Snack Attack: A Roubing Worth Waiting in Line For

Snack Attack is your weekly guide to the sometimes smelly, sometimes flavorful, sometimes odd munchies to be had in the capital.

I see it on my way to the office every morning: people lining up outside food stalls just off the west side of Sanlitun South Road, waiting to get their morning munchies fix. But there’s one stall in particular that always has a daunting line – and all for a bit of 肉饼 roubing.

After passing by a few times and noting the lovely bowls of beef, lettuce, and spices waiting to be mixed into some fresh dough and cooked to perfection, I got my first chance to try a bite when a colleague brought them into work one day.

Much to my surprise, I discovered these roubing are a cult hit among Chinese employees here at the Beijinger, and I can understand why. One bite into the still piping hot flaky crust yields a soft interior filled with tender slices of beef, cabbage, and spices, joining together to create a masterpiece of snacking if there ever was one.

Needless to say, all it took was this first experience to get me hooked. Eager to try them again, I dropped by the shop this morning and found a mere two people waiting.

Was this my lucky chance to grab a few and go? As it turned out, no.

The woman behind the counter told me it’d take ten minutes for the pies to be ready, with the chef next to her deftly rolling out dough and filling it with ingredients before rolling it all up to cook.

So I waited. I waited for what seemed much longer than ten minutes, salivating at the thought of sinking my teeth into one of these bad boys once again. But these thoughts didn’t soothe my nerves, as a line started to grow behind me.

Every so often an elderly person would pop to the front and stare curiously, igniting my anxiety – were they going to try and cut in line? Why didn’t they go to the back and wait with everyone else? Each time my anxiety subsided, though, as they promptly left in search of snacks elsewhere.

Nevertheless, the minutes dragged on. The woman at the front counter looked bored while waiting. She stared blankly out the window, not looking at anyone or anything in particular. My thoughts shifted back to the pies – were they almost ready?

Then, she grabs a basket out front and disappears, returning a few moments later with the pies, all cooked to a golden crisp and waiting to be stuffed into paper bags and scarfed down in short order. Knowing the end was near, knowing I’d soon get my treat, I waited patiently while the food was bagged and left the same way I came.

Back to the office, and time to dig in. It’s hot, there’s a crunch as flakes of bread fly everywhere. I taste the spices, the beef, the cabbage. A symphony of flavor in my mouth.

How could something like this be so damn good? It’s far superior to any other beef pies I’ve had in the capital – it’s not so reliant on the beef that it’s too heavy for a breakfast meal, yet not too light that it’s a waste of time and money.

Plus, at RMB 6 per pie, this roubing is definitely one worth waiting in line for.

Court Crispy Beef Cake 宫廷香酥牛肉饼
5-3 Zhongfang Street, Chaoyang District
中纺街5-3号

READ: Snack Attack: A Handful of Haw(thorn Treats)

Images: Vincent R. Vinci