Palette Vino

Off the beaten track, Palette Vino is hidden down the alley of a narrow hutong street. Despite its inaccessible location, Palette Vino offers a notable and extensive wine list, weekly wine events and great set menus (RMB 145 for 3 courses or 165 for four courses), which are sure to impress wine lovers and foodies alike.

I would recommend visiting Palette Vino on a Friday night to enjoy a tasting of 5 different wines + tapas for only RMB 100 from 6-8PM, followed by a 3 course set menu (starter, pasta dish, & main).  A great find for a nice bottle of wine was the Rosso di Montalcino, Tuscany at only RMB 280. Desserts seem to be the only weakness of this hidden gem.

Recommendations from Palette Vino’s 4-course Set Menu:

Starter:

• Sauteed Prawns*
• Tuna Carpaccio*
  

  Swordfish Main Course

• Pan Seared Scallops

Freshly Made Pasta:

• Spinach Linguini
• Wild Mushroom Ravioli*

Main Course:

• Char-Grilled Beef Tenderloin*
• Pan-fried Salmon*
• Red Wine Braised Lamb Shank*
• Char-Grilled Lamb Chop (the meat is a bit fatty)
• Char-Grilled Tuna
• Char-Grilled Lamb Kebabs
  

  Char-Grilled Lamb Chop

• Swordfish

Dessert Selection:

• Vanilla Ice Cream
• Tiramisu
• Cheese Cake
• Baked Pear Dessert

A la Carte Steak Selection: from local beef tenderloin (RMB 120) to Japanese Teruka Beef Rib-Eye* (RMB 198) includes side dish (sauteed mushrooms, arugula salad, or grilled veggies) and sauce.

Review of Palette Vino: 5 Dongsi Shiyitiao (on the right side of the alley street), 东四十一条5号;  Tel: 6405-4855

Best Part:

• Cozy, intimate atmosphere within the Hutong courtyard space
• Fine Wines & Wine Events
• Quality set menu and variety of selection (RMB 145 for 3-course or RMB 165 for four course)
• Very friendly, knowledgable and accommodating staff & service

Comments:

• Dessert selection could be improved
• Location is not the easiest to find, so I recommend checking a map before heading there.
• If you come in a big group, Palette Vino can arrange for a special limited set menu (RMB 100 for a 3-course menu)

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

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

Best for Last

Since the opening of Capital M mid-September, I’ve been dying to go back and I just found the perfect opportunity – Sophia’s last night in Beijing, I saved the best for last: dinner at Capital M (which was such a girl-date) followed by a tour of the Legation Quarter inclusive of a drink at Fez, Saul’s birthday bash at Punk (dance madness), topping the night off with my love, BLING.

Sophia's Last Night in Beijing

When I was planning this dinner at Capital M, everyone and their mother said they were down to come along with all the good word-of-mouth praising the food and drinks, but with the changing weather and everyone feeling ill and bailing out, the dinner party went from a party of 8 to me and Sophia’s ‘girl date’ (and Candy joining us for dessert).

At last month’s opening, everyone had good things to say about Capital M.  It was warm enough still to hang out on the beautiful terrace with a spectacular view, and there was a LOT of free food and drinks.  The freebies aside, what really sold me before was actually the venue design.  I love Capital M’s colorful, hand-painted artwork along the walls and the cozy boxed fireplaces throughout the venue.  What a perfect place for a date…even though in this case, it was just a girl-date. haha.

And this time around, I really got to the true Capital M dining experience, which was such a treat. The service was fantastic, the wines were lovely, and the food was beyond remarkable.

Sophia and I shared a starter – the Audacious Aubergines, a refreshing, cold appetizer with 3 different types of aubergines. For mains, Sophia ordered their Fesengjan – Iranian duck leg with spiced duck breast, walnuts & pomegranates, which was such a flavorful combination and we loved the cucumber & dill salad on the side.  Also a meat lover, I ordered the Leg of Lamb, which came with smashed yams, sauteed spinach and glazed shallots. The lamb was so tender, it melted in my mouth.

The portions were generous and we were stuffed, but with Candy coming to join us, we decided to indulge in gluttony and go for their Grand Dessert Platter  that included a tasting of their entire dessert menu – 3 various sorbets/ice cream, raspberry souffle, creme brulee, orange and cardamom canaloni and our favorites: the baked bananas and M’s famous Pavlova (meringue with passionfruit ice cream and topped with fruit).  Best dessert platter ever – it was so good it practically put us in a coma. Their pavlova alone is reason enough to go back.

After dinner, we were given a grand tour of the venue – it’s a shame the weather is getting cold so fast, but I was happy to see that they have transformed the lounge area with the cool rooftop is now being used as a dining section as well.

Once again, two thumbs up!

Thanks again to our perfect host, restaurant manager Fabian Ernst for making the evening such a delightful experience and for introducing me to Michelle, the owner and creator of all three M restaurants: M on the Bund, M on the Fringe, and now in Beijing – Capital M.  *Interesting fact: Michelle has no investors, business partners, nada.  Australian bred, Michelle is a one woman show in all three of her restaurants.  What an accomplished, talented woman – very, very  impressive.