For all the excitement generated by the flurry of new, freestanding restaurants in Beijing, many of the dining destinations set within the city’s long-established hotels continue to thrive, maintaining their reputations by tweaking, rather than changing, their classic menus. The following selection are more often than not solidly booked every night – and for good reason. (Prices in brackets show the average cost of a meal for two people, without alcohol.)
Two of the veteran players, Made in China in Grand Hyatt Beijing (beijing.grand.hyatt.com, RMB700/US$102) and Paulaner Brauhaus in the Kempinksi Hotel, Beijing Lufthansa Center (kempinkski.com, RMB800/US$116), were there at the very dawn of the Beijing culinary boom two decades ago, a time when a meal in a restaurant was considered an extra-special treat for the capital’s residents. Not any more: the composition of diners at these and other international-level establishments is now overwhelmingly Chinese – locals who can peruse a menu, scan a wine list, glance at a beer blackboard and order with confidence and authority.
These two restaurants’ longevity is testimony to the consistency of the food and service rather than any radical culinary innovation. Indeed, there are only so many ways to experiment with the preparation and cooking of “Peking duck” (Made in China’s speciality); and an equally limited number of options when trying to vary the taste and flavour of the German-style beers and hearty meat dishes that are staples at Paulaner Brauhaus.
Made in China’s long, narrow space is initially unprepossessing, located just off the lobby and somewhat cramped in configuration. However this has proved to be a positive feature: close-together tables and a compact open-plan kitchen make for an intimately convivial atmosphere, with conversations being conducted in
a multitude of languages, reflecting its status as a business-entertainment favourite.
Most repeat visitors to Beijing will be familiar with the Made in China menu, with its focus on authentic classic dishes including, of course, the duck, roasted in fruit-wood-fired ovens. The open kitchen arrangement, a real novelty when the restaurant first opened, allows chefs to display their noodle-making and dumpling preparation skills under the supervision of chef Kent Jin.
Each Peking duck restaurant in the city has its own take on preparing and presenting the dish: at Made in China, the bird is sliced into exactly a hundred pieces – count ’em! – and served with traditional pancakes, sauces, sugar, leeks and cucumbers. There is also a version served with caviar. Popular dishes from other regions feature on the menu too, including poached chicken with crushed peanuts, sesame and spicy sauce, and more upscale options include Shandong braised sea cucumber, double-boiled pigeon, wok-fried Australian wagyu beef and braised venison tendon with beancurd and spicy minced-beef sauce.
The food at Paulaner Brauhaus is less complex, featuring sturdy dishes that are designed to go with steins of freshly brewed Bavarian-style beers. That means different kinds of sausage, rich goulashes and filling soups, served in a rustic-themed room by waitresses in Bavarian-style costumes; in summer there is the option of dining outside, close to the Liang Ma canal, and in the autumn, raising a glass or ten at the annual Oktoberfest celebration.
The city now has plenty of excellent brewpubs, including Great Leap Brewing, Slow Boat and Jing A, but Paulaner was, without a doubt, the groundbreaker, introducing the concept of freshly brewed ale to citizens weaned on fizzy and insipid local beer.
Quyan (restaurants.accorhotels.com, RMB600/US$87) is a pioneer of a rather different kind. The flagship restaurant of the Sofitel Wanda Beijing specialises in “Luc Cai” cuisine from Shandong province – less well known, until now, than big-name regional players from Canton, Sichuan, Hunan and Shanghai. Among the dishes featured at this swish eatery is braised sea cucumber, smoked barbecued Rougie duck heart, fried Shandong pancake with Rougie duck liver, sliced Mandarin fish in rice wine and fried pork tenderloin with salted vinegar. Many of the recipes have been passed down through generations and include dishes from the province’s best-known cities – Qingdao, home of Tsing Tao beer, and Qufu, birthplace of the great scholar Confucius.
Another hotel restaurant ploughing its own distinctive culinary furrow is Country Kitchen (rosewoodhotels.com, RMB600/US$87) in the Rosewood Beijing, which took the decision to focus primarily on northern Chinese dishes, rather than following the more commonplace pan-China template. It proved to be an inspired decision: reservations are essential at this farmhouse-style venue, where patrons can watch chefs giving flamboyant displays of noodle-pulling while waiting for their order of traditional roasted pork, sizzling beef with coriander, pan-fried cabbage and Beijing-style spring onion buns.
A more formal approach can be found at Jing (beijing.peninsula.com, RMB1,000/US$145) in the Peninsula Beijing. The hotel has recently unveiled the results of an extensive year-long renovation, which saw the removal of its lobby-dominating marble staircase, the room sizes doubled and the restaurants refurbished.
Jing takes the farm-to-table approach with its Mediterranean-influenced food, using carefully selected suppliers at home and abroad to make sure the meats, fishes and vegetables are from organic, or traceable, sources. Standout starters include Icelandic scampi with truffled vegetables and Thai basil velouté, broccoli and cauliflower couscous and sweet corn soup with foie gras; among the main course specials are free-range chicken with vanilla coconut cauliflower purée, halibut with baby carrots, and home-made cured duck breast and muscatel mayonnaise.
The hotel has a strong art collection, as does Nuo, with a lobby that showcases works by renowned contemporary artist Zeng Fanzi and other striking paintings and sculptures. The property is located on the fringes of the 798 art district, home to scores of galleries and boutiques and now one of Beijing’s prime tourist attractions.
In N’Joy (nuohotel.com, RMB700/US$102), Nuo also has what is arguably the best buffet-style dining in the entire city, featuring gourmet options as well as a wide range of local and international staples. The dish selection is based loosely on the maritime routes taken by the famous adventuring Chinese admiral Zheng He, who roamed far and wide with a convoy of ships that, until World War II, was the largest fleet the world had ever seen.
Sunday brunch at the restaurant has a staggering range of options that include New Zealand mussels, Russian caviar, French oysters, Japanese sashimi (with a whole tuna on display), American lobster and Indian curries. During the warmer months, N’Joy offers the option of alfresco dining.
A more intimate – and country-focused – experience is offered at Beijing’s two Ritz-Carlton properties, both boasting fine-dining restaurants dedicated to showcasing Italian cuisine. Barolo (ritzcarlton.com, RMB1,000/US$145), a small and intimate restaurant seating just 58 people, is at the hotel chain’s downtown property, the Ritz-Carlton Beijing. Signature dishes include slow-cooked veal with salsa verde, balsamic reduction and sun-dried tomatoes, chickpea soup with lentils, pan-seared scallops and crispy bacon, mozzarella pasta with bacon, cauliflower purée and black truffle, and roasted cod with passion fruit sauce, soy sauce and vegetables.
Another favourite on the menu, created by Umbria-raised chef Amadeo Ferri, is lamb cooked in two different styles, accompanied by mashed potato, beetroot and broccoli. Ferri has worked all over the world, including spells with revered Spanish molecular-gastronomy maestro Ferra Adria.
The fabulously named Fabio Nompleggio is in charge of cuisine at Cepe (ritzcarlton.com, RMB600/US$87) in the Ritz-Carlton Beijing Financial Street, which has a main dining room seating 70 people, along with a wine lounge and private dining room. First-time visitors are enthralled by the 3,000 silver-painted mushroom sculptures hanging from the ceiling, and impressed by the range of Italian wines in the 2,000-bottle cellar. Among the menu specialities are seafood soup with scallop, prawn, shrimp, calamari and fresh fish, lobster linguine, veal medallion Milanese style and home-made pasta with traditional Bolognese sauce.
The Opposite House hotel, located right in the heart of Sanlitun, has established itself as one of the trendier places in town, favoured by the fashion, art and design crowd for drinks and dinner. Its showcase restaurant is Jin Yaa Tang (theoppositehouse.com, RMB500/US$73), a Peking duck-based establishment designed by Alan Yau (of Hakkasan fame) and featuring achingly modern décor that shows off exposed brickwork and lacquered walls. The menu, however, leans towards the traditional: as well as the duck, there are old favourites such as steamed scallops on tofu with black bean sauce, mapo dao fu, kung pao chicken and, at lunchtime, Hong Kong-style dim sum.
It is also something of a one-stop shop for an evening out – the ultra-trendy lounge bar Mesh is on the ground floor. In fact, being able to hunker down in one spot that has numerous options is one of the many advantages that hotels offer: Beijing, with its spread-out grid and horrendous traffic, is not a city that permits an adventurous schedule, hopping between different locations for cocktails, dinner and post-prandial drinks.
Finally, as a nod towards Beijing’s private-sector dining, we’ll move away from the hotels and highlight a restaurant that also attracts trendy Beijingers. Experimental food styles are featured at The Georg (thegeorg.com, RMB900/US$131), where diners can choose from dishes such as beetroot tartar, langoustine with Japanese egg and crispy chicken skin, and smoked bone marrow with artichoke. The restaurant is located in a faux imperial courtyard that also acts as an event space and showroom for Danish lifestyle brand Georg Jensen. It’s a fabulous spot: allow time for a pre-dinner stroll around the adjoining canal and the nearby imperial-era Bell and Drum towers.
