Flamme will Spread like Wildfire

If you have not already heard about Flamme, the new steakhouse in Sanlitun Village, then I have no doubt you will soon.  Especially in Beijing, I find that good (and bad) word travels like wildfire. In this particular case, it’s been all good feedback and I must say, it’s lived up to its positive reputation.

Having just opened this week, Flamme has replaced the old Pepe’s Pizza location on the third floor of Sanlitun Village with the same chef who opened Element Fresh.  As a meat lover, I have been eager to find a new steakhouse and with luck in my favor, I happened to stop in on a Tuesday night, the only night of the week they offer 2-for-1 steaks! Already a reasonable price – RMB 98 for a 150g steak, 2 steaks at this price was a steal.

Greeted by a friendly hostess, we found seating outside and were then given a tour of the interior restaurant space.  Displaying a show kitchen by the entrance, customers can actually witness their steaks being grilled over an impressive giant flame (photo above).  Unfortunately the upstairs space was occupied, so I was unable to take a look (or any photos for that matter).

Interior space:

Outdoor Seating:

Once we all had a look through the menu, our adorable waiter came over and offered his well-versed menu recommendations, explaining each of his favorite dishes, their ingredients and service presentation.  Very impressive for a newly opened restaurant!

Here were the List of Menu Recommendations:

• Appetizers: Seared-Crusted Ahi Tuna (RMB 48) & Steak Sliders (RMB 48)
• Soup: Summer Vegetable Minestrone (RMB 28)
• Salads: Steak Salad (RMB 55) & other salads are served tableside
• Flamme House Steak 150g or 260g (RMB 98/138)
• T-bone steak for 2 – 540g (RMB 398)
• Rosemary Lemon Chicken (RMB 68)
• Sides (all RMB 18): Cloud Potatoes with Crème Fraîche, Grilled Asparagus, Baby carrots, North African style cucumber, Barley Pilaf, Sticky Rice Cake

Upon ordering, we were served Yorkshire Pudding as their house complimentary bread which I found quite unusual for a steak house’s choice bread.  Tasty as it was, it was quite sweet and more of a dessert than a appetizer.

For starters, we shared an order of Steak Sliders (RMB 48): ground steak, grilled onions, tomato relish which were tasty, but very crumbly. We then ordered the 2-for-1 house steaks special which came with a side salad and a choice of the following sauces: Habanero Hollandaise, Korean BBQ sauce, Wild Mushroom Sauce, Red Eye Gravy and Demi Glace (I recommend the thick, creamy Wild Mushroom Sauce).  To compliment our steaks, we also inclined to order the Cloud Potatoes with Crème Fraîche (RMB 18). Thick and creamy, the mashed potatoes were delicious and not too heavy. And for dessert, we ordered two orders of the Chocolate Peanut Butter Lava Cake (RMB 32): Manjari Chocolate (Valrhona) & Madagascar beans with white chocolate and peanut butter molten center with vanilla ice cream on the side – how amazing does that sound??  While it was gooey and rich, the dark chocolate cake was a bit bitter for my taste and I wished the teeny, tiny scoop of ice cream was a bit more.  Overall, I highly recommend the salads, steaks and the wine list is also very reasonably priced.

Review of Flamme: S4-33, Sanlitun Village, 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯路19号三里屯Village3楼S4室, Tel: 6417-8608

Best Part:

• Every Tuesday, House Steak is 2-for-1!
• Menu & Drink Prices are all incredibly good value
• Staff are not only exceptionally friendly, they are also very knowledgeable of the restaurant menu and trained to recite well-versed recommendations along with dish ingredients and means of preparation.
• By the same chef who opened Element Fresh, you can count on quality ingredients and taste.
• They have Philippe Starck lights.

Comments:

• I definitely had luck on my side to pop in on a Tuesday for their 2-for-1 steak special, and even though this is by far their best weekday special, Flamme offers different drink/food specials every night of the week (Mon-Friday).
• The weather was perfect to dine outside, but the interior was also quite nice and the show kitchen is a nice touch.
• We ordered a carafe of their house wine, but I hear their cocktails are also worth trying.

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

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

Beijinger Restaurant Awards: Hatsune Wins Best Japanese 6 Years in a Row!

At theBeijinger’s Restaurant Awards on Tuesday, March 16, Hatsune took home Best Japanese for the 6th year in a row, along with Outstanding for Best Decor.

Congratulations to Alan Wong, owner of the Hatsune Empire, for holding it strong and staying at the top of the game 6 years running.

That’s gotta be a record!!

Owner of the Hatsune Empire, Alan Wong goes up on stage with baby Mason Wong to pick up his award for Best Japanese! 6 years in a row baby!

Other big winners from the awards ceremony include:

• SALT – Winner for Best Chef & Runner up for Best Business Lunch, Best Steak, Best Service, Restaurant of the Year
• Mosto – Runner Up for Best Chef, Best Business Lunch, Best Wine List, Best for a Romantic Meal, Restaurant of the Year
• Haidilao – Winner for Best HotPot, and Runner up for Best Service, Chinese Restaurant of the Year
• Da Dong – Winner for Best Contemporary Chinese, Best Duck, Best for Impressing Visitors, Best Chinese Restaurant of the Year
• Maison Boulud - Winner for Best French, Best for a Romantic Meal, Best Wine List, Best Service,  Best Western Restaurant of the Year

Complete list of all Beijinger Dining Awards Categories and Winners, click here.

Collecting Hatsune's Award for Best Japanese

LumDimSummary of Beijinger Restaurant Awards:

Best Part:

• iF Juice was a sponsor!  The most thirst-quenching, delicious fresh juice available in Beijing! I’m kind of obsessed.
• Alan Wong brought up baby Mason to collect his award for Best Japanese (6 years in a row!)
• Cheese by Yellow Valley Cheese is delicious
• Cherry flavored Beer
• Foodie Crowd Galore…or just PR people representing restaurants

Comments:

• Hosts were painfully bad.  Dominic Johnson-Hill of Plastered 8 T-shirts could not pronounce any names if his life depended on it and Ai Wan actually said, and I quote, “Wow! This is extraordinary a woman won Best Chef! Normally chefs are men.  Now, tell me Ana, how old are you?” Someone should censor that woman.
• Joy Luck provided no food for the event and it was just a very random location for a restaurant awards ceremony.

While many of the winners are very deserving of their awards, I was a disappointed to see Annie’s won Best Italian (come on people, it’s not best delivery service), Ganges for Best Indian (they just happen to have the best locations and marketing), and Element Fresh for Best American, Best Sandwiches, and Best Non-Hotel Brunch? I only approve of their smoothies and boycott the rest.

Beijinger’s Restaurant Award Winners vs. LumDimSum’s Votes:

• Best Contemporary Chinese – Beijinger Winner: Da Dong, LumDimSum Vote: Bei (Opposite House)
• Best Duck -Beijinger Winner: Da Dong, LumDimSum Vote: Made in China
• Best Sichuan – Beijinger Winner: South Beauty, LumDimSum Vote: Chuan Ban
• Best Dim Sum – Beijinger Winner: Jin Ding Xuan, LumDimSum Vote: Jin Ding Xuan (Tuanjiehu)
  
• Best Hot Pot – Beijinger Winner: Haidilao, LumDimSum Vote: Haidilao
• Best Kung Pao Chicken – Beijinger Winner: South Beauty, LumDimSum Vote: Black Sesame Kitchen
• Best Xinjiang – Beijinger Winner: Red Rose, LumDimSum Vote: Crescent Moon
• Best Yunan – Beijinger Winner: Middle 8th Restaurant, LumDimSum Vote: Middle 8th Restaurant
• Best French- Beijinger Winner: Maison Boulud, LumDimSum Vote: Maison Boulud
• Best Indian / Pakistani – Beijinger Winner: Ganges, LumDimSum Vote: Punjabi
• Best Italian -Beijinger Winner: Annie’s, LumDimSum Vote: Sadler Ristorante & Metro
  
• Best Japanese – Beijinger Winner: Hatsune, LumDimSum Vote: Hatsune & Kagen Teppanyaki
• Best Mediterranean – Beijinger Winner: Sureno, LumDimSum Vote: Sureno
• Best Mexican – Beijinger Winner: Saddle Cantina, LumDimSum Vote: Pete’s Tex Mex
• Best Middle Eastern – Beijinger Winner: 1001 Nights, LumDimSum Vote: Biteapitta
• Best Thai – Beijinger Winner: Purple Haze, LumDimSum Vote: Aroy-D (by Fulicheng)
• Best Vietnamese – Beijinger Winner: Muse, LumDimSum Vote: Luga’s Pho-Pho
• Best American – Beijinger Winner: Element Fresh, LumDimSum Vote: All-Star Sports Bar & Grill
• Best Business Lunch – Beijinger Winner: Alameda, LumDimSum Vote: Hatsune
• Family-Friendly Restaurant – Beijinger Winner: Annie’s, LumDimSum Vote: Orchard
• Impressing Visitors – Beijinger Winner: Da Dong, LumDimSum Vote: Duck de Chine
• Best Brunch (Non-Hotel) – Beijinger Winner: Element Fresh, LumDimSum Vote: Orchard
• Best Hotel Brunch – Beijinger Winner: Westin Financial Street & Westin Chaoyang, LumDimSum Vote: Westin Chaoyang
• Best Pizza – Beijinger Winner: The Tree, LumDimSum Vote: The Tree
• Best Sandwiches – Beijinger Winner: Element Fresh, LumDimSum Vote: Sequoia Cafe
  
• Best Steak – Beijinger Winner: Meat & Wine Co., LumDimSum Vote: Meat & Wine Co.
• Best Tapas – Beijinger Winner: Olas Tapas Cafe, LumDimSum Vote: Mosaico
• Wine List – Beijinger Winner: Maison Boulud, LumDimSum Vote: Enoteca
• Best Burger – Beijinger Winner: Let’s Burger, LumDimSum Vote: All-Star Sports Bar & Grill
• Best For a Romantic Meal – Beijinger Winner: Maison Boulud, LumDimSum Vote: Capital M
• Best Chef – Beijinger Winner: Ana Esteves – SALT, LumDimSum Vote: Max Levy – Bei/Apothecary
• Best Décor – Beijinger Winner: LAN, LumDimSum Vote: Hatsune & Capital M
• Best Service – Beijinger Winner: Maison Boulud, LumDimSum Vote: Maison Boulud
• Restaurant of the Year (Chinese) – Beijinger Winner: Da Dong, LumDimSum Vote: Made in China
• Restaurant of the Year (Non-Chinese) – Beijinger Winner: Maison Boulud, LumDimSum Vote: Hatsune

Time Out Food Awards 2010

Among Time Out’s 2010 Food Awards for Beijing’s best restaurants, they are hosting a new category this year: ‘The Readers’ Choice Best Restaurant”, where YOU get to voice which restaurant you consider to be Beijing’s crème de la crème. (Vote 4 HATSUNE!!!)

Voters also have the chance to win 4 tickets to the Time Out Food Awards @ The Renaissance Hotel’s D Bar (think complimentary food & drinks!).

Click Photo before for survey link:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FGPHLYD

Trends’ Lounge: Bookstore.Restaurant.Lounge

Good things come in three’s.

Similar to how d.lounge is considered a bar, a lounge, and an art space, Trends’ Lounge is a bookstore, a restaurant cafe, and a lounge – a perfect combination to just to hang about with an endless supply of good magazines and books to satisfy your thirst for knowledge, good food to satisfy your hunger and good coffee to keep you wired.

Their menu is limited with one side of an A4 printed paper for their food menu and the back for their drinks. Food includes a few salads, soups, pastas, sandwiches, steak and desserts. Drinks include coffee, hot chocolate and fresh fruit juice. I recommend the caramel coffee and the Orange/Apple/Carrot fresh fruit juice (RMB 40). I ordered the Spicy Tuna Salad (RMB 35), Shrimp and Tomato Pasta (RMB 48), and Sauteed Spare Ribs with Mashed Potatoes (RMB 48). The spicy tuna salad did not look very appealing when it came out, but was better than expected. The pasta was also a bit bland for my taste, but the spare ribs and mashed potatoes were fantastic. And they even brought us plastic gloves, which was a nice touch. Overall, it was great value and even if the food is not the best in Beijing, the combination of location, atmosphere and value make it worth returning to.

Review of Trends’ Lounge: L214, 2F, Trends Tower, 9 Guanghua Road, Northeastern building of “The Place” 光华路9号, Tel: 6587-1999

Best Part:

• Design and atmosphere of the venue is very original and attractive
• I love the quality and quantity of books and magazines available, it’s probably the best bookstore I’ve found in Beijing thus far
• I highly recommend the sauteed spare ribs with mashed potatoes

Comments:

• Service was not very attentive and a bit slow, but friendly nonetheless
• Food is nothing to write home about, but it’s reasonably priced and satisfying
• A perfect place to hang out for the day

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

• Food: 6
• Atmosphere: 9
• Service: 4
• Overall Experience: 7
  

Macau Taste: One of the Village’s many HK dining spots

With Herbal Cafe, Orient Kitchen, Chao Dian, Mango Box, and Macau Taste…I think The Village is slowly becoming over-dominated by Hong Kong restaurants!

I lunched at Macau Taste for the first time this week. It’s pretty much the only restaurant in the Village that I have not yet tried. It’s located on the ground floor, so a bit out of the way of the other dining spots, which are mostly on the third floor. 

The place was packed during lunch hour and the menu serves up standard Hong Kong treats from a basic selection of dimsum, congee, noodle soup, oven baked rice dishes topped with cheese, along with a few Portuguese inserts (Portuguese egg tarts, Portuguese curry wings and fried shrimp, Portuguese asparagus soup, etc.).

Review of Macau Taste: Sanlitun Village 朝阳区三里屯路19号三里屯Village L-15A   Tel: 6415-1399

Best Part:

• A good lunch spot for quick, casual Cantonese food
• Portions are generous
• DimSum was quite good (better than Chao Dian and equal to Herbal Cafe)
• Prices are reasonable (Avg. RMB 50 per person)
• Service was quick and food served in a timely fashion

Comments:

• When asked to not use MSG, the staff said that everything already has MSG
• Decor was unappealing, but the food was good value and I’ll most likely return
• Definitely more catered to Chinese customers (no spoken English) and no Western customers
• Menu consists of a lot of very “local” dishes – “Macau’s top beef cattle intestinal”  and bad Chinglish - “Shannon Lisboa fried dumplings Fengcheng” and “Wynn rotten fish”.  At least their menu has pictures, which helps a lot.

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

• Food: 6
• Atmosphere: 3
• Service: 4
• Overall Experience: 5
  

Rumi Sends a Message

When I arrived and sat down for dinner at Rumi tonight, I was greeted with this beautiful message, a poem written on my paper table setting just under my plate, napkin and utensils:

Just thought I’d share – I thought this was lovely and completely unexpected.

I’ve been to Rumi a handful of times over the past few years and have always had a pleasant experience.  I like the all-white design of the venue, I like the food and big portions, I like that you’re allowed to BYOB and service is friendly. As an extra bonus, they have a great selection of fresh fruit juice and all their meat meets halal standards. Can’t really ask for much more.

Review of Rumi: Next to 1001 Nights on the Northeast corner of ChangHong Bridge (across from Pacific Century Hotel) 工体北路和三环内.  Tel:  8454-3838

Best Part:

• A large selection of fresh squeezed juices, yogurts, smoothies (I recommend the pomegranate juice)
• Easy to order menu with set combination platters and suggested recommendations for parties of 2, 4, 6, and above.
• Their meat meets Halal standards
• Good hummus and meat platters.

Comments:

• Staff was very oblivious and just not attentive.  Our table was right in the center of the restaurant, the restaurant was pretty empty on this Thursday night, and I still found myself resorting to waving down staff more than once and every time they were all completely unoccupied and just standing along the walls. Frustrating, but pretty common in Beijing so I’m used to it.  At least they were friendly…when I did finally wave them to come over to our table.
• They don’t serve alcohol, but they make up for this by allowing customers to BYOB without a corkage fee.  Even better in my opinion.
• They have sets for 2 people, but I would still recommend to come in a group, BYOB and order a big combination platter for a diverse selection of their menu.

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

• Food: 7
• Atmosphere: 7
• Service: 5
• Overall Experience: 7

Izaka-ya: A Pleasant Surprise

Tucked away just beside d.lounge in South Sanlitun, Izaka-ya is not what I was expecting when I walked in the modest entrance that zigzagged and led me into a beautifully designed, very impressive dining room surrounded by a large L-shaped sushi bar with a section to sit either in standard chairs and tables or Japanese style on pillows with little wooden houses all around, serving as private dining rooms in various sizes starting from a minimum of 6 people and up. A perfect venue for a nice dinner for two or a big group dinner.

I was impressed to find an extensive Japanese menu serving everything from sushi, salads, yakitori, hotpot, tempura, ramen, and teppanyaki.  Prices were set for great value, considering the first page had set menus starting at RMB 2,000, RMB 3,000 and RMB 4,000.  Eeek! But rest assured, once you get past the first page, the rest is sound and fair. Chinglish is everywhere in throughout the menu, but the food selection is extensive, service is decent and I will definitely be back.

Review of Izaka-ya: Neighboring d.lounge in South Sanlitun 牛屋日本餐厅 朝阳区三里屯南路(书虫书店后)  Tel: 6585-3570

Best Part:

• Above all else, I was most impressed with the decor of the venue.  I want to come back and bring more people just so I can sit in the little wooden houses for my own private dinner party.  I love the style and decor of the whole place. Very unique and innovative.
• Menu had an extensive selection set at very fair prices.  Definitely quantity over quality, but great value for what you get.
• Their beef teppanyaki with avocado and vegetables was our best pick of the meal
• Yakitori selection starts at RMB 7 each and they have an extensive selection of meats and seafood

Comments:

• For sashimi, nigiri, and sushi rolls, Hatsune is still the best of the best and no one else comes close. (Not biased, just the honest truth) Izaka-ya had a few rolls on their menu, which are all massively large (can barely fit it in your mouth all at once), but not so tasty and a lot of their sushi roll selection incorporates cooked fish and meat, which is not really my cup of tea.
• Oden was not particularly great, I would also still recommend Oden restaurant if you are a fan of quality oden with premium ingredients.
• Ingredients, quality and presentation were not top-notch, but equivalent to what you are paying for.  A big meal for two was RMB 150.

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

• Food: 7
• Atmosphere: 9
• Service: 7
• Overall Experience: 8

Mr. Pizza: Love for Women

…that is their slogan.  Word for word.

Established in 1990 in Seoul, Korea with a restaurant location in LA’s K-town and 9 locations in Beijing, Mr. Pizza is a Korean pizza chain that has got three things right:

1. Their Oven-Baked Spaghetti
2. Korean Bulgogi Pizza literally means bul = fire, gogi = meat/beef
3. Their Slogan (clearly a top priority)

I was famished yesterday, absolutely starving and the only thing that kept me going was the thought of devouring this amazing oven-baked spaghetti I kept hearing about. We enter Mr. Pizza, a fast-food looking joint with Valentine’s Day hearts hanging everywhere from the ceiling.  Between four starving adults, we order two oven-baked spaghettis and a large Bulgogi pizza to share.

Review of Mr. Pizza: 3 locations: 26 Pufang Lu, Fengtai (next to Carrefour) 方庄蒲芳路26号 家乐福旁边   Tel: 8768-3242

Best Part:

• Oven-baked spaghetti (RMB 35)
• Great delivery service
• Surprisingly good pizza (RMB 99-150 for large)

Comments:

• Decor is fast-food style
• Mr. Pizza is a Korean pizza chain, so don’t expect anything authentically Italian (some pizza choices include a Royal Snowcrab Pizza, Potato Gold Pizza, and I saw someone order a pizza that had a bright yellow crust, not quite sure which pizza she ordered…)
• Good, hearty food that comes out quick and fills you up without emptying your pockets.

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

• Food: 7
• Atmosphere: 4
• Service: 4
• Overall Experience: 7

Came in famished with low expectations and left feeling happy and satisfied. Not too shabby, Mr. Pizza.

Under the Sea

Let’s Seafood may be by the same people behind Let’s Burger, but it is by far the better pick. Located just next door and keeping in the same theme of casual dining with paper menus and boxes to check off, Let’s Seafood blew my expectations for good value.

Pan fried Imported Red Mullet RMB 68

Let’s Burger may serve up a good burger with a glorious selection of sauces, but I always resented the fact that every additional topping, side dish, and drink was at an extra cost.  And what kind of place refuses to serve customers water? A burger that may have started out at RMB 65 would make an unexpected turn to total RMB 120.

On the other hand, Let’s Seafood not only offers an extensive selection of seafood salads RMB 68-78(massive portions), top-notch mussels RMB 65, six varieties of whole fish main courses RMB 68-118, fish & chips RMB 68, and great seafood combos RMB 78. Lobster sets are also available for lobster lovers RMB 238  All orders come with freshly baked homemade bread along with a brilliant assortment of sauces and their main courses all come with homemade seafood soup, along with a generous serving of lemon rice and pan-fried potato. AND they serve you water.

See? That’s what I’m talking about.

Review of Let’s Seafood: 1/F, Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Beilu, 三里屯北路81号那里花园1层  Tel: 5208-6038

Best Part:

Fresh Mussels RMB 65

• Good Value – order an entire fish (RMB 68-118) and it comes with homemade seafood soup, homemade bread, a glorious selection of sauces, and generous sides of lemon rice and pan-fried potato.
• Portions are generous, products are imported fresh
• I’ll definitely be back for the mussels and seafood salads
• Relatively healthy option for a meal, leaving your stomach satisfied, not heavy
• Interior design is casual, yet comfortable with good ambiance
• Wi-fi internet
• Extensive Wine List

Comments:

• The portions are generous, but the massive plates are a little overboard
• Bathrooms are outside and a trek to find and unlike Let’s Burger, there is not even a sink to wash your hands
• Service is not perfect, but decent for having just opened.

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

• Food: 8
• Atmosphere: 7
• Service: 6
• Overall Experience: 7

Hotel Outlets: Another Beijing Paradox

Tamarind Indian Restaurant, Marriott Northeast

I had made an exception for Tamarind.

In my list of top destinations for CW Gourmet Month (the two best months of the year for dining in Beijing), I made Tamarind a priority even though it is a hotel restaurant.

I have nothing against hotels restaurants, I just think that for the most part, they don’t work in Beijing.

I’ll break it down for you:

With the exception of very few, hotels have one sole purpose – to provide a nice bed for incoming travelers. Now that the Beijing Olympics is history, we are left with how many ridiculously massive, not mention EMPTY hotels scattered throughout Beijing?  Regardless of the number, it’s too many.  And too many have tried to make up for their lack of occupancy with restaurants and bars targeting the masses…and still remain empty.

I know this concept works in places like Dubai, where the best venues are often in hotels, but Beijing is another animal.  With the exception of Weekend Champagne Brunches, Centro in the Kerry Center, Touch at the Westin Chaoyang and of course boutique hotels like The Opposite House & Hotel G, hotel F&B venues in Beijing are pretty weak.

Just Imagine an Irish Pub in this Hotel

Perfect example: Molly Malones in the Legendale Hotel.  It’s a newly opened, gigantic space with beautiful interior design in a ‘5-star hotel’ and it just won’t work. Why? Because it’s an Irish Pub opening in a 19th Century Parisan Hotel serving Japanese sushi.  Confused much?

And from my experiences last Gourmet Month in April, I found that each and every time I dined in a hotel restaurant, it was very, very empty.  It’s just creepy to be the only customers in a restaurant.

And I feel bad because all hotels try really hard – lots of marketing, lots of advertisements, lots of promotions, and often times, they have an amazing product, and yet they still seem to fall short.  Something is missing.  That something is more of than not: People.

Having read so many good reviews about Tamarind (Marriott Northeast), I made it a point to go during Gourmet Month. I read that Tamarind’s Chef Kurly is from Mumbai (interview here), that he is Bollywood’s finest, and that this is Beijing’s best Indian restaurant.

For Gourmet Month, it was a fantastic deal: for only RMB 150 per person, you were served 9 dishes plus nan bread plus rice PLUS dessert. The food quality and quantity was great value, the open kitchen was impressive and service was attentive. But at the end of the day, it was very much a ‘hotel restaurant’ with hotel service and a hotel vibe for a typical, overall unsatisfying hotel experience.

Review of Tamarind: 2nd floor of Marriott Northeast, 26A Xiaoyun Lu,Sanyuanqiao 海航大厦万豪酒店, 霄云路甲26号, Tel: 5927-8888

Best Part:

Tamarind's Open Kitchen

• Fresh Quality & Generous Quantity of the dishes: I recommend their Mushroom Kurkure (Spring roll stuffed with finely chopped and sautéed mushroom, served with spicy tomato chutney) and Butter Chicken (Juliennes of Tandoori chicken, finished in creamy tomato gravy, flavored with dried fenugreek leaves)
• Massive Open Kitchen (pretty unique to an Indian restaurant)
• They have hired a chef from Mumbai and this is the first Marriott Indian restaurant outside of India
• They cater to vegetarians with half of their menu meat-free
• Prices are reasonable with a kebab bar special (all-you-can-eat kebabs for RMB 140, RMB 100 for vegetarian kebabs)

Comments:

• Even if the food was excellent, it was pretty empty on a Sunday night, which I guess is expected considering the Marriott Northeast is out in the boonies (North of Nuren Jie)
• I really think that if Tamarind was in Sanlitun and not in a hotel, it would do really well.

The service was attentive, but similar to most hotel service, its quite overdone and forced rather than comforting. Also, at the end of the meal, the restaurant manager Sudeep Menon was about to only give my friend his business card until I shot him a glare and even after that, he proceeded to only ask for my friend’s business card upon leaving. Not Cool.