Yun Teng Binguan (Yunnan Provincial Government Beijing Office)

Yunnan province, located in south-west China, is known for a wide range of mushrooms and exotic vegetables. Yun Teng Binguan. with its adjoining hotel and restaurant, is where visiting representatives stay and dine when they come to the capital on official business – and it’s the real thing.

Come here for qiguoji (chicken soup stewed in a clay pot) or wild mushrooms such as niuganjun, jizhong, songrong – this last is the best, but is only available in autumn. Bee pupa, a Yunnan delicacy, is deep-fried till it puffs up like a balloon; cactus, also dipped in an egg-flour batter and deep fried to a golden color, has more substance. Down your food with rice wine made with black rice, which is especially fragrant and sweet.