'Smelly' treats of Anhui

Anhui cuisine may be unfamiliar to many diners in Beijing, but Da Yong Hui is a good place to enjoy the signature dishes of this East China province. After a meal there, I realized that extensive use of dark-colored sauce and smoked and salted meat are two of the characteristics of Anhui cuisine.

Highly recommended are the "smelly" dishes such as smelly preserved mandarin fish that comes either grilled, boiled with soup, or stewed. My favorite is the stewed fish, which is spiced with red and green chili and soft.

The deep-fried smelly bean curd is a bit bland, but a black smelly bean curd, served as a cold dish, is better, with a pleasantly chewy texture.

The eatery has many good cold appetizers, such as peeled walnut, pickled vegetables, brown-braised duck, and preserved turnip. Stewed yellow catfish is incredibly soft and smooth, while a crispy rice dish, with pickled vegetable topping, makes for a deliciously nice change.

For staples, there is pan-fried cake with bamboo shoot and diced pork stuffing and Huishang noodles mixed with broth, and topped with dried bamboo shoot slices.

Dcor is average and traditional Chinese-style. Introductions to the cuisine adorn the walls. Service is adequate. The average cost is 100 yuan ($14.6) per person. Staff may not speak English, but the illustrated menu is easily understood.

Daily, 11 am-2 pm, 5-10 pm. 45 Zengguanglu, crossroad south of Zizhuyuan, Haidian district, Beijing. 8856-1006