Xiaoqinglong Brings Affordable Street Food Breakfast Fare to Topwin Center

Personally, I’m not a big fan of dining in a shopping mall, but where else is there to go as the small mom and pop shops continue to get closed in the hutongs? And apparently Beijing's Sanlitun-centric mall dwellers need to eat breakfast too, a need answered by Xiaoqinglong and its affordable "street-side" fare in the basement of Topwin Center.

Within the bustling basement, Xiaoqinglong has pitched up with an open kitchen and a counter next to our lunch favorite Shawarma Dareen, offering a dozen items: three kinds of baozi – signature pork bao (RMB 5), veggie bao (RMB 5 for two), and scallion mantou (葱花馒头, RMB 7) – as well as wontons and zongzi (粽子, glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves). The scallion mantou crushed our morning cravings best, the fluffy bao concealing scallion, chili pepper, and pickled vegetables that gave way to a nice wake-you-up burn at the end.

You can also order snacks to go with your baozi, such as marinated chicken feet, or dried tofu. Round off your zaofan with a cup of sweet soybean milk or sour plum drink (both at RMB 8).

As for dessert, we enjoyed the triangular fagao (发糕, RMB 4), the rendition here made using steamed glutinous rice flour, and reminiscent of jinggao (镜糕) from Xi’an. Xiaoqinglong's are slightly sweet with a smooth and springy texture, and a hint of rice wine.

Even if, like us, you miss Beijing's cheap street-side breakfast stalls, you might appreciate that at Xiaoqinglong everything is made in front of you in the open kitchen, so there are no hygiene concerns (bye bye gutter oil). It's also one of those increasingly rare places where you can fill your belly for RMB 20 per person. That being said, it's held hostage to a mall's opening times so don't expect to be filling up at 6am anytime soon. Of course, eating a baozi on a stool in a white-tiled kitchen is no substitute for a plastic chair on the sidewalk, but it's better than the alternative – the complete eradication of cheap street food.

Xiaoqinglong
Daily 10am-10pm. B1-13A, Topwin Center, 1 Nansanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District (185 0008 3377)
小青笼·龙游包子：朝阳区南三里屯路1号楼通盈中心地下一层B1-13A单元

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Photos: Tracy Wang