Life
Innovative way to dine and take in the view
By Grace Su (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-28 07:51
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Step into the reception area of the Room restaurant and you'll see a desk made out of Lego pieces, surrounded by walls lined by black bookshelves stocked with hot pink books.This rather unusual sight hints at what Room is all about - a restaurant and bar concept that's the first of its kind in Beijing.
It's atmosphere makes it a perfect place to catch up with friends over innovative food, drinks and music, and you can expect Room to take off and be the Beijing nightspot, with copycat wannabes not too far behind.
Room is the brainchild of Brian McKenna, the man behind the opening of Blu Lobster in Beijing's Shangri-La Hotel (as well as Rain in Amsterdam).
As part of its charm, Room plans to have a DJ play music every night, starting with dinner music and turning it up as the night goes on.
Room has an international range of food, with some dishes adopting the healthier slow-cook process.
For example, the egg in the 42 Ingredient Salad, lamb shoulder and salmon belly are all cooked over eight hours at a temperature of 63 degrees in order to keep in the nutrients and lock in tenderness.
Besides some special items such as lobster, most items on the menu come in small, medium, or large sizes, or 50 yuan, 80 yuan, 100 yuan respectively. This allows guests to order according to how much they feel like, or are used, to eating. The average spend per person is about 150 yuan for lunch or 300 yuan for dinner, without including drinks.
Inside the restaurant, there is plenty of eye candy. After going up to the stairs and passing the bar, the main restaurant area has one wall hand-painted by Hugo Dalton, a British artist best known for his wall paintings.
In the men's VIP dining room, three walls have been spray-painted by graffiti artist DAL. As well, there is a private women's VIP room.
And the black bookshelves laced with hot pink books hide the restrooms.
The main restaurant has two walls showcasing a Chinese artist, and an Asian artist, every three months.
Guests can take advantage of sitting on the terrace that overlooks Chang'an Avenue. Supposedly, Room is the only restaurant and bar that overlooks the grand avenue.
As for the food, the Scallop Crudo was delicious blend of Japanese fresh raw scallops topped with zesty fresh passion fruit juices and seeds. Served in a beautiful seashell, the heavy ice tray it came in did its job in keeping every piece of the sliced scallop icy cold.
The Pan-fried Scallop with Cauliflower Puree is worth a try. Dipping the scallops into the bits of spicy Moroccan sugar gave it a Chai tea kick.
Finally, a fun dessert was the Milk Chocolate Pop Tart. The light and creamy texture of the chocolate pudding contrasted well with the grainy chocolate soil and pop rocks in the mouth.
McKenna, who has worked at Michelin-star restaurants since he was only 13, created Room because he felt there was nowhere in Beijing that had all good things together in one place.
"In Beijing if you want good food you go to a good restaurant, if you want good drinks you go to another place, if you want to go dance, you go there," McKenna said.
"In New York, Miami or London, most of the places you see that are still packed at 11 or midnight are the places where people can lounge or hang out - the lounge is the new club."
Watch for another Room project to emerge later this year around the Gongti area.
There is talk it will include private Chinese dining rooms each equipped with their own kitchen and chef, a steakhouse, and private wine cellars.
China Daily
