Country Kitchen's old-world charm(2)

Rice wine-stewed fruits paired with soy-milk ice cream. [Photo by Dong Fangyu/China Daily]

Chai Xin, chief chef of Country Kitchen and a Beijing native, says that roasted and crispy pork in wood-fire oven were very popular with wealthy people in Beijing before the 1950s. However, most of the recipes got lost and have not been cooked since.

"We resurrected the classic crispy, tender pork belly cooked over fruit wood, which gives a special subtle fragrance. The meat is roasted for some three hours after being marinated with a dozen spices," Chai says.

Small plates involve China's different regional specialties including those from Beijing, Sichuan and northeastern China. I tried the fern- root noodles with spiced beef shank and mustard sauce, a savory and healthy cold noodles dish to start my meal.

Fern-root noodles, made from bracken starch, is a classic Sichuan cuisine. The dish adds Beijing-style seasoned beef with soy sauce on top of the noodles, making it a tricky combination among different Chinese cuisines.

Spiced black chicken feet are to my liking.

Boneless and thrown into a mix of pickled chili for more than 10 hours, the meat is just the right flavor: chewy, salty and spicy. But if chicken feet don't tempt you, try the chilled jellyfish with chili oil or the Beijing salad. The two appetizers are both a little sweet and sour, reflecting the taste of many Beijing dishes.