A taste of China

It is difficult not to be impressed by the interior of Beijing Wangfu Teahouse and Restaurant. It is rightfully named "wangfu" (king's residence). There's red sandalwood furniture, traditional Chinese wood patterns on the window and crystal chandeliers. The private rooms have a waiting section with soft sofas and tea tables.

The secluded restaurant and teahouse is open to the general public, but also offers a membership, which brings extra benefits, such as airport pickup.

The restaurant is said to find inspiration for its decoration from A Dream of Red Mansions, China's classic novel from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Not only are the private rooms named after places in the novel, but the tall, beautiful waitresses also adopt names from the 12 heroines in the novel.

The food comprises mainly set meals of around 10 courses. The one I tried had a very good bowl of homemade yogurt with raisins as a starter, along with cucumber, cherry turnip, and four nice saucers of vegetables.

There are some high-end ingredients such as abalone in tomato soup, foie gras with crispy rice chips, and a tasty beefsteak. The meats come in mouth-sized helpings. Potato chips are braised with very soft tasting boletus mushroom, served in a heated clay pot. Lotus seed and diced carrot is steamed and served in a golden pumpkin. The meal ended with a congee of vegetable and coarse grain. All good, healthy stuff.

The meal cost 898 yuan ($141) per head. There are a large range of Chinese teas, and tea ceremony, as well as Kunqu Opera performances. It can be a good option for business people with the money and need to impress. The restaurant has a branch at the west gate of Chaoyang Park.

Another Chinese restaurant with the same traditional Chinese flavor is Bian Yi Fang's Xianyukou branch. Bian Yi Fang is known for its closed-oven Peking roast duck and Shandong style cuisine. Xianyukou is a lane at Qianmen with many small traditional Chinese eateries, that was renovated five years ago. The restaurant reopened at its old location and has a 7,000 square meter space, and is decorated in a courtyard house style.

Closed-oven duck roasting has a longer history than open-oven roasting. But it is less prevalent than open-oven duck roasting, such as that available at Quanjude and Da Dong. The duck has a crispy skin but softer flesh.

Over the years, Bian Yi Fang has developed its own style of duck, with flower and vegetable flavors. It also serves a "complete duck banquet" that features dishes made from different parts of the duck.

At the recent opening, I got the impression that the old brand name restaurant has developed new dishes and adapted to the times. There are more popular Chinese dishes on the menu, presented in a more modern way. The food is healthy, tasty, and beautifully presented.