There’s no fancy dining room and service can be curt and coarse, but the reason you’d brave traffic and lower your standards is that the food here is worth the trek. A few things you need to know -- this is for beef lovers, so leave vegan and vegetarian friends at home, and go with those who know how to slurp down one of Beijing’s best bowls of broth with hand-pulled wheat noodles ( 牛肉汤面). A small bowl is plenty – and plenty cheap at 8RMB – while hungry folks can practice their gluttony with a larger portion for a whopping 9RMB. The splurge here for is for the tender braised beef that’s ‘red-cooked’, involving spices like star anise, cinnamon, some dried orange peel and lots of soy sauce. Tender chunks are sold by weight and at 80RMB per jin, worth each bite; half-portions are available too. Boiled cabbage shreds, doused with that magical braising sauce, prove lyrical partners, with three sizes to fit all appetites (炒菜; 4-12RMB).
Chilli heads must fork out an extra 1RMB for a dish of spiked oil (辣椒) that’s gentle in its burn and the perfect dip to that tender beef. Cold dishes like classic smashed cucumber ( 拍黄瓜; 10RMB) and the outer parts of watermelon radish (拌西瓜皮; 12RMB) display some thrifty kitchen wisdom.
Lady Chal’s is reputed for the simplicity of its good cheap Muslim fare. They’ve graced local appetites since 1929 and continue to hustle today, but it seems the prices haven’t changed much in all that time-- it’s nice to know you’ll eat well and have plenty left for the fare home. Lillian Chou
No English menu.