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Where to find Beijing's young elite

By Jeremy Webb (bestfoodinchina.net)
Updated: 2008-11-27 09:17

Danny Wang was not the first to feel it his “duty” to introduce Chinese food to the West. However, as owner of this restaurant, he was perhaps among the first to successfully locate the less-than-original “traditional meets fashionable, Chinese meets foreign” dining experience in such original surroundings.

Welcome to LAN Club - the 6000 square metres of curious opulence that stretches between the fourth floors of the LG Twin Towers. Unlike other Asian establishments that approached the French design guru Philippe Starck, LAN gave this internationally-acclaimed designer a totally free rein. It shows. Most striking, perhaps, is that almost nothing matches. The restaurant’s ample seating is an imported mishmash of leather armchairs, cow-print sofas and renaissance chaises longue. Likewise, light fittings crafted from gilded semi-automatic rifles and eerie bird wings are placed alongside crystal chandeliers more at home in pre-revolution France. Combine this fascinating extravagance with the echo of heels clicking across the bare concrete floor and the distracting whir of the air-con amid unfinished ceilings and it feels like an art gallery jostling for space with a second-hand shop in newly rented premises. This is not a bad thing. Eye-catching but not distracting, LAN’s interior is a very good thing.

From delightful disorder, to an eagerly awaited food order. Experienced chefs present the Chinese fare – a mixture of Sichuan and Guangdong cuisines – in a Western way and nobly attempt to avoid the oil that impairs much Chinese food. On the whole, the dishes were thoughtfully designed and well cooked. We started with a playful assortment of appetisers, each taking inspiration from one of the four seasons. Spring brought our palates to life with crisp slices of wine-soaked pear and lying next to some “hand-torn” chilli chicken was the most innovative season of the lot: a fruity sweet potato mash. The only drawback was a slightly disappointing summer: “wasabi spinach” - a promising concept that saw nicely-blanched greens tortured by an unwelcome tear-inducing Japanese invader.

Otherwise confident and capable waiting staff struggled to explain some parts of the menu. For example, our second dish: was it cod, or, as the menu suggested, Chilean sea bass? Underneath what turned out to be cod, a blend of rice, peanut and red bean went some way toward drawing the oil out of the fish – a clever touch. The most expensive at our table was the Stir-fried Australian Steak with Black Pepper Sauce, at 238 RMB. These gorgeous chunks of meat were perfectly cooked and expertly flavoured, and red and green pepper - perhaps a bit too crunchy for this critic - added a profusion of colour. The cheapest dish we tried at 58 RMB was the Boiled Baby Cabbage in Chicken and Tibetan Saffron Broth – a delicate and successful union.

Previous reviews emphasise LAN’s clientele. While it’s easy to see why Beijing’s young elite would be drawn to LAN Club, this restaurant has something for all. While the so-called “fashion set” might go for cocktails in the ultra-chic bar, older diners may prefer to retire to LAN’s plush cigar room. Anyway, with such an intriguing interior you are unlikely to pay much attention to other diners. And if they hadn’t ridden the restaurant’s very own VIP elevator, one might not even notice some of LAN’s more famous friends – Tony Blair, the NBA Dream Team, as well as LAN Club devotee: Zhang Ziyi.

Guests in the main dining area tend to spend around 500 RMB (before drinks). We were told that although private rooms come at no extra charge, concealed groups of diners tend to dig a lot deeper. This comes as no surprise. Whether you are sequestered away with associates in love or business, the bizarre yet refined LAN Club is a wonderful restaurant that anyone could easily get carried away with.

LAN Club
Location: 4/F Twin Tower, B12 Jianguomen Waidajie
Tel: 010-51096012/13