Dirty Chicken and a Worldly Menu at China Travel Agency Utour's Spinoff UCafé on Xindong Lu

Let's face it, we've become pretty spoiled by Beijing cafés. We not only expect to be served with a nice cup of joe, but we've also become picky about the food on offer. Fortunately, this won’t be a problem at UCafé, on the first floor of Xindong Lu.

Sponsored by Chinese travel agent giant Utour, that backing has bagged UCafé a much bigger space than, say, your average café in the hutongs as well as a number of "in" coffee variations such as dirty, hot spicy coffee, soda and espresso, and even a “chappuccino” AKA tea-infused cappuccino (RMB 22-48). What really makes UCafe worth seeking out though is the menu, designed by the mastermind behind Origine (now closed), Raul Liu, who’s also a consultant at Algorithm and Tribe Organic.

To get you drooling these are just a few of the highlights: marinated salmon rice noodles with avocado (RMB 40), malatang flavored mussels, Shanghai-style dry noodles, lamb kebab with crispy quinoa, chicken kebab with yogurt dip, and bulgogi beef pork with bonito flakes. As is telling from the combination of flavors in each of these dishes, the menu very much echoes Liu's philosophy of cooking Chinese ingredients with a Western twist.

One of the standouts is their Beijing-style beef roll (松肉 sōng ròu, RMB 35). Traditionally made of minced lamb wrapped in oil tofu skin, seasoned with soy sauce, ginger, star anise, and cooking wine, then deep fried, UCafé's version uses minced beef mixed with water chestnut to add extra texture, while the tofu skin is crisp, and the eggplant puree with celery boosts the flavor.

Our favorite though was the “dirty chicken” (RMB 85). Seasoned with Xinjiang-style dapanji spices, sous vide, then whacked into a hot oven, the result is a chicken with moist and sturdy legs and juicy golden breasts. Add a sprinkling of seasoning from the accompanying side plate, a mix of charcoal-infused sea salt and pepper which looks like dirt and gives this dish its salubrious name. The chicken sits on a Xinjiang-style pilav rice, which is fried rice with onion, shredded carrot, and oil for an al dente bite bursting with umami flavor.

By integrating coffee and a solid, creative, and reasonably priced food menu, UCafé has expanded on what can sometimes be a lackluster Chinese café experience. We're happy to see this Utour-spinoff buck that trend and hit the ground running, integrating a few tricks that appear learned from travels around the world.

UCafé
Daily 8am-midnight. 001, 1/F, Bldg 3, Shoukaibojun, 8 Xindong Lu, Chaoyang District (6464 9858)
悠三里：朝阳区新东路8号首开铂郡北区3号楼1层001室

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Photos: Tracy Wang