Alleyway Gourmet: Congee Conversion

The first time I ate congee it was lukewarm, slimy and, to tell the truth, gross. Teaching primary school in Guangdong province I came into work every morning armed with a spoon, ready to wage battle with that tin bowl of goo waiting for me on my desk. I lost that battle every morning, until finally the school gave up its crusade to convert me to gruel.

Almost a decade later, and I faced the same struggle again. This time it was a friend who dragged me into the long hall-like space that once housed Gulou's only Mexican restaurant – Amigo – now home to Hongji Chaoshan, a regional Cantonese eatery.

The rice slurry that my friend ordered came out hot and bubbly in a clay pot, great for slurping on a breezy late-summer night. We tried the crab, shrimp and scallop congee for two (RMB 98). The big chunks of crab where hard to get into, but the sweet flavors of seafood and ginger were already infused in the broth. Each spoonful held a serving of shrimp and scallop, little treasures that were surprisingly numerous. To keep the tabletop lively, we also ordered an oyster omelet (RMB 18) and barbecue pork buns (RMB 15) – both rich and filling.

The restaurant offers congee pot sizes for one, two, three and five people, but the first size is more than enough for two. Flavors come in various combinations of meat and seafood: duck, mushroom and shrimp, short ribs, scallop and shrimp and more. For creative customers, the option to customize is available. There are turf congees for non-seafood eaters and traditional Cantonese dim sum, soups and stir-fries for variety.

When my friend had dragged me in and I saw the first half of the menu was nothing but congee I shivered with trepidation, but the meal that followed was a sweet hymn that coaxed my heart into acceptance. Now I believe in gruel.

Hongji Chaoshan Clay Pot Congee 鸿记潮汕砂锅粥
Daily 10am-3am. 95 Gulou Dongdajie, Dongcheng District (8403 3981)
东城区鼓楼东大街95号

800m north of Nanluogu Xiang station (Line 6)

A version of this article appears in the September 2013 issue of the Beijinger

Photo: Jessica Rapp