Back For More: Karaiya Spice House Maintains Eight-Year-Strong Reputation For ‘Foreigner-Friendly Hunan Food’

Robynne Tindall, Contributing Editor | Dec 29, 2017 4:00 pm | Add a comment | 852 reads

Call us exhibitionists, but when dining out with friends, we love to order the kind of dishes that elicit gasps of delight when they hit the table; the pork ribs with peanuts and pickled vegetables (RMB 168) at Karaiya Spice House is one such dish. The long ribs form a bridge on the plate, just waiting for you to dive in with your chopsticks and pick off the meat (which is so tender, even those of with tenuous chopstick capabilities will be able to strip the bones clean).

Those pork ribs have been on the menu since Karaiya first opened in Taikooli (then known as The Village) in 2009 and our recent revisit demonstrated that they and many other dishes are just as good as they were eight years ago.

Previous reviews have often described Karaiya as serving “foreigner-friendly Hunan food” and while the ambiance, presentation, and English menu might have been prepared with foreigners in mind, the spice level of the dishes might still put the fear into fresh-off-the-boat visitors. This is particularly true of the stone pot mapo tofu (RMB 48), which has a sharper chili heat than the tongue-tingling Sichuan version many of us will be used to. Luckily, the menu is marked with a handy spice scale so you can avoid the fieriest dishes if necessary, although those that do brave the spice will be rewarded with great flavors, such as the salty-sharp heat of the steamed fish with two-toned pickled chilies (RMB 188-288).

Karaiya’s refined atmosphere and affordable-if-higher-than-average prices make it a great spot for a special occasion, especially when you add in a fairly broad wine list and Jing-A beers on tap.

Karaiya Spice House
Daily 11.30am-10pm. S9-30, 3/F, Taikooli Sanlitun South, Chaoyang District (6415 3535)
辣屋湖南料理：朝阳区三里屯太古里南区3层S9-30