You Jing Ge

By Rob de Picciotto (bestfoodinchina.net)
Updated: 2008-12-17 15:39

Good restaurants often have a recurring theme found in all aspects of the experience, form the setting and décor to the food and service. Le Quai is no exception. The operative word here is coalescence.

The building itself is a time machine. Moved brick by brick from its original location in Anhui province where it served for 250 years as the home of a consultant to imperial magistrates, the creak of the floorboards and the intricate craftsmanship of the carved beams transport guests back to when time drifted lazily and meals lasted for hours. Yet, the clamor of the all-glass bar (not part of the original structure), the tasteful jazz streaming from hidden speakers, and the subdued khaki, taupe and lavender upholstery refuse to let you disappear entirely into that past; there is a sense of coexistence, a seamless blend of past and present.

Though somewhat tucked away within the grounds of Worker’s Stadium, crowded with otherwise loud and brash bars and clubs, there is a sense of solitude and serenity. From the bar and patio (open in warmer seasons), you can concentrate on the glossy black ripples of one of San Li Tun’s few bodies of water, the sprawling willows across the way in one of San Li Tun’s few leafy areas, or beyond it, to where the buildings are thrusting up to form a nascent cityscape. Removed, but entrenched, there is, again, a feeling of two at once.

The food, like the place, is fusion in the purest form. The menu items use exclusively Chinese ingredients and traditional flavor profiles, but all are prepared and presented with Western sensibilities. Careful and deliberate attention is paid to each detail, resulting in dishes that demand to be assessed individually for subtlety and nuance. As much as the place is like a museum, the dishes are on display: all paired with a different garnish to highlight and compliment and served in a different style of dinnerware that further brings out some feature of the dish.

The appetizer, four piles of bite-sized flavor bombs, each piled on a different leafy bed, came on a slate slab, dusted with confectionate sugar and highlighted in the corners by bright yellow flower petals. The chilled pork ribs with vinegar and iced sugar cane sauce glistened, wine-dark, in a tart, gluey glaze, applied after each of two deep frying sessions.

The soy braised brown wheat with golden mushrooms and black fungus had a soggy, spongy bounce that oozed a soft honey and chocolate-like savory sauce.

Another imported element is the selection of wines. Not only does Le Quai boast a fine and wide selection from all the latest wine-growing regions, but also employ a sommelier, whose exclusive job it is to match flavors of wines to the dishes you have ordered, careful to compliment and not overpower. We were treated to a 2006 South African Chardonnay in great, hefty glass goblets. Its tang was meandering, preferring to arrive after a smooth initial burst of honey and peach.

The Hot and Sour Squid Roe Consumee with Asparagus was reduced to a nice viscosity, and cradled the ingredients in a quivering, almost custard-like broth with faint notes of squid. Poached quail eggs provided a gentle foil to the chew of the mushroom, while conspicuous streaks of orange oil shot their spice through: strong, but crisp, light enough to highlight the edges and not dominate.

The Smoked Duck with Chinese Black Tea was another entry featuring classic Chinese ingredients in a western format. Stripes of dark, crispy, duck skin draped over the rich red meat of the bird showcased the subtlety of the ingredient. A pinch of traditional five-spice powder was provided on the side for diners to season as they like.

It is clear from entering the place that they have managed to create a rare comfortable blend, not just of east and west, but also of urban and rural, past and present. In Le Quai, each aspect of these pairs quietly and gently merges with the other, like the soft words of two old friends over a good wine in an old house overlooking a lake.

Location: Inside Beijing workers Stadium (Opposite Gate 12)

Tel: 86 10 65511636

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