Maison Boulud, the three Michelin star restaurant for a Wednesday after school lunch, the only thing that went around your mind during the two hours lecture in the morning was whether I was underdressed. Maison Boulud is located in the restored site of the former American embassy, namely Chienmen 23. As all of us are originated from Hong Kong, both the name and décor of the place resemble some sort of new luxury residential complexes in Hong Kong.

Given that it’s a Michelin Star Restaurant and was previously highly recommended by a few of my friends for their Sunday brunch, there were much expectation as well as speculation as to what this Daniel Boulud fine dining empire would bring when opened in Beijing.

All of us went with the easy option in choosing their lunch set menu priced at an exceptionally good price RMB 198. For me I had went with the Chestnut Soup and Salad as starters, for main dish I had the Sword Fish while two of my other friends had the DB Burger which is Stirloin Burger filled with Braised Short Ribs. In between course, it seemed like we were being served unlimited portion of bite sized madeleine cakes, macaroons, nougats as well as couple of other French sweet bites. Very generous of them we thought. However my feed back as a whole was that the best thing that I really liked about the meal turned out to be the complimentary canapés and sweet treats. As for the courses in the lunch set, I would agree with my friends who came previously for lunch that the quality of the food was indeed overrated. Food was average, but a great place if you are looking for somewhere exquisite, quiet and romantic. Here are some snapshots of the food we had, sorry that I only bothered about eating but not photoshooting.

One good thing that I really like about the restaurant is that they change their lunch menus every week! Although it will only really make a difference if you can enjoy the luxury to visit them at least once a week. For real foodies who don't mind travelling all the way to Qianmen away from all the fine dine and shopping areas, MB is certainly the place to visit, its more than just food but an experience of the classy Beijing. 

For more details please see: 

http://danielnyc.com/menus/maison_beijing/Lunch.pdf

Chillbeans.