-check that they really were kidney beans.

Ma la xiang chang (15 yuan) was slices of warm pork sausage, slightly spicy and a little sweet. The Zao la bai cai (8 yuan), consisting of fermented pepper fried with cabbage, was another sweetish selection, as was the Gan bian tu dou si (16 yuan) - very crispy potato shreds, plus celery and hot pepper.

Suan cai mo yu si (12 yuan) defies easy description. The bulk of the dish consisted of a springy, dofu-like substance, and while not displeasing, it was noticeable at the end of the meal that most of it was left on the plate.

Marlynne Hopper, a recent arrival to Beijing from Northern Ireland, commented: "This is completely different to the Chinese food we get at home, which is so bland; this is really tasty." Joerg Balsiger from Switzerland agreed it was different, but for another reason: "It's really oily," he said.

Our Guizhou critic was pleased, but thought it was too difficult to select really authentic Guizhou dishes from among the choices on the menu. So make sure you insist on the genuine article - all the staff are from Guizhou, so they can point you in the right direction. And try to arrive before six-thirty, because there's plenty of competition for tables.

Hometown Dog Restaurant (Jia xiang qin gou rou da jiu dian)

Add: 60 meters north of east gate of Yuanmingyuan, Yuanmingyuan Donglu, Haidian District

Tel: 62547541

Hometown Goose Restaurant (Jia xiang e)

Add: No. 3, Zaojunmiao, Haidian District

Tel: 62216945

Hometown Guishan Goose Restaurant (Jia xiang qin gui shan e da jiu dian)

Add: No. 15, Beisanhuan Donglu (50 meters north of the west gate of the Chemical Industry University)

Tel: 64284696