Nice to see, great to eat

Two recent visits to Wish Restaurant Lounge (梧桐创意中国菜) Bar proved to be a pleasant surprise. It has turned into a delightful place to try out creative Chinese foods.

While Beijing's dining scene is rather busy with a slew of new restaurants, it is not often that one can find a perfect combination of both good taste and good presentation. Most restaurants get only get one part right. But chef Yu Meisheng has managed to be successful with both.

Sliced bread with duck liver paste (盐水鸭肝酱配烤面包) is a nice appetizer. Steamed eggplant rolls (家里茄堆) are given a delicious twist with mashed garlic. Unshelled prawns with ground coriander (香草虾) looks different and tastes fresh. Beef tongue with parsley leaves (香芹牛舌) is incredibly smooth tasting. For the main dish, try braised marinated lamb with pepper (椒香卤烧羊腩), which comes with pancakes, vegetables and sauce. The menu has a variety of pork and beef options. Crusty bean curd balls with Chinese toon leaf and crab roe (椿香脆皮豆腐丸子) is really special. The eatery offers characteristic Chinese dim sum such as pan-fried shrimps buns (鲜虾水煎包), pork and vegetable dumplings (中式水饺). Do try the desserts, which are probably the best in Beijing. The restaurant serves a choice of traditional Beijing sweets (京味北京小吃特选), and a modern version of old Beijing snacks. Its tiramisu, walnut cream cake and chocolate truffle cakes are just fantastic.