Street Eats: One-Stop Eatery for Spice Lovers at Nemo&Bu in Sanlitun
Nemo&Bu isn't exactly flashy. In fact, you might miss it entirely if you happen to be walking by 3.3 Mall and Tongli Studio (the same building as Biteapitta) in Sanlitun. But if you climb up to the nondescript fourth floor of Tongli, you'll be rewarded by this hidden gem packed with spicy, no-frills goodies.
When we arrived, we were surprised to see a number of patrons already there and skillfully negotiating the restaurant's unique, minimalist service style. What it entails is grabbing a seat, then picking your chuan’r out from the fridges (each a RMB 2.5-3.5 pre-packaged small plastic bag meaning little regard for environmental waste, sadly), and then give them to the staff. Tell them how much spice you want as well as your table number, choose from a number of sauces on offer, and then hunker down to wait for your grub.
Aside from malatang, you can pick boboji (钵钵鸡), or cooked spicy cold chuan’r, and from the large bowls on the table, you can add on dumplings, noodles (RMB 28-38), shaobing, and various desserts.
The malatang was served promptly, with cold spicy sauce on the side – featuring a mix of chili oil, chili powder, and cilantro – similar to what you find at Beijing's favorite house of spice Zhang Mama. Served in a heart-shaped bowl, their take on this Chinese classic didn't have much spicy broth, though its ingredients were full of strong peppery flavors.
The signature “happy eggs” (RMB 22) are actually deep-fried quail eggs dusted with a generous layer of green pepper and chili pepper powders. They were also the highlight of the meal thanks to their sweet, savory, and spicy flavors and crispy texture. Who said simple food can’t be good?
There was also pig feet on the menu, which wasn't available during our visit. “High-quality pork is hard to find in Beijing" these days, explained the waitstaff. Never mind. The menu also boasted durian cake, which too was also out of stock (though that's unlike to bother too many Western diners).
The spacious venue is styled with mish-mash decor, including large stuffed toys, fake flowers, and metal frames that separate the marble tables. The whole experience was scored by an endless rotation of Taiwanese pop singer Jay Chou’s biggest hits.
Nemo&Bu is owned by a young couple who had no prior experience in the food and beverage industry. However, they insist on using quality ingredients without any additives and during our visit also explained that they intended to challenge themselves by turning the eatery from a lunchtime malatang restaurant to a dessert bar in the afternoon, and a full-out bar at night. The result seems to be working given that it was packed with a young crowd during our visit. If a quirky, colorful spot, where you can hold an egg-like cushion and take selfies while gulping down a bowl of spicy malatang is your idea of a fun afternoon, you could certainly do worse than Nemo&Bu.
Nemo&Bu
Tue-Sun 11am-2am. 401, 4/F, 43 Beisanlitun Nan, Chaoyang District (6462 7706)
Nemo&布·奇葩：朝阳区北三里屯南43楼2幢四层401
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Photos: Tracy Wang, Dianping
