Souper-Duper: My Soup's Healthy Cantonese Cooking

I love My Soup. Full stop. Now, before I go any further, you should know that a big part of it is nostalgia – how the food matches up with the Hong Kong and Cantonese background of my own family. But even if you don't have that, it's still healthy, well-prepared food that anyone should be able to enjoy.

My Soup is still in soft open until October 18, but they're already cranking out some delicious dishes. We started with a Chinese-style borscht (RMB 38) that it pains me to say is actually better than the one my mom makes. Slips of fried garlic serve as tantalizing aromatics, while chunks of beef, carrots and potatoes add some heft to the soup.

Our mains were a beef brisket noodle soup (RMB 40) and a sausage claypot rice (RMB 50). The soup was lined with eye-poppingly green vegetables. Unbelievably tender meat anchored the bowl, while the broth had me deliriously sipping away. The claypot rice was wonderful with the tingle of sweetness from the lap cheung sausage and the mixture of crackly bits and chewy grains.

This isn't a meal with glamour or showmanship; it's southern-style comfort cooking that's meant to nourish you.

Don't miss the house-made rice wine (RMB 30), which is pleasingly thick as it fizzes on your tongue and finishes with a gentle (but firm) fermented slap to remind you who's in charge.

I'll be back soon enough to try their braised pork and rice wine with black sesame rice balls.

My Soup 卖汤. Daily 11am-10pm. Bldg 1 (next door to Lion Mart), Central Park, 6 Chaoyangmenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District (6597 0552)
朝阳区朝阳门外大街6号新城国际公寓1号楼(新货郎便利店)

(Hat tip to Beijing Boyce.)

Photos: Josh Ong, Marilyn Mai