The Opposite House's Superfly Puts a Modern Twist on Sichuan Dining Traditions
Following almost a year of renovations, The Opposite House has finally completed the overhaul of its ground floor F&B concepts, welcoming the latest and final outlet, Superfly, to sit alongside rustic Italian restaurant Frasca and cocktail lounge Union. Superfly is the hotel's casual entry, appealing to young diners through a splash of primary-colored terrazzo and ceramics, a smattering of southern Chinese knick-knacks, a booming hip-hop-centric playlist, and a wall of TV screens looping kitschy '80s and '90s kung fu and cartoon clips – a nostalgic backdrop fit for the selfie-taking set.
It stands in contrast to The Opposite House's other Chinese restaurant, Jing Yaa Tang – also overseen by Michelin-starred chef Li Dong – eschewing refinement for an altogether more relaxed dining experience. This is in keeping with Superfly's name, which is an allusion to the tradition of Sichuan's "fly restaurants" – family-run eateries where locals buzz in and out (alongside their winged brethren) to grab a quick bite to eat. And despite its decidedly cool environment, Superfly's menu tends to play it safe – though there are a few curveballs thrown in for good measure – spanning conventional southern dishes that emphasize sharing.
Of the former, the standouts include the mapo tofu (RMB 88), which forgoes ground pork in favor of mushrooms but loses none of the hearty flavor, as well as the beautifully crisp caramelized eggplant (RMB 68) coupled with a sweet and tangy sauce, and the kitchen's signature sweet water noodles (RMB 35), which are dense and delightfully chewy.
The spice-averse will be happy to hear that, generally speaking, the dishes are not too chili-heavy, that is unless you order the dry pot bullfrog (RMB 138) – chunks of deep-fried frog and potato chips and whole chilies that will leave your cheeks ruddy and bring sweat to your brow. If the heat catches up with you, though, you can cool off with a traditional bowl of "ice jelly" (RMB 38) and molasses sprinkled with peanuts, strawberry, dragon fruit, and raisins, and hawthorn flakes.
Given that many of the dishes are salty and fried, they pair perfectly with beer, a fact that hasn't been lost on Superfly who recruited the help of Great Leap Brewing to take over six taps. The brewery has also lent their much-loved cheeseburger recipe to the kitchen in the form of GLB Super Dumplings (RMB 48) paired with burger sauce for dipping. The result is a dumpling full of sumptuous, if not slightly bland, cheeseburger meat and a squirt of grease that unfortunately doesn't elevate the dumplings past a fun gimmick.
Finally, the cocktails (RMB 75-98) pull off their playful elements with more aplomb, combining time-honored Chinese brands such as Beibingyang with local fruits like rambutan and jackfruit. The boozy Super "Fly" is the best of the lot, mixing bourbon, genever, and maple syrup topped with beer foam, sunflower seeds, and crunchy chocolate flies in homage to its name. There's also a range of highballs (RMB 58-100), which while not exactly local, go down easy just the same.
In all, Superfly adds a welcome shot of color to The Opposite House and while the food is perhaps not as innovative as it could have been, Li and his team have created a dependable and robust menu of Sichuan classics. If you visit before the end of June you can enjoy 30 percent off the lot.
Superfly
Daily, 6pm-1am (dinner); Mon-Fri, midday-2.30pm (lunch); Sat-Sun, 11am-2.30pm (brunch). 1/F, The Opposite House, 11 Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang District (6410 5220)
超级飛：三里屯路11号三里屯太古里北区瑜舍酒店一层
READ: Mai Tai Spices Up Sanlitun's Noodle Scene With Authentic Beef Boat Noodles
Images: Uni You, courtesy of Superfly, Tom Arnstein
