Ming's Curry Store Fights the Winter (and Hangover) with Piles of Protein

For many of us residing in Northern China, naming a restaurant Ming's Curry Store is sure to spark a bit of confusion – we’re used to curry dishes from the Indian subcontinent, or maybe Thai or Japanese dishes. But most of the time, curry in Beijing is not purporting to be Chinese in origin. Yet, Mosto group is taking the little vacant spot that formerly housed Burger Box, the less healthy alternative to next-door neighbor Moka Bros, and filling it with the spices commonly enjoyed in the deep south of China, along with other Hong Kong delights.

Despite its southern style, Ming’s has landed just in time for a Northern winter, fulfilling our need for a massive protein intake to stay warm. Though there are a couple of hardy root vegetables alongside kelp and well-crafted tofu on the menu, many will drop in for a large cup filled to the brim with meats – beef balls, beef belly, fish balls, cuttlefish balls, and for the adventurous, honeycomb tripe, topped off with quail eggs, all of which is smothered in “Ming’s Secret Curry Sauce” – a just-spicy-enough gravy that succeeds in setting itself apart from other curry flavors in the city. (Bowls are priced by ingredients, from RMB 5-25 each).

Be sure to ask for the Cantonese Noodles too, which will be placed at the bottom of the bowl as a finishing carb. In truth, it’s not much different from any instant noodle, but boy does it soak up the spices.

Oh, and there is also a hot dog on the menu – a choice that is inexplicable except to say that the whole store is a fine haven for Nali Patio partiers seeking an after-drink snack. In any case, the bun is toasted to perfection.

Room for dessert? Good, because the egg waffles (available in classic, chocolate, and matcha flavors, from RMB 18-20), while far from being the only such waffles in Sanlitun, may just be the best quality we’ve ever tasted, and with a bit of berry cream, they’re simply divine.

For caffeine addicts, it might be worth a stop-by just for the classic Hong Kong Coffee Tea. This sure-to-get-you-all-hopped-up combo is somewhat hard to come by in the capital, and where it can be found, it’s rarely as well made as the one Ming’s is offering. (It’s a simple enough concoction, but some attempt to make it with espresso, though it really is better with a drip coffee pot on hand as is the case here.)

We also tried the yogurt shakes (RMB 25), perhaps the healthiest thing on the menu. Both options are well-textured, and while the avocado shake is a bit lacking in flavor (like the fruit itself), the Beijinger’s resident durian lover (there’s always one!) thoroughly approved of the powerfully flavored durian shake.

Truth be told, we're happy to welcome this addition over Burger Box, which, despite best efforts, was unable to live up to the standards of burger set by the top patty slingers in Beijing. In contrast, Ming’s Curry Store is offering something new and doing it right.

Ming's Curry Store
1/F, Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Beijie, Chaoyang District
朝阳区三里屯路三里屯北街81号

READ: Take Your Tastebuds On a Culinary Journey Along the Silk Road at Qianmen Kitchen by BSK

Images: Zeus Zou, Joey Knotts