Pampering your stomach with chocolate

One East, located on the second floor of Hilton Beijing, has a delicious offering until the end of the month - a chocolate set menu.

The food experience starts with a cold appetizer, a chocolate foie gras "nougat", loaded with Cajun spices to set the mouth alive.

The earthy ingredient is mixed with goose liver, though the texture remains as smooth as it should be and not at all gritty. We suggest spreading the foie gras on a fennel seed brioche so that the flavors can blossom in the mouth.

A touch of mango pickle and some Common Andrographis leaves help refresh the palate.

"Common Andrographis is widely used as a material in traditional Chinese medicine, but its leaves also taste refreshing," said Chef Jeffery Siew, the mind behind the menu and the new executive sous chef at the hotel.

Siew, 40, said his personal cooking style is to always use local ingredients in the dishes.

Served up next is the warm appetizer - Australian scallop, gratinated with a chocolate crust.

For this dish, it is hard to actually locate the chocolate until you take a bite. By searing the chocolate, Siew has reserved its flavor while maintaining the softness of the scallop itself.

The first option for the main course is coffee braised beef short rib. The meat has been marinated in a chocolate sauce for three days before being slowly cooked.

Alternatively, there is slow-cooked fillet of Norwegian salmon. It is fizzing upon arrival and pairs well with a sauce entitled Ivoire Chocolate Hollandaise.

There is also Autumn Forest Mushroom Risotto, which reflects Siew's background as a Singaporean. Arborio rice is mixed with mushroom and chocolate-parmesan shavings.

The meal ends with a chocolate mousse, served with milk chocolate ice cream, a white chocolate tart and crispy, candied walnuts.

Crazy for chocolate, Siew put a lot of thought into the best way to involve it into the menu.

"The flavor of every chocolate I have tasted is clear in my mind," he said.

"When the idea of a chocolate set menu occurred to me, I quickly realized which would be the best."

The chosen chocolate is Varolhne, a French brand, containing more than 70 percent cacao.

"It is not as sweet as regular chocolate bars and tastes a little bitter and even spicy," he said.

"Its flavor can go well with other ingredients and it is not too heavy."

The set menu is available for dinner until the end of the month, priced at 388 yuan per person, plus a 15-percent surcharge.

The restaurant, a stronghold of American Louisiana cuisine, also offers signature dishes that includes New Orleans Seafood Medley, Duo of Australian Lamb and Crispy Kurobuta Pork, designed and prepared by Siew.