Barolo- it must be one of the best Italian restaurant in town

Barolo- it must be one of the best Italian restaurant in Beijing.

Thanks to my friend who is a real foodie and frequent traveller to Beijing for his cool biz trips, Barolo is definitely one which I would rate the maximum number of stars whether your scale is from 1-10 or 1-100. Not trying to exaggerate how good this restaurant is, for reasons that firstly, under the name Ritz Carlton Beijing it automatically gives quality assurance in terms of the restaurant environment and of course the quality of the food. Secondly, this kitchen is taken over by Gianluca Visani, one of the best chefs in Beijing as rated by TimeOut Beijing in 2012.

“Visani’s cooking is full of all the best things that we love about Italian food” TimeOut Beijing

“One of Beijing’s pinnacles of Italian fine dining” City Weekend

Given that my foodie friend knows Visani personally and that he comes here everytime when he is in Beijing, I didn't have to worry about what to choose on the menu. I have to say that THE FOOD HERE WAS AMAZING!!! I WILL DEFINITELY COME AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH TO LIGHTEN UP MY LIFE IN BEIJING.

Food for the night

Starter- Crab Salad with Avocado Mousse, Gazpacho Dressing and “Crystal” Lobster Bisque. It was a very refreshing dish, the bisque was a bit spicy but as a whole it was infused with rich seafood flavor.

Main (half portion)

Tagliolini ai Ricci di Mare

Tagliolini with Sea Urchin and Spicy Zucchni.

This was probably the high light of the night not only because I love sea urchin, but the pasta was great with a pinch of spiciness. I am only a fan of good pasta and so Linguine Fini in Hong Kong is always top of my list as it’s a restaurant specializing in pasta cooked with innovative fusion of ingredients, however after trying Barolo’s pastas I think I’ve been further spolit.

Tagliatelle con Guanciale, Copolla Rossa e Crema di Piselli

Tagliatelle topped with Crispy Cured Pork Cheek, Red Onion and atop of Green Peas Sauce. My friend who has been here for couple of times however missed the egg yolk sauce better.

We also had the clams risotto which was recommended by the Visani. Again, there is no scope for disappointment unless you have a personal thing against risotto and/or clams. While I pretty much prefer any fresh pasta dish over any risotto, I would say that everything on the menu here is worth a try. 

Dining at Ritz Carlton might sounds pricey for a casual dinner, but having been living in Hong Kong for more than a decade, knowing well what is consider as over-price for average quality food and reasonable price for high quality food, Barolo definitely falls into the latter category with food which adds highlight to your stay in Beijing. 

For More Details- Please Visit https://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Beijing/Dining/Barolo/Menu.htm

Chillbeans.

Chillbean at Capital M Beijing- Tea in the Wonderland.

Having heard that Capital M Beijing has one of the most extraordinary view of Qianmen as well as another couple of historical buildings which I can't really name them, I have waited for weeks to visit this restaurant for a dressed up afternoon tea session with the girls.

Travelling to the restaurant by cab was a pain, given the really heavy traffic in Beijing, there aren't really times considered as non-rush hours.

Dropping us off at Qian Men Dong Lu, there was this huge Capital M sign standing at the entrance of the carpark. Walking for a short distance into some sort of a market area, it wasn’t easy to locate the entrance of Capital M unless you paid good attention to the signage posts in the area located at the front of the doors of random souvenir shops.

Walking into the restaurant, I was fascinated by the modern and chic design, it was almost like walking into Alice in the Wonderland. Yes, almost as we were semi-dressed up with the Hung Wei Bing’s hats on. The restaurant looks very spacious and it can be easily separated into sections which I genuinely think it’s a good venue for private parties in Beijing. We chose to sit at the terrace area for a better view of the historical city. However not much luck for the day, all the seats with a full view of Qianmen were occupied.

Photo Courtesy By Capital M

As there are three of us, we ordered a Capital M’s High Tea set (138rmb) and a Tea & Scones set (88rmb).

For the High Tea Set, from bottom deck to the top, it came with 3 choices of sandwiches (cucumber, egg mayo and chicken mayo), scones and a selection of sweet and savory tarts and cakes. At the price of 138rmb, the quality and presentation of the food were not the best that I have had, but in Beijing, it might be worth the try given that the environment, exquisite cutleries as well as great restaurant service were all worth the price tag. My friends are appealed by the a la carte menu for dinner which I haven’t had a chance to try, but since I am always more concern of the interior and mood of the place, it is definitely worth a try again despite that the food quality of the afternoon tea set has pretty much been a disappointment. Like Alice in Wonderland, food here might look much more prettier than it tastes.

For more details- please visit http://www.m-restaurantgroup.com/capitalm/sunday-afternoon-tea.html

They only serve afternoon tea on Saturday and Sunday from 3pm-5pm. It is better off to book in advance and request for seats with a good view of the historical architectures.

Directions:

Chillbeans.