Waitstaff glide from table to table wearing starched, Chinese-style shirts with high collars as ambient trance music coos softly in the background. The towering floor-to-ceiling windows make the usually drab Gongti lake area look twinkly and magical.

Our menu selections were divided between appetizers and main courses but all the food arrived at the same time. The salmon steak (RMB76) tasted fishy without the smooth finish a good salmon should have. The abalone mushrooms with asparagus (RMB60) was a tiny pile of chopped sticks, spotted with a few bricks of sauce-drenched mushrooms. Most disappointing was the de-boned chicken in special sauce (RMB58). It arrived in a clay pot with a thin, congealed layer of oil on top. To add insult to injury, the intriguingly named special sauce was a not-so-special mix of chicken broth mixed with soy sauce.

Living in Beijing, we often negotiate life in a series of tradeoffs. Jasmine, like so many other upscale Chinese dining venues, trades off true cuisine for a plush decor. The food wasn't bad. In fact, it was above average. Unfortunately, the price tag was way above average. But looking around, it was obvious that patrons there weren¡¯t paying for the food, they were paying for the impressive layout, the always-filled water glasses and the space to recline after a long workday.

Jasmine
Address: Gongti Donglu opposite gate No.9 of worker's stadium
Tel: 010-6553-8608