Beijing flavor isn confined to the food at the vibrant Tangenyuan restaurant, near the east gate of Ditan Park.

From the rickshaw boys waiting to ferry you the final 50 yards to the Peking Opera skits on stage, an evening at Tangenyuan captures enough old capital culture to keep visitors coming back again and again. The restaurant is heaving every night, with large groups of noisy diners taking over entire sections of the spacious hall.

While you nibble on some men su yu (pickled fish - no bones to worry about) or pick at a dun pai gu (stewed rib), a succession of short performances takes place on the small stage at the south end of the hall. The Peking Opera is followed by acrobats and funnymen of various kinds, none of which is remotely

intelligible to non-locals. But everyone having such a good time, it doesn matter at all.

Beijing food is generally simple and lacking in spices.

Vinegar, flour and oil are its defining ingredients. If you'ecoming at it for the first time, zha jiang mian is de rigueur - this is a bowl of lukewarm flour noodles into which you mix shredded cucumber and turnips, plus a kind of sweetish bean sauce. Fans swear by it; others find it an acquired taste at best.Also an acquired taste is dessert. My top tip is the ai wo wo, which is vaguely reminiscent of Turkish Delight.

Tangenyuan is just a few steps north of the east gate of Ditan Park. The stage show runs from about 6:45p.m. to 9p.m.Tangenyuan Restaurant

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