Every month, we like to shine a spotlight on the most delicious dishes we’ve stumbled upon recently. Eat up!

beastie baos
Bao House, RMB 48
Check out this new lunch haunt set up outside the Opposite House. We ordered this fatty little sandwich made with mantou and filled with deliciously chewy pork belly, pickled vegetables, cilantro, peanuts, and served with sweet chilli sauce. It’s a pricey place for the kind of food they offer, but it’s a nice atmosphere for these fusion Chinese delicacies.

fried okra
Home Plate Bar-B-Q, RMB 25
Fried okra brings us back to those gritty, road-side all-you-can-eat buffets that fuel America’s obesity problem. These are deliciously fried to a golden brown, with a little fresh green color showing through. These little nuggets are crunchy and flavorful, and come stacked high with a side of chilli mayo for dipping.

baked mashed potato
Ippudo, RMB 32
This dish comes served on a hot plate with a generous dollop of cheese and an egg cracked on top. Mash it up quick while the egg is still runny to maximize the textures. As if the dish isn’t satisfying enough, there’s the wonderful job of scraping toothsome eggy potato hardened onto the edges of the cast iron plate to look forward to.

traditional Beijing bean paste
Hua’s Restaurant, RMB 32
Don’t let the English name fool you, this traditional Beijing cold dish is actually cubes of toothsome pork jelly studded with green and yellow soy beans. Dip it in the accompanying dish of piquant vinegar-soy sauce. If you manage not to drop it with your chopsticks, you’re more skilled then we are.

chilli dog
Stuff’d, RMB 75
This almost foot-long ground beef sausage covered in chilli, cheese, and sour cream was truly a delight. Though it takes a little maneuvering getting the wide baguette into your mouth, this juicy dog was delicious, and it came with a side order of twice fried French fries and a healthy stack of wild greens.

Photo: dianping.com