Six years ago when I landed in Beijing, I was really excited to see 苟不理 (GouBuLi, a fake brand of the well-known 狗不理 steamed buns, although the pronunciation is the same). I couldn't wait and bought a plate. But it was a big let-down. The greasiness stopped me from even finishing the small plate. My wife repeated the same lesson. We both vowed never again for GouBuLi.

Later, native Beijingers told me, "GouBuLi is a Tianjin specialty. If you want to eat authentic ones, you should go to Tianjin." Coincidently my wife went to Tianjin and found the real GouBuLi steamed buns. "Delicious!" she exclaimed. "And very different from those other ones we ate. Next time let's go to Tianjin together."

That's when I realized the ones we ate were not authentic GouBuLi.

Several years passed. Just last month, my wife was running some errands at DaShiLan (大栅栏). She came across a newly opened GouBuLi restaurant and couldn't help treating herself to a plate. The steamed buns made her really happy because they tasted the same as those in Tianjin. Wondering if they have chain restaurants in Beijing, she searched the Internet and found another one in GuiJie (簋街, a street in Beijing famous for its crowded restaurants) at DongZhiMenNei. A friend of hers was about to go back to the States and this restaurant was chosen as the venue for their farewell dinner. I was so envious of their happy faces afterwards - when can I try the real GouBuLi?

Hal Stern read my blogs on and off for years. When his China trip was confirmed, he was determined to try this famous steamed bun. Yay, finally here comes my chance to try the genuine Tianjin GouBuLi. On the last day of his stay in China, four of us set off for GouBuLi restaurant in GuiJie.

Surprisingly, we found ourselves in a grand, well-decorated touristic restaurant: a pleasant foyer, receptionist, managers, waiters and waitress. Of course they have color-printed menus and wine menu separated too. One steamed bun costs up to 20 yuan — made and steamed right in front of you. Jim Baty had his first bite and said, "It's like champagne." Wow, that good? Everyone grabbed one. Hot, aromatic, and bite-size, each bun has soft shell and moist filling. Fantastic!

Other dishes were just OK; GouBuLi brand BaiJiu (hard liquor) was the exception. We had the stronger type. It tasted smooth and delightful. Compared to other well-known but expensive brands, this is great value. Definitely worth a try.