Glamour plate

The glitzy aura of Parnas can be a little much, Mike Peters discovers, but the kitchen's French fare offers some of the best bites in Nali Patio.

It's easy to get distracted at Parnas, and that's no accident. In the space that was formerly Saddle, which famously produced Mexican food and tequila hangovers as the lowbrow Party Central of Sanlitun's Nali Patio, Parnas has scraped away that old scene as efficiently as a swarm of locusts.

In its place is a grand edifice, where classical Greek pillars and Russian investors and French cuisine come together in a show of opulence that could make Donald Trump whimper.