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Seared perfection
( Beijing Weekend)
Updated: 2004-09-03 13:59
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fried shrimps
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Chinese tieban and Japanese teppanyaki are well known culinary delights of many people in Beijing. But Beijing Ritan Inn House's French Alps style braserade may not sound so familiar.
A chef stands in front of a steel plate two metres long and almost a metre wide surrounded by a table capable of seating 8 people.
No fire can be seen but the iron plate is heated by gas flames up to 200-300 degrees centigrade.
Apart from soup and dessert, all the dishes ordered were cooked on the iron plate.
The chef poured golden Australian olive oil onto the plate and used foil to heat the sauce for the dishes.
First to be presented was a South China style soup with several pieces of shrimp meat, cuttlefish, cod and dried shellfish. The taste is mild but fresh.
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Sunflower abalone
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The dai zi, a white seafood chopped in the shape of round disc, is wrapped in flour before being grilled. It is served with a sauce made of honey and mustard, accompanied by broccoli.
Silver cod followed with sweet-tasting onions and small Chinese cabbages on the side.
Also worth mentioning is a beef fillet with grilled golden garlic cubes.
At last, a fried rice with pieces of bacon, egg whites, green pepper, onion and carrot was a little overcooked but still fragrant and tasty.
Each plate of food is small, but the meal is filling enough, and almost all the food is mild in taste.
The respectful manager recommends the Japanese beef steak, Kobe steak and beef-wrapped goose liver. For these dishes, the beef is imported from Japan.
The menu offers set menus from between 370 yuan (US$45) to 1,450 yuan (US$176).
Observing the 17 luxuriously decorated private rooms of the Beijing Ritan Inn House, one gets an idea why the prices are so high.
There is a view of three landscaped courtyards connected by a small river to make the experience more blissful. The centre garden, linked to Ritan Park, is excellent for outdoor eating.
Whether it is two or twenty, there is a private room for all patrons. There is no need to see your neighbours, and no more than one 'tieban' per room.
For the less adventurous, but no less exacting, Beijing imperial style food, Cantonese food, Japanese food, and Western style food is available.
Location: Southwest corner, Ritan Park, Chaoyang District
Tel: 6500-5883
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