Best Bites of Beijing (March 3 - 9)

[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Yunnan food meets pop culture at XBEK

XBEK is a hip and modern Yunnan restaurant and cafe. The name takes the initials of the owner's two cats': Xiaobei and Erkuai. The slogan on the menu of XBEK says that "the world needs a young Yunnan restaurant". Through the food, the owner wants to present what young people in Yunnan are really after. After all, not every restaurant in Yunnan serves insects and not all rice wine is served in bamboos.

In XBEK, fried dishes are served in brown paper boxes, rice noodles are perfect for a weekday meal while traditional drinks and desserts work well for afternoon tea. Despite the hip personality, the food is very Yunnan in its genes.

XBEK, B114, Fortune & Finance Center office building, 7 East Third Ring Middle Road, Chaoyang district, Beijing (010 – 13683017713)

[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]