Sundays at Sureño

If I’m not recovering from a rough weekend in bed, chances are you’ll find me at Vineyard Cafe, The Orchard, Chef Too or SALT.

For the first time this past weekend, we switched it up for Sunday brunch at Sureño (The Opposite House).

On Sundays, Sureño offers a Mediterranean 4-course set menu (RMB 188 or RMB 298 with free flow bubbly):

Veal Tenderloin

1. Antipasti Selection (fried mussels, swordfish sashimi, egg omelet, fried rice ball, diced oxtail and white beans) – 1 of each appetizer per person, and still quite filling. While the mussels were dry, the swordfish sashimi was the highlight
2. Minestrone Soup – standard minestrone soup
3. Choice of 6 different main entrees (seabass, risotto, veal tenderloin, cheese & spinach capelle, suckling pig, etc.) – Veal Tenderloin was served with cheese sandwiched in between two slabs of meat with mashed potatoes and veggies beneath.
4. Choice of Cheese Selection or Dessert Selection (Apple tart, lemon tart & tiramisu) – I recommend cheese selection over desserts (soft brie and blue cheese were delicious)

Review of Sunday Brunch at Sureño: Located next to Punk & Bei, B1 floor of The Opposite House, Sanlitun. 三里屯路11号三里屯Village1号楼; Tel: 6410-5240

Best Part:

Risotto

• Venue design – Sureño is stunning with its wood-fired oven and open kitchen.  The space is absolutely beautiful.
• Veal Tenderloin was excellent – well-cooked, nice presentation, and great quality & taste
• Cheese platter was a nice ending to the 4 course meal
• A great brunch for those who want to escape a big hotel all-you-can-eat brunch

Comments:

• Sureño is always full, if not packed.  But this Sunday was relatively quiet, which was a bit unexpected and the empty atmosphere took a bit away from the experience that I know Sureño normally has to offer.
• Cheese portions were a bit skimpy and call me crazy, but I do not like Sureño’s desserts (in my defense, I just don’t like tiramisu dessert, but people do rave that Sureño’s is the best in town).
• Quality and quantity of the Sureño Sunday brunch menu was satisfactory, and I love the restaurant (pizza is great), but Sureño will remain at the bottom of my list of Sunday brunch destinations because there was nothing in particular about this Sunday brunch experience that was worth returning for in comparison to other Sunday brunch venues around town.

Rating: (on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best)

• Food: 7
• Atmosphere: 8
• Service: 8
• Overall Experience: 7
  

Cheese Platter

Dessert Platter