House of Nanking   

While its cooking is tailored to the Caucasian palate, there's no denying that Nanking is popular with students and tourists, who line up for the inexpensive, spicy food. Try the good spring-onion cakes or the spicy, dry-cooked string beans. Dishes include shrimp cooked in Tsing Tao beer, with thick, chewy noodles. If it's ambience you crave, you're out of luck: the bare-bones restaurant is always busy, the service notoriously curt. We don't understand its cult status, but go if you must.