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The rice ball fondue is a combination of glutinous rice balls floating in sugar syrup and a platter of dips, such as sugar and sesame and crushed peanuts. Photos by Fan Zhen / China Daily

The piquant chicken wings are topped with little cubes of lightly pickled white radish that are pleasantly refreshing.

Forget about the stringy cold soba noodles that pass off as Korean food in Beijing. Travel to the heart of the Forbidden City for some tasty Korean food that is prepared with care, and with an eye for authenticity. Pauline D. Loh points the way.

Nanluoguxiang is not generally known as a gourmet destination in Beijing, more known as it is as a tourist trap. That was why some of us were surprised by the discovery of some really good food in and around the neighborhood of the ancient Drum Tower. As prime spots in the city succumb to escalating rentals, enterprising restaurateurs are going to ground, in the ancient hutong off the main thoroughfares.

That is exactly where we found Saveurs de Coree, which in spite of its Francophilic moniker, serves very good Korean food. You have to read the small print on its calling card, the bit which says "Korean patio gourmet".

The restaurant is located off a side alley down Nanluoguxiang, but it is just a short walk off the main shopping street and easily found.

It is a small eatery, with interesting nooks and corners off a traditional courtyard. Our party of five found a sunny spot, pushed two tables together and settled to order.

There is a surprising variety on offer, and all items sounded genuinely Korean. We were told by the friendly waiter they are based on family recipes from the lady owner, a Korean married to a Chinese from Hong Kong. All are home-tested and carefully passed on to the resident chef.

All the classics are here, starting from traditional drinks like chilled cinnamon tea, and hot yuzu or candied citron tea.

The plethora of cold dishes that accompanies your usual Korean meal has been pared down to four little platters of spinach, braised yellow soybeans, spicy radish strips and the ubiquitous cabbage kimchi.

For starters, we ordered sweet and sour deep-fried mushrooms and deliciously piquant chicken wings topped with little cubes of lightly pickled white radish that were really refreshing.

We also had some fried tofu triangles served with the traditional onion sauce. That, together with the mushrooms, would have made a vegetarian very happy.

However, our voracious group wanted meat, and so we ordered a spicy Korean seafood soup and then the classic ginseng chicken soup. Both were well-flavored and hearty and would hit the spot nicely on cold winter days.

If you are still hungry, as we were, order the seafood pancake and the bibimbap, or Korean stone pot rice.

The pancake is full of pink shrimps and snowy squid strips on a base of wilted spring onions and brings you right back to the Namdaemun street food stalls. Our bibimbap was rapidly shared out and demolished.

Incidentally, the waiter is careful to ask you the degree of spiciness you can accept, and although we insisted on the spiciest they could offer, we saw the warning in his eyes. It is not unwarranted and the less initiated should go cautiously forward. It can get pretty spicy, especially the liquid fire that is the seafood soup.

No meal is without a sweet ending, and this is where the restaurant bows to the cosmopolitan trend, offering a very nice ice cream with expresso. It really is pure expresso and gives you quite a kick that has to be soothed by the melting ice cream.

Personally, I really enjoyed what is listed on the menu as rice ball fondue. Little globes of glutinous rice float in a sugar syrup in a ceramic fondue pot, and they come with a platter of dips such as sugar and sesame and crushed peanuts. It was a clever interpretation of an old-fashioned dessert.

Presentation is very much a strong point with Saveurs de Coree, and the elegantly styled dishes will find favor with both traditionalists and the modern cosmopolitan.

I almost hesitated in writing this review, since I know the next time I go, I may not find a ready table waiting. It's one of those hip places waiting to happen.

Contact the writer at

paulined@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 01/20/2013 page14)