There's a new dumplings restaurant open for business in Beixinqiao area; no English-language sinage on the front but the name is A Chun Jia -- or maybe even "Awwwww Spring Family" -- and their specialty is Nanjing-style crab soup dumplings and variations there upon. According to sign out front they're offering the "best on earth". Congrats to them! A spread of the restaurants specialties -- three variations of crab soup dumplings If you're a dumplings gourmand, they're definitely worth a taste. Southern-style crab soup dumplings are a bit of a rarer breed in Beijing, and if you want to extend you're experience of the dish past Mr Shi's Dumplings (admittedly stellar dumplings, of course), A Chun Jia offers a deeper cut into the world of steamed cuisine. Nanjing-style dumplings are bit larger than other variants and almost all soup. They explode on contact; you've got to watch yourself. Tick, tick, tick, BOOM Basically, you pierce the skin, suck out the soup and then down the bun casing. These right here are the uppermost tier on the menu. "Pan-friend Bun Stuffed with Crab Caviar and Abalone" -- the Rolls Royce of crab dumplings. 30rmb for a serving of two. Maybe that's a little on the expensive side. This is what it looks like when you go looking for that soup. It ain't pretty and you should watch out. It's hot, hot, hot! So the main components of the broth is crab roe and abalone and it's a very rich and pungent seafood taste. Very marine like. Abalone doesn't taste like much on it's own (in my experience) and is maybe more there to give it a lux edge and justify the price, but the crab caviar really gives it a strong and briny flavor. If you're not a seafood person, you're going to be in for a shock. That's a warning. Less of a challenge maybe is their standard soft bun offering: "Steamed Bun Stuffed with Crab Meat and Crab Caviar". These are a very thin casing with, again, super hot crab soup. Basically, it's a bag of soup that you slurp out. It's a bit of a smoother blend though than the fried bun variation and a bit more meaty -- the milder crab meat is a bit more pronounced in these, offsetting the very flavorful caviar. A serving of four is 30rmb. There's a third option which is somewhere in between. It's got the milder crab soup in a pan-fried bun. Good for a middle ground. It's pictured above on the plate of four -- the two on the left. Other points of interest at A Chun Jia: if you're eating dumplings you also get access to their side bar, which is a bunch of angry looking cold dishes -- oily salads and snails -- and all kinds of variations of soy sauce and vinegar. Really, you're not starved for choice with vinegar and soy. That's a lot of soy Mmmmm... A sampling of delicious and slimy things... A further recommendation if you're frightened off by the crab is their beef dumplings. Really delicious, hearty, and filling. Great for a snack. Two for 15rmb. On finding the place: A Chun Jia is just on Dongsi Beidajie, on the south east corner of the intersection with Dongzhimen Neidajie, right across from Beixinqiao Metro Station on Line 5. There's no number. No one in the shop knew the number. There were no business cards... sigh. Just look for the green sign with the smiling girl on the front.