Craving something sweet—and reminiscing about our student days—we decided to head out to Wudaokou to rediscover Lush’s delectable mud pie. It was well worth the cab fare. The popular café and student hang-out knows just how to hit the spot. Created by co-founder Jeremy Johnston, the mud pie was the first dessert on the Lush menu and continues to be its best-selling dessert. Full of rich, chunky chocolate goodness, with an especially delicious candy-and-cookie base, a piece of this mouth-watering mud pie is guaranteed to satisfy your chocolate cravings. Lush product manager Josh Lally reveals the dessert is made entirely in house, and “although the recipe is a well-guarded secret, I can say there’s lots of chocolate, Oreos, peanuts and more … served with a generous topping of whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce.” And all that for just a paltry ¥30. The slices are huge, and best shared among friends. When we lived in the Wu, the mud pie at this 24-hour spot was our favorite 4am post-clubbing tradition, but it’s great after a dinner of Lush’s famous burgers or sandwiches, too.

Find it: 2/F, Bldg 1, Huaqing Jiayuan, Chengfu Lu Wudaokou, 五道口华清家园1号楼2层, Tel: 8286-3566