International Herald Tribune, By Ann Mah When Yan Linqing craves the strong, sour flavors of her native Guizhou Province, she heads to the restaurant in the Guizhou Mansion, a bustling eatery owned and operated not by a local restaurateur, but by the Guizhou provincial government. Here, the menu features dishes like ze'er geng, or cold fish root, an intensely flavored vegetable, beloved in Guizhou, that is imported directly from the southern province. "I like to take friends there because I understand the food," said Yan, the food editor at the China Book Business Report.

In China, the diversity of the cuisine reflects the enormity of the country. From the lamb kebabs of the west, to the pan-fried cheese of Yunnan, to the searing spices of Sichuan, the provinces' flavors are as unique as they are varied. But in the capital, it is possible to taste China's panoply of regional cuisines without ever leaving the city. Each of the country's 22 provinces and five autonomous areas have representative offices in Beijing and almost all offer eateries that serve the dishes of their regions.

Beijing's hunger for regional cuisines has been evident since the 1920s, when no itinerant warlord would establish a household without bringing a chef to recreate his hometown favorites. "They really set the scene," said Eileen Wen Mooney, a food critic for Time Out Beijing, a local entertainment magazine. In recent years, China's capital has attracted migrants from around the country who are nostalgic for a taste of home, and who want to sample the complex flavors of far-flung provinces. As a result, interest in regional cuisines has blossomed, making Beijing's gastronomy the most diverse in the country - and these provincial government restaurants the city's best-kept culinary secret.

The popularity of the Sichuan government restaurant, known among regulars as the Chuan Ban, was certainly evident on a recent Saturday evening, as crowds filled the dining room and a line of people spilled out the door. Some patrons, like Susan Zhao, a human resources manager whose office is near the restaurant, eat there two or three times a week. "It's cheap," she said as she tucked into a plate of mala liang mian, a cold noodle dish. "The food is good. It doesn't get much better than this."

The restaurant imports Sichuan spices - including dried chilis, chili sauce and huajiao, or Sichuan peppercorn - to create the characteristic numbing burn of the southwestern province's cuisine. These special ingredients are handled by expert hands: All of the restaurant's chefs and servers train at a culinary school in Sichuan. "The flavor is very authentic, very spicy," said Wang Xiaonan, a patron, as his face turned red from the fiery meal. "This is the best Sichuan food in Beijing."

But authenticity isn't limited to Sichuan cuisine. At the Xinjiang government restaurant, customers stuff kebabs of cumin-scented halal lamb into the region's chewy flatbread, nang, or enjoy savory chicken stews hearty with tomatoes and thick noodles. The far western province's rough cuisine has been strongly influenced by the Uighur people, as well as by its Central Asian neighbors.

With an emphasis on delicate herbs and vegetables - "so many wild and special plants," said Wen Mooney, the food critic - the Yunnan government restaurant flies in fresh produce three times a week from the southern province. Crowds flock to enjoy salads of mint leaves, bigger and more flavorful than their northern counterparts, and seasonal mushrooms, including morels, which in Chinese are called yangduzi, or sheep's stomach. Slices of raw-cured Yunnan ham are saltily akin to prosciutto, while shavings of deep- fried cheese, traditionally made by the region's Dai minority, are crisp and light with a milky essence.

Not all the government restaurants focus on food. Dأƒآ©cor takes the spotlight at the restaurant for Mongolia, a province not usually celebrated for its cuisine. Here, patrons dine in individual yurts, each adorned with a stuffed sheep's head and a portrait of Genghis Khan. The menu offers roasted lamb rib roast and salads of wild greens, washed down with salted milk tea. When diners order a flask of airag, a Mongolian spirit, the staff sings a traditional song.

Those seeking to recreate the meals at home can combine a lunch out with a shopping trip. Most government restaurants also have stores that sell hard-to- find ingredients from their regions. Fragrant bags of Sichuan peppercorn, packages of dried five-spice tofu, and jars of Xianglajiang - a renowned chili sauce - are all for sale at the Sichuan government store. "Our chilis and peppercorn are fresher than anything you can find in Beijing shops," said the restaurant's manager, Cheng Lihong, who moved to Beijing six years ago from Sichuan to work at the restaurant.

Other government restaurants sell fresh vegetables, tea, cigarettes and liquor from their regions.

The flavors of regions outside Beijing are becoming so popular that some fear the city's local cuisine - a wheat-based diet of thick noodles, dumplings and flat breads - is taking a back seat. "Everyone wants to taste something different," Wen Mooney said. "That's fine, but you're forgetting your own food."

And, in spite of the authentic food available, some people find that dining at state-run restaurants has a downside. "There's absolutely no ambiance," Wen Mooney said, referring to the cavernous, fluorescent-lit Sichuan government restaurant. Yan Linqing, who acknowledged that her native Guizhou cuisine is becoming easier to find in Beijing, expressed disappointment in the poor service at the Guizhou government restaurant.

Still, a lack of atmosphere and efficiency has not affected business for the provincial government restaurants, many of which pack the dining room every night. In fact, the Sichuan government restaurant is so popular that a third branch is to open next month.

As he finished his Sichuan meal and swilled the last of his beer, Wang Xiaonan said he was not surprised by the success. "Crowds of people line up here everyday," he said. "If it's run by the Sichuan government, everyone knows it must be good."