Street Eats: Wan’er Chuan’r Provides Delicious Trotters and Spicy Chuan’r

It’s like hanging out with the naughtiest kid in the neighborhood, who your parents warned you about hundreds of times. “Don’t you dare to hang out with him again!” And yet, you couldn’t help it, and return time and time again to hang with them again. Wan’er Chuan’r, being a small chuan'r window in a mall basement, is such a naughty kid.

We know how inconvenient it can be to bite a grilled pig trotter while standing on a busy street, let alone to do it elegantly. Our last attempt was not a success (check here for more information,) due to the rubbery, chewy skin and the overbearing dose of MSG (monosodium glutamate). But our curiosity is never dead, so we gave it another chance, this time at the brand-new Wan’er Chuan’r, tucked away in the basement of U-Town Shopping Center.

There are three flavors to choose – spicy, black pepper, or original. Surprisingly, the spicy pig trotter (RMB 15) was up to snuff, with a crispy skin, tender and steaming hot meat, and a spicy kick. The shallot and peanuts brought more texture to the easy-to-peel and flavorful meat. We have no regrets. The good news for clumsy eaters like me is that there are a handful of stools along the tables inside, so you can sit and enjoy the trotters with the plastic disposable gloves they provide.

To make it more irresistible, they also offer Chongqing-style chuan’r made by Jiujiuya, which is similar to a cold version of malatang. The chuan’r is already cooked and soaked in chili oil, ready for you to pick what you like (RMB 2.5-6 per chuan’r), shove them in the paper box, and find a spot in the small shop to chow down or take them to go. We picked the regular ones: lotus, potato, seaweed, and mu’er, which were all equally spicy, hot, and delicious with a burning kick. It might be the least likely combo to go well with the pig trotters, but it worked. We witnessed a lot of families getting the combo with nine-inch-long duck necks (!) and taking them to the cinema on the same floor, to consume them in the darkness.

If we have to poke a hole, the service was a bit slow due to the number of hungry crowds, but the staff was very eager to take orders and executed as efficiently as they could. During our visit, duck necks were on sale with a buy-one-get-one-free deal, we might consider grabbing that next time instead. The naughty kids can turn to be a good friend, in the end.

Wan’er Chuan’r
Daily 9am-10pm. B1, 2 Sanfeng Beili, Chaoyangmenwai Daji, Chaoyang District
玩儿串：朝阳区朝外大街三丰北里2号悠唐购物中心B1

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Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
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Photo: Tracy Wang