Yet again demonstrating that the Hutongs offer some interesting possibilities for small, agile businesses, White Tiger Village is Nathan Zhang’s latest venture (who opened the innovative, upcycling Brandnü charity shop to support rural women in China and heavily involved with the classy Chi restaurant on Wudaoying Hutong by Lama Temple).
Situated on Xiang’er Hutong, White Tiger Village 白老虎村 is an experimental Chuan’er 串儿 (obligatory pirate accent for proper Beijing pronunciation) and Dong Bei 东北 restaurant. The name comes from his hometown and Nathan has recreated dishes that his mother cooks in this novel space.
The open kitchen where you can watch your skewers being prepared and barbecued pays homage to the streetside vendors you used to visit before the Chengguan decided to ruin all the fun. This is the future of Chinese street food and whilst many of you may be nostalgic for RMB 2 Tsingtao-fuelled night market feasts, this is definitely much more hygienic and so much more cozy for the winter months.
White Tiger’s Soft-Opening Menu
Still working out kinks and constantly making adjustments for improvement, White Tiger Village’s simple and focused menu (a handful of salads and stews to accompany your assortment of chuan’er) fits nicely on one narrow menu page with an additional sheet of “newly added menu items” to test feedback and see whether these new creations make the cut for White Tiger’s next menu update.
Between the two of us, we brought our appetites with the intention of tasting every single dish on offer. And although we did ask Nathan to bring us one of everything, we narrowed our choice of stew to their Daily Beef Stew (instead of both beef and veggie stew) and cut our the peanuts in vinegar as well. So aside from these few items, here’s pretty much everything you can currently order at White Tiger Village!
Jinzhou Dry Tofu Salad (RMB 20)
Daqian’s Beef Salad (RMB 40)
Daily Beef Stew (RMB 40)
Assortment of Skewers off both regular menu + new menu creations
More Skewers!
Garlic Bread (RMB 6)
New Zealand Lamb Skewer (RMB 20)
Spicy Chicken Wing Skewer (RMB 12)
Seafood Salad (RMB 30)
Highlights of our first dining experience at White Tiger Village were the Beef Stew (super tender and flavorful), Jinzhou Dry Tofu Salad (a special recipe from Nathan’s mom using organic tofu) and both the New Zealand Lamb and Chicken Wing Skewers. The garlic bread needed a whole lot more garlic and the seafood (squid) salad was drenched in nasal-clearing wasabi, but overall the range of skewers has a lot of potential and Nathan was super keen for critical feedback and skewer ideas which we had aplenty to share. And one of the best perks of dining at White Tiger Village is that you have Jing-A craft beer on tap and a fantastic selection of both red and white wines available by the glass and bottle for very reasonable prices! Highly recommended!
Very much a work in progress, but this place is full of potential to become Beijing’s coolest destination for quality chuan’er and definitely worth visiting and supporting. Nathan is one of the nicest and most humble characters in Beijing’s F&B scene and he’s very much committed to making menu improvements on a daily basis. The food is already good, just slightly inconsistent. This will improve with time, owner Nathan is constantly experimenting to sharpen his new creation.
While he previously offered yummy noodles for lunch, he’s since scrapped that and he’s got grand plans for a steal lunch deal to draw in those close to the Beixinqiao and neighbouring hutong hoods so stay tuned!
The layout and concept are unique in Beijing and here’s hoping to see the suggested and well received idea for a Lamb and Halloumi Chuan’er come onto the menu! *fingers crossed!*
Contact Details for White Tiger Village:
- Address: Close to the east end by Dongsi Beidajie, 84 Xiang’er hutong, Dongcheng district
- Chinese Address: 东城区香饵胡同84号
- Tel: 5719 2684
- Opening Hours: Open Tuesday-Sunday from 11AM-2PM; 5PM-11:30PM
About Kristen
Kristen Lum has an accomplished background in PR, communications and events in China. Born and raised in California, Kristen has been based in Beijing since 2006 and is founder of the lifestyle blog called LumDimSum, covering mostly restaurant news and reviews alongside upcoming events around town that relate to Beijing’s muti-faceted, quickly-developing creative industries like art, music, film, health and fitness, fashion, nightlife, charity events, and travel tips.
