Fatburger - new burger joint in town

This is an american chain - somewhat like carl's junior. Fatburger opened its first shop in Beijing near the US embassy at Liangmaqiao. Quite a yummy alternative to McD. Looks every inch like a burger joint with no pretensions of being an "up market" dining space.

Sets ( with fat fries and a drink) range from 40-100RMB. The 100RMB burger is a triple patty delight for carnivores :)

Fatburger is located at 北京市朝阳区东方东路19号亮马桥外交公寓1号楼会所内

Brunch at Maison Boulud

Had brunch with the boss and colleagues today at Maison Boulud. Also got to meet a couple of interesting people from Taiwan - a really fun and down to earth stylist who owns 2 cats ( in my mind, any cat owner's got to be a great person - a cool beauty editor who's just relocated to Beijing and a business woman who's apparently well known in Taiwan because she brings in the biggest names in luxury.. this lady is checking out locations to set up shop in Beijing I think... I obviously don't know who this lady was but I perked up my ears when my lunch companions mentioned she brought in Balenciaga, Camper and several other familiar brands into Taiwan. I was intrigued...

Back to the most yummy brunch ... I ordered Eggs Benedict ( my fav). The egg was done to perfection - the white was a firm film holding in the gooey yellow goodness of the viscous-y yolk. It sat upon a bed of boiled spinach, a slice of ham and muffin and was discreetly drizzled with Hollandaise sauce. It was awesome! We also had a selection of appetizers - the escargots and beef tartare are dishes I'm sure to go back for. After lunch, we had complimentary dessert ( thanks to our boss who goes there so often). I totally enjoyed the trio of sorbet, especially the tart passionfruit flavor. Also loved the decadent chocolate tart!

You can bet I'll be back for another brunch

mmmmm... at Capital M

Last weekend, my uncle and aunt took us to Capital M for dinner. It was an enjoyable experience!

Capital M is the latest offering from the M group that runs M on The Bund in Shanghai. It's located at Qianmen, overlooking the Qianmen tower. When I first heard of it, I dismissed it as another over-priced-tiny-portion place that left me hungrier than when I began a meal. Turns out, the portions were pretty sizeable... After the starter and my main, I was seriously stuffed.

For starters, I had the pigeon. It was tender and pretty tasty. My uncle found it a little gamey for his tastes, preferring his delish foie gras instead. Daniel's Wagyu Beef Carpaccio was also yum especially if you like beef. My Aunt's Elizaethan salad was essentially greens with oranges and chestnut. It was simple, fresh and thankfully, not over dressed.

For mains, I really have to recommend the roast sucking pig. Man! This was yummier than the one at Agua ( Qianmen 23)! There were three big slices, each approx 2.5" by 2.5" big. The skin was so crispy I swear I could hear it crackle. The meat was so moist and and tender you barely had to chew. I was so busy eating I forgot to take pictures...

Dan had the Oxtail which saw him nod and smile that approving smile before his declaration of "very good". My uncle had the lamb which he complained if being too dry... until he realised there was a gravy bowl on the side!! With the gravy, the lamb was much tastier :).

As we waited for the bill, they served us some small sweets consisting of white and dark chocolate, cookies and rose flavoured turkish delight. I'm usually not a fan of gummy sweets but this turkish delight I liked... reminded me of Bandung!

Service was attentive but could do with a little more polish. W e saw Karen Mok leaving after her dinner and asked staff if it was indeed Karen Mok. The waitress ran after her!!! All 4 of us were trying hard not to shout "NO NO NO". The waitress heard us. Phew. And Karen turned around on hearing the waitress clattering after her. Dan and my uncle caught another glimpse and confirmed it was her!

I would recommend the restaurant if you're impressing a guest - the view is spectacular. The overall setting is very chic but at times overly oriental for my tastes. The food though gets my thumbs up. This is a place worth going for a special night out with a partner. Expect to spend about 400RMB each ( for just mains and starter).

The schoolhouse at Mutianyu

We took a loooong ride to Mutianyu great wall last saturday with my uncle and aunt to try out a restaurant called The Schoolhouse. Set at the foot of the wall, in the village of Mutianyu, the Schoolhouse is a converted school building that now serves as restaurant, glass making workshop and local handicraft centre. I loved how quaint everything was! There are even house for rent. These luxurious "villas" come with 2-4 bedrooms and are perfect for a short weekend getaway in the countryside.

Back to dinner at the Schoolhouse. The view was spectacular of course. We got there as the sun was setting. And you could see the green hills and stone cold facade of the wall turn a warm shade of orange. The sky slowly faded into a dusky blue and streaks of pink. It was truly beautiful. It's rare to see such clear skies in Beijing... once it got dark, you can see stars in the sky. It's almost as if someone cast a shimmery black throw across the sky. Really breathtaking. Living in the city, with all its light pollution, I've forgotten how beautiful the night sky could look. 

Dinner was nice too. All the ingredients are locally sourced in Huairou district where Mutianyu is. I had an appetiser of duck liver with apple and some choux pastry while Dan had the smoked rainbow trout. I have to say the trout was far nicer than my duck liver, probably because there wasn't enough fruit to reduce the gamey taste of the duck. Still it was a nice dish.

For mains, my uncle had the duck leg which was so tender it fell off the bone as he sliced it.  My aunt had a grilled local fish marinated with Huairou honey.  I'm not a fan of fish but that night, I tried both fish dishes and they were remarkably delicious.  I had lamb chops with walnut which were ok. Not mindblowing but still tasty. Dan had the local T-bone steak. That was one MONSTER steak weighing close 750grams. It was somewhat tough but the marinade was yummy. I'm not sure I would have the steak or lamb again but the duck and grilled fish are worth a second try. 

For dessert we had some chocolate mousse and creme de menthe ice-cream. The ice cream was slightly sweet but it was a great palate cleanser after 750g of steak. The chocolate mousse was ok too but not particularly memorable.

I would go back to The Schoolhouse again to give the food another shot. Maybe the dishes I had weren't too exciting. But the breathtaking view, the warm welcome the proprietress gave us and the quaint setting .. these were beyond par.  

Romancing Juliette

Had lunch over the weekend at Juliette's  ( at TongLi studio, in Sanlitun) before catching the new GI Joe movie. We wanted to try something new and decided to give Juliette's a try after reading about it in one of those dining guides.  

I must say... there's nothing wrong with the food... but I think I got more satisfaction out of watching GI Joe...

The 2 course set lunch menu was a very reasonable 128rmb and even comes with a glass of drinkable wine. I had the beef consomme with foie gras. The foie gras was stuffed into 3 little raviloi/ dumpling- like pastry and cooked. Looks a bit like having wanton in beef soup. That was tasty but nothing to shout about. 

For my mains, I had the grilled duck served with risotto. The dish was fairly huge.  There was probably a whole duck breast filleted and arranged around a fairly big serving of risotto.  The duck was a tad fatty  but that's to be expected from duck. I peeled off all the duck fat and skin simply cos it was too terrifying to even contemplate eating all that fat.  The flesh wasn't too gamey but neither was it so delicious that I couldn't wait to eat it all. However, i think it made a good match for the risotto which tasted strongly of parmesan cheese.  I liked the risotto but Daniel would have liked it a little more al dente.

Dan's starter of tuna and shrimp salad with lobster reduction was quite refreshing but again, it didn't exactly send either of us into a rhapsody of how delicious it was. It was simply ok. Dan's main was some form of stewed beef tenderloin. Tasted good but again, not great enough for us to want to specially make a trip back.

Dessert is thrown in for another 10RMB more. I wasn't feeling too great so I skipped dessert. Daniel had the 3 scoops of ice-cream; I had a taste. Ice cream came in 3 flavours- chocolate, pistachio and coconut - none of which I particularly like. There was a chocolate "soup" as a dessert choice which sounded more interesting. If you're eating at Juliette's and happen to try the choc soup, let me know if it's any good!  

Verdict: Ok if you wander past and decide to grab a bite. But not exactly worth making a special trip down to try.  Oh.. and the service was somewhat shakey. The staff didn't know what the dishes were or how they were cooked which caused a little confusion when we ordered the beef tenderloin. We thought it was cooked like regular steak and not stewed. 

Sadler up!

Ok, corny attempt to pun... We went to Ristorante Sadler last weekend with my uncle & family to try a 2 Michelin star meal. Located in Beijing's Legation Quarter ( No. 23 Qianmen), this is one of those glam places the snotty types would like to see and be seen. We were just there for the food. 2 star chef wor! I've always wondered what was the big deal about the Michelin stars. Apparently, chefs have gone into depression and even attempt suicide after losing a star!! 

So off we went to satisfy our curiosity and our rumbling tummys. 

 

On the decor - it was elegant and chic. A great place to relax but not the kind

 for a boisterous party!  

On the service: Attentive and they served iced water. Unlike some places in Beijing that insist you have to buy mineral water that costs as much as a starter! The staff also made an effort to take our order in English when they realised our conversation was in English. So I give them points for effort.

On the food: 

The bread basket was fantastic. They were very generous with the bread which were served warm. The cheese flavored bread tasted the best. My cousin quietly polished off all three in the basket he was sharing with his parents. Bread was served with pesto, olive oil and salt. My cousin asked for butter but apparently there's none to be had. No big deal since I like bread with olive oil anyway. It dawned upon me much later in the meal, why they gave so much bread... 

My cousin ordered a lobster consomme ( i vaguely remember this being 150RMB). He didn't like it. I ended up having most of it. It' nothing like a creamy lobster bisque. This is a brown broth that's poured over grilled veggies and I think morel mushroom. On first taste, you'd think you just drank perfumed water. It tasted very floral.  The taste grew on me. Takes a while to realise it's not flowers you're tasting but lobster roe. But there's not a hint of lobster flesh anywhere in the serving. So this was one really expensive soup. 

We also had squid- balls. Kinda like bouncy sotong balls bac

k in Singapore, without the bounce. There were only 4  balls. The sering was small but the plus point was, each ball was pure unadulterated minced squid. No flour.  The best starter was the Risotto cooked with Prosecco ( bubbly wine). it was cheesy sweet and oh so good! 

My Aunt had the blue fin tuna, daniel had the slow cooked lamb, my uncle had the wagyu beef, my cousin the lobster ravioli and myself, the sea urchin roe pasta.  The ravioli and pasta servings were super duper tiny. My cousin, a growing teenage boy was disappointed to count only 5 pieces of ravioli on his plate. 

My pasta had quite a generous serving of sea urchin but the overall serving was so small that I finished my pasta in 4 bites. 

I guess the pasta isn't supposed to be a main course. I believe pasta is kind of like a 2nd starter in real Italian meals.  ( Lightbulb went off in my head here... so that's why there's so much bread!) 

Serving size aside, my sea urchin roe pasta was delicious. It had an interesting flavor reminiscent of seafood marinara... just with a more premium type of seafood I guess.  My cousin did not enjoy his lobster ravioli as much because it had that same perfumed taste of his consomme. Poor boy just ate more bread. As did I. 

The beef and lamb came in much bigger servings. My uncle proclaimed the beef to be yummy (it better be at over 300RMB!!) and Dan's lamb was good too - tender with a mild gamey taste and coated in a delicious pastry with crushed nuts. The blue fin tuna was also nice ( again... better be at that price!) 

We shared 2 desserts - one of Tiramisu which was really yummy, and the second was Tete de Moine( cheese) with a glass of port. Dessert ranged form 70 - 150RMB.  The restaurant also served us a plate of complimentary after dinner sweets. That was really nice of them! There were 3 varieties and enough for each of us to try all three sweets.  

At the end of the meal, our curiosity ad rumbling tummys were satisfied though the servings were small. I suspect I was stuffed from all that bread. I enjoyed the food and the wine immensely but I'm not sure if I'll be coming back again soon at these exorbitant prices and tiny servings. 

But would I recommend the restaurant? Sure! If you want to expose your palette to something different, and if you need to impress a client or a date. And if you want to experience the creativity of a 2 michelin star chef. 

A palette of wines at Palette Vino

We read about the new Palette Vino in City Weekend recently and decided to give it a try. The food reviews weren't that great but what attracted us  was the extensive wine list. 

So off we went. If you haven't been to the restaurant, then looking for it is quite a hassle cos it's located within a very local hutong. Our cabbie stopped us on the wrong end of the road and we spent the next 15mins meandering through a dusty hutong with tonnes of construction. On the bright side, it was interesting being a voyeur and looking into people's homes :P

The restaurant was a tiny place with seats for about 20 people ( including seats in the courtyard). Any more and I'm sure we'll be sitting along the walkway with the old men and their chess sets. The food was reasonably priced at 98rmb for a 3 course meal or 118rmb for 4 courses.  At 3 courses, you get to choose a salad, a pasta and main course. The fourth course is dessert.  I had the bacon wrapped grilled chicken with greens, shrimp pasta shells and grilled lamb chops. Food was alright. Not something to bowl you over but definitely tasty. Dan had the beef ribs which seemed a little bland. And Miss Qoo had grilled salmon which she said was ok too.

What I really liked was the large variety of wine by the glass. Allows you to try several different types of wine without breaking the bank. You could get a glass for 35RMB or 40RMB.  There were at least 5 reds and 5 whites to select from. The list of wines by the bottle was truly quite extensive- prices started from 190RMb for a bottle. 

I liked the fact that all the wine was on display in the dining area. Feels as if you're dining in a cosy wine cellar. Dan was like a kid in a candy store, examining all the wines, seeing a few that he hasn't been able to get previously in Beijing. You can almost see the thought bubble above him, " Where to start? Where to start? So much wine, so little time (and money haha)" 

Will I come back? Yes I would just to chill out and enjoy the wine and good company. It's a great place to hang out in summer. 

Address: 5 Dong Si Shi Yi Tiao 东四十一条5号

Tel: 6405 4855 

Fine dining beside the forbidden city

Went for dinner at Domus over the weekend. We were inspired to try out one of City Weekend's Gourmet month menus ( City weekend is like a Timeout. Provides clueless expats information on where to eat, party and shop) The promotional menu was going for 250RMB each. Though its a lot to spend for a meal, Dan and I figured the set was a better deal than trying a la carte dishes. So off we went with some friends.

Apparently Domus means 'home' in Latin. I can't exactly say this looked like any home I've been to! Located beside the forbidden city, in an old courtyard house ( siheyuan), this restaurant is awash with Italian furniture in deep dark hues, interesting grey brick walls and beautiful chandelier lamps.  I give the place 2 thumbs up for its gorgeous decor! 

I had the 250rmb gourmet month menu with consisted 

• Amuse bouche (a very quaint serving of asparagus soup in a tiny cup and a cracker topped with slivers of red and yellow peppers)
• Beef Tartar French style, Frites and Salad ( essentially marinated raw beef with 1 raw egg on top. Yummy! )
• Butternut Cream Soup Roasted Chestnuts in Salted Butter and Black Truffle Emulsion  (The soup was creamy and smooth. Chestnuts added a bit of texture to the dish) 
  
• Pigeon Roasted in Tobacco Leave, Green Pea Infused with Bacon, Carrot Puree, Pigeon Jus ( The pigeon was a tad bit raw for my liking )
• Chocolate mousse journey, violet flower white, nougat milk and orange blossom ( This was one impressive looking dessert and there was so much of it to eat! The orange blossom added a delicate bouquet to the chocolate mousse) 

I enjoyed the beef tartar immensely but didn't quite enjoy my main course. The other person having the same menu ordered Salmon as her main course. I wonder how that was...The dessert was yummy and I think I may have enjoyed it more if there was 1 less course in my meal, mainly because the mousse was very heavy.  

Dan and our other dinner friends had another set menu for 288RMB consisting:

• Amuse bouche
• French onion soup  ( this looked yummy and didn't have too much cheese on top)
• Pear, walnut and goats cheese salad ( Dan liked the salad. Said the cheese was good) 
• Duck confit ( Everyone at the table agreed this was far too salty. So I guess they didn't enjoy it that much)
• lemon tart deconstructed ( Essentially ll the elements of lemon tart made into un-tart-like serving. This was a very refreshing dessert with lemon cream, lemon sorbet and lemon meringue - a perfect end note to a heavy dinner) 

We also ordered 2 bottles of Penfolds' red wine to be shared between 5 people. Our tab came up to approximately 500rmb per person which is quite a kingly sum for a regular dinner outing. So what's my final verdict? Worth a look see if you're feeling flush. The starters and desserts were fabulous. But the main dishes could do with a little improvement. I would go back if there's a promo. Otherwise, it's simply too expensive.

Address

115 Nan Chi Zi Street, Tian'anmen located across from Tiandi Yijia 北京东城区南池子大街115 号 天地一家正对面

Tel: 8511-8015

Spirited away to Spice Spirit

Some time last year, a local friend, knowing how much I love spicy food, took me  to eat at Spice Spirit. One taste and I was hooked. The creative Sichuan food was tongue-numbingly spicy and I loved it! 

6 mths later, I got a chance to take Daniel there. He was initially skeptical - what could be so great about a chain store serving Mala food? 

Well, it was certainly good enough for him to take his friends back there for a meal :) At our meal, we had Mala spicy prawns, Sour spicy mushrooms, Vinegared tapioca flour noodles and a non-spicy veggie soup. Ah, we also ordered a jug of  sour plum drink. This sumptuous spread cost us less than 200RMB. 

We ordered everything at mid-level spiciness which was alright for me. Poor Daniel however, was dripping sweat 5 mins into the meal because of the spice. At that point, we determined that Spice Spirit's a a great place to dine on a cold winter's day. 100% guaranteed to warm you up! 

Not only was the food good, the restaurant was also very tastefully decorated. It seems like a standard look across the chain of restaurants. We were eating at the Shuangjing outlet, located within Viva Mall. Spice Spirit is also found at The Village.  Check out this website for more locations www.spicespirit.com

Brunch@ W dine & Wine

Tried out W Dine& Wine's egg brunch yesterday. It was yummy especially if you love eggs. For 58 RMB ( about SG$13) , you get a coquette ( a little cast iron pot) filled with 2 eggs and fillings of your choice, and separate servings of hash browns, baked beans and pan fried tomatoes.  A cup of fresh juice is also includes in the price.  I thought it was a very good deal.

I had half cooked eggs with bacon and Ratatouille Nicoise while Daniel had eggs with duck liver and raisins.  Both were lip-smackingly good! 

22-1 Dongzhimenwai Dajie, Dongzhimen opposite Canadian Embassy 

东直门外大街22-1号 加拿大大使馆对面  Tel:6416-9838

Lijiang Pork rib hotpot @ San Die Shui

Dan & I checked out a new place last weekend called San Die Shui Lijiang Waxed Pork Rib Hotpot 三叠水丽江腊排骨火锅.  It's located in a little hutong along  Gu Lou Da Jie, not far from Nanluoguxiang. 

We had the hotpot of course. 78rmb gives you a fair amount of ribs, tomatoes, celery and potato. You also get a small bowl of spicy dip made of fermented tofu, chilli flakes, black sesame and coriander.   The ribs are a tad tough but definitely tasty, being preserved and all. The soup base started out real salty - i guess from the ribs - but after restaurant staff added more stock, it tasted absolutely heavenly. It was a mix of salty, sweet & sour ( thanks to the massive number of fresh tomatoes).

Also had their Luoguo fan 锣锅饭  (18 rmb); sticky rice steamed in a bronze pot with lightly fried potatoes. The rice was lightly salted which made it quite addictive to eat. To wash down the food, we ordered the homemade rice wine, which had a lovely sweet after taste. 

Though we only ordered 2 dishes, we could hardly finish the food. We should have stuck to having just the hotpot but I was hungry! 

In terms of decor, this place is as simple as it gets. It's a typical small chinese eatery that's gotten a lighting upgrade, a new coat of paint,  simple wooden chairs and a hotpot table. It's more suited for a simple meals with close family and friends. 

Address: 鼓楼东大街东公街 25号 （ 交道口西边第一个胡同） 

Tel: 6404 1190