CITY GUIDE >Food Reviews
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CITY GUIDE >Food Reviews
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Beijing Jasmine
(bestfoodinchina.net)
Updated: 2008-10-27 09:10
 When the Beijing fashion set want to wine and dine, there's one place that rates highly on their list-Beijing Jasmine. Having played host to celebrity gatherings, like the birthday party for Chinese singer/ actress Faye Wong and the 2008 Olympic house for the USA team, the restaurant is the place to go to for celebrity sightings or for when you want to feel like a celebrity yourself. Blending Cantonese and Hunan cuisine in a neo-classical style, the menu is a selection of favourites like Beijing duck and other specially designed dishes and drinks. For starters there's the Jade Spinach Bisque With Crab Meat, with the word "Jade" a perfect description of the rich and bright green colour and thick consistency of the soup. There's no skimping on the crabmeat either: meaty, fresh and a great pairing with the blended spinach. The Stir-Fried Beef Tenderloin with Garlic and Black Pepper Sauce is another Chinese classic made with only the finest Australian beef. Thick square cubes of beef, topped with crunchy broccoli and sprinkled with sesame seeds, it's unlike any other version you may have had before. The meat is tender and juicy, and the sauce sweet and not at all oily. Hidden in there are other crunchy Chinese vegetables adding a wonderful surprise to the already high quality classic. But whilst the classics will always be loved, the Chinese twists are a chance to really blow those taste buds away, and the Tea Smoked Salmon with Pickled Ginger is an excellent example of this. The nine fat and fleshy smoked salmon pieces are coiled upright with pink pickled ginger underneath. Picking it up with your chopsticks and putting the entire piece in your mouth you can taste the exotic combination of the tea and ginger marinated into the fleshy piece. The Magnificent Trio is another royal combination of tasty morsels embedded with rich ingredients. Three prawns are presented on a plate and each made and presented in a different way. The Crumbed Oatmeal prawn is baked giving it a crunchy and non-oily covering; the Wasabi Mayo is a split prawn with a tinge of wasabi heat downplayed by the sweet mayonnaise and topped with tiny mango pieces; and the third piece, and probably my favourite, is the prawn dumpling. Like a Cantonese "Har Gow" it sits on a few drops of chilli oil and, best of all, the wrapper doesn't fall away from the fat prawn when you bite it. With its art-deco interior, high ceilings and three floor layout (private rooms are on the third floor), Beijing Jasmine feels as trendy as the clientele and as the food presentation. You may not be a celebrity but you'll at least feel important when you're there. Beijing Jasmine This article is brought you by Best Food inChina, the first and leading English website about local Chinese food and restaurants. For more information, please visitwww.bestfoodinchina.net |
