Make it a family affair with Hunan specialties

Newly opened My Home Restaurant is yet another example of how much of the fun foreigners are missing, when dish names are translated into standard English. The restaurant calls itself "the first family-themed restaurant". The menu makes mention of almost all close members of the family, such as father, mother, grandmother, wife, husband, and sister-in-law.

The dish called "thread in the hands of a loving mother", is actually dry tofu slices with egg, while "good wife washes gauze" refers to stir-fried potato slices. The name for roast homemade sausage is "concerned in the belly and intestines", and Hong Kong-style milk tea is "loving mother's breast milk". Steamed pumpkin with lily bulb is "golden house with treasure", while a bowl of golden dry-fried peanuts is, quite appropriately, "counting family treasure".

The restaurant says it uses only mineral water for cooking, and a manager claims all their vegetables and fruits are organically produced. While not verifiable, the dishes definitely taste good. The eatery's owners are a couple of retired folk song singers from Hunan, and the menu includes a number of specialties from the region, such as fish with preserved green pepper. Their steamed chicken with Chinese yam, vegetable jelly, and hotpot bean curd are well worth a try.

The ancient Chinese paintings and calligraphic works on the walls further underscore the family theme. The wait staff not only take your orders but also sing - family-themed songs, that is.

Dcor is tidy, and service attentive.

1F Binduyuan Hotel, 15 Zaoying Beili, Nongzhanguan Beilu, Chaoyang district, Beijing. Tel: 6500-0192