In a side street perpendicular to Nan Luo Guxiang, in the heart of Beijing, "The Source" offers Sichuan cuisine in an authentic courtyard house full of charm. It is well worth visiting.

Your arrival to "The Source" will feel like a journey through time. Located in a side street perpendicular to Nan Luo Guxiang, in the heart of Beijing, the restaurant opened more than two years ago and offers Sichuan cuisine. The establishment is hard to miss with its two red lanterns hung on either side of a heavy red door and its black sign on which golden characters are read right to left.

A small entrance surrounded by gray brick walls topped with carved tiles leads to a modest first room adjoined to a private room. The distinctive architecture of the siheyuan, the traditional courtyard house, is in all its glory in all three wings of the establishment. The first wing on the main floor is minimally decorated: dark wooden tables, red wooden beams, thin traditional chests, oval mirrors and a royal blue banquette.

Simple yet full of charm, and reminiscent of the houses and scenes of a refined life from yesteryear, mirrored on the golden wallpaper. Here and there you can find a bowl full of goldfish, another one with floating red rose petals and vases filled with twisted branches providing a final touch of elegance. The wooden framed windows face a welcoming courtyard strewed with trees and waiting for warmer days to spring out tables and chairs.

Three additional private rooms, including one above ground with a side staircase, are in the other two wings of the courtyard. One of the rooms is distinguishable by its low tables and blue cushions laid out on the floor. The subdued lighting, the white candles and the calligraphy covered screens provide an intimacy that only the posters of former Red Guards hung on the golden walls could disturb.

A painting from another era

Even the Peking opera notes heard in the background seem to melt into the piece from another era. Almost anachronistic, waitresses wearing uniforms reminiscent of Parisian cafes bring a simple menu in both English and Chinese. Expect a short list of dishes. "The Source" offers two menus: 188 RMB per person for the rooms on the ground floor or RMB 268 for that on the upper floor. The dishes vary with the number of people and change each week.

At first glance, the portions seem very modest. Presented in small rectangular plates decorated with a rose petal, the cold appetizers all arrive at the same time. The Sichuan-style sausages and rose flavored beef are easily recognizable; on the other hand the English translation of the other two entrees remains somewhat mysterious.

The hot dishes arrive mainly in small saucepans on portable stoves: pork with green beans and corn, mixed tofu and beef with tomato. The mushrooms chicken was served in a refined bamboo container. Each bite will be a real pleasure for seasoned-food lovers; seasoned but without excess. Noodles and rice are the suggested accompaniments. One low point was unfortunately the blandness of the noodles that the soup hardly adds to. Very quickly, dishes completely cover the table.

In this ballet of plates, it becomes difficult to recognize the dishes after a while, and the menu becomes useless. Surprise is expected given the available ingredients in the kitchen. You will leave with a full stomach as the waiters will provide you with ample suggestions of vegetables and meat dishes. The dinner ends on a sweet note: fruits and sesame seed yuanxiao, glutinous rice balls, perfectly conclude the feast.

Practical Information:
The Source (都江原): Open daily from 11AM to 2PM and 5PM to 11PM. 14 Banchang Hutong (perpendicular to Nanluoguxiang alley, south side) Kuanjie, Dongcheng District. Tel: 010-6400-3736

Text: Aurélie Palancher
Photos: Wang Zhuo
April 2008