Take Your Tastebuds to Taiwan at Chunli Chifan in Sanlitun's 3.3 Mall
Zax Wu wants to whisk you away to the Taipei of old. He aims to do so with wholesome stuffed buns and intricate throwback decor at his new Sanlitun restaurant Chunli Chifan, a throwback to dining times of yore, with every detail evoking the simple eateries that his parents would frequent as youngsters, and in turn, making for a unique and charming addition to Beijing's dining scene.
The name is a hat tip to a character from the popular videogame Street Fighter, and the restaurant's calling card is the doughy bao snacks of Wu's native Taiwan (he co-owns the 3.3 Mall Chunli Chifan with the founders of another eatery of the same name serving Cantonese fare on Gongti Xilu). In order to capture the ambiance of the mom-and-pop operations where his elders would enjoy those mouthwatering Taipei sandwiches, Wu hired an antiques firm to outfit his recently opened restaurant with gleaming canteen-style tiled floors and walls, obsolete prop air conditioners, a black and white TV and stubby yesteryear light switches by the entryway.
That impressive decor should come as no surprise, however, seeing as this burgeoning F&B dynamo also created alluring environments at his prior Beijing ventures like the prohibition-themed Pickering's Gin bar and the woodgrain rife Charles' Whiskey bar. Chunli Chifan is Wu's best spot yet, not only because of its distinctive vibe but also because it focuses on drool-worthy grub with a wider appeal than the fancy cocktails and spirits slung at his bars.
Those eats are in keeping with a major trend: the fancifying of once humble street eats, akin to the gourmet sweet potato shop Bite By Callus a stone’s throw away from Chunli Bao on Dirty Bar Street. Unlike Courtyard 4 bar and grill De Refter’s (nope, it's not dead) take on Taiwanese sandwiches – essentially sliced bloated buns loaded with meaty, but fairly standard fillings – Chunli Chifan improves on the bread and slices down the side in order to wedge its creative combinations. Their RMB 28 beef fried bao, for instance, has juicy yet firm chunk of meat that is elevated by a creative truffle sauce flourish. It’s a bit smaller than a standard sandwich, but at that low price you can easily order a second or third to round your meal out. The beef bao's sumptuous flavors and textures, meanwhile, give it plenty of bang for your buck.
Other options include the RMB 22 fried chicken bao, RMB 26 traditional bao, RMB 26 fried fish with green onion bao, the RMB 18 tofu bao, along with RMB 32 kungfu beef and RMB 28 spicy chicken BAOgers that are more in line with what you'd find at De Refter. Chunli Chifan further sets itself apart with side dishes that’ll trigger a rush of memories for anyone who has frequented low-key Taiwanese restaurants. Case in point: plump and juicy fried tofu (RMB 28), which we enjoyed almost as much as our sandwich. As for next time, we’ll be ordering the matsuka pork with barbecue sauce, the baked Chinese mushroom with celery, and the fried chicken and crab feet (RMB 18-32) to the side dishes portion of the menu.
Chunli Chifan's gourmet twist on those old Taiwanese favorites make it one of Beijing's most exciting new restaurants. Its reasonable prices and alluring atmosphere, meanwhile, make the spot as satisfying for your eyes and bank balance as it is for your palate.
Chunli Chifan
Daily 11am-11pm. 1060 3.3 Mall, Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang District
春麗吃飯公司：朝阳区三里屯路33号3.3服饰大厦1层1060室
Read: Sweet Potatoes Go Gourmet, Spelling Out Dirty Bar Street's Demise Once and For All
More stories by this author here.
Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
Twitter: @MulKyle
Instagram: mullin.kyle
Photos courtesy of Chunli Chifan
