Our Favorite Neighborhood Hole in the Wall

This restaurant features the food of one of China's ethnic minorities, the Chinese Muslims. This restaurant doesn't serve pork, uses very different spices, and has dishes not found elsewhere. The huge bowl of soup on the table is a tomato, Chinese cabbage and corriander egg-drop soup. Between the two of us we polished off around 6 or 7 small bowls (and still had some left). The noodles are hearty, starchy and so good. Another favorite here is the dumplings (jiaozi) which come in many varieties, our favorite being mutton, which are cheap, hot, and tasty. The other little bowls on the table are simple soups, which are usually just broth (vegetable or meat) with some green onions floating around. These are often served with every meal and are free of charge. To consume, pick up the bowl and drink from it like a cup, an excellent thirst quencher and spice neutralizer. The total price for this meal--the tomato soup and noodles-- was 10RMB ($1.36)