A delightful discovery

I had no idea what Wenzhou cuisine was like before I tried the food at Li Men, or Inner Gate, a newly opened restaurant and cafe adapted from a four-room Wangjing apartment.

The owner, Coco, is a graduate of a prestigious art school in Beijing, and the chef, is her mother. While the presentation of the dishes has a long way to go, their wholesome flavors spoke of a mother who knows her cooking.

The first starter, assorted bean sprouts, was crisp and refreshing, although the dried cuttlefish in it was hard to chew. A dried eel with soy sauce and vinegar, while also chewy, would probably go well with white liquor. These were followed by what the restaurant calls "soy sauce pork", but is actually a bowl of great-tasting preserved pork slices.

The main course was a five-spice duck, a marinated sheldrake from Wenzhou. This is a marinated duck that tastes soft and is very flavorful. Then came the vegetable dish - dried cauliflower with bacon - followed by a pork giblet tripe with slices of mushroom, Chinese yam and black fungus.

The dried cauliflower and pork giblet were better than at other home-style restaurants that I have tried in Beijing.

The fried thin rice noodle with tiny pork slices, onions and green bean sprouts was another winner. Served last was a bowl of typical Wenzhou brown croaker fish ball soup. The fish ball was so white and tender, you would think it was rice glue ball. A slice of ham and a piece of dried scallop added extra flavor to the light soup.

The chef showed off she is as good as any professional with an incredibly fresh and tender marinated sea crab with yellow rice wine, ginger and spring onion.

This is a simple eatery so don't go expecting any great service. Reservations are accepted for two to 10 people at more than 200 yuan ($30) a person.