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| - I really enjoyed this place! I heard about it on my last visit, but never made it. The first thing you notice is a the great decor: wooden fret work lines the windows, and bathrooms with beautifully painted lotuses and birds on what looked to be old reclaimed wood. Classy, paying appropriate homage to old China without being gaudy (if I see another cheap Chinese lantern with bright red tassels and fake jade green plastic beads...)
They offer a wide selection of Chinese cuisine, from Sichuan to Northern...basically everything, except for southern Canton cuisine. And it was fantastic. Nothing super fancy, just good tasting, authentic Chinese food. The soup dumplings (Xiao long bao) were juicy, the cold pork cut with garlic (Suan ni bai rou) hit the spot perfectly. I *loved* the steamed pork with rice powder (fen zheng rou) - succulent pork belly, sweet, sticky. *Stomach GRUMBLE*
Service was ok - the first lady was a little snippy, and I can definitely see some people being turned off by her demeanor if they weren't well versed with the 'Chinese way'. The second lady was pleasant and helpful. Prices were higher than expected; according to fellow diners who were more familiar with the local scene, this potentially could be the downfall of this place, which is a pity.
I do find it fascinating to read some of the scathing reviews here. It's too bad that people had bad experiences, although I think reviewing during the soft opening phase when the place is just ironing out kinks with the menu and service is a little unfair. Having lived in Beijing x 6 years, I can say that my experience was quite positive, and I know we would be delighted to have a place like this open up back home!
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