Eating with a Difference Around Ritan Park

The Ritan Park area, widely referred to as Beijing's "Little Moscow", is fast becoming as rich in its dining venues as the Russian stores and stalls primarily selling fur and leather garments. While both the established and emergent collection of restaurants hardly match the scope of the city's main culinary wonderlands (not yet, anyway), the choice in the streets around the park--in itself part of the first embassy area and close to the Central Business District (CBD)--is basically good and rapidly increasing.

Cuisines to be found include Russian, which comprise the majority; Japanese, Korean, western (kind of), and a fair range of Chinese favorites such as Sichuan and Tibetan. There are also numerous low-cost outlets that, while short on frills, serve wholesome dishes. Coffee shops too, always handy if you are on a shopping expedition or seeking a pick-me-up after a tour of the delightful park.

Aromas of Italy Enhance a Chinese Setting

New on Beijing's culinary scene among the clutch of eateries close to the South gate of Ritan Park is Firenze Restaurant & Bar, basically Chinese architecturally but full-blown Italian in cuisine, furnishings and ambience both inside and out--the latter because you can also dine alfresco on the terrace. Somehow the juxtaposition of an ornately carved Chinese facade and the rich aromas of the likes of lasagne and ravioli works perfectly.

Firenze gives something further to diners--free access to the Internet and, usually at weekends, movie classics. This month's offerings include The Father of Surrealism, the tale of film pioneer Luis Bunuel. But basically the place is about food, in essence a good choice of Italian staples and, as a kind of bonus, a neat choice of delicacies. All ingredients used here are imported, including sauces.

For customers, the Firenze day amounts to three highlight periods:

Lunchtime Relaxation (11:30am-2pm)

Lunches prepared as much for business diners as passing trade are on offer, the difference being that you can choose your favorite staples, supplemented by a pleasing bowl of pottage (rather than what the British know as a "mess of pottage") and a hot drink. It all adds up to a pleasant way to line your stomach before facing the afternoon's workaday challenges.

Afternoon Tea (2pm-5pm)

From the windows of the restaurant's glassed dining area, you get a nice view of the sun penetrating gingko trees in the corner of the Chinese garden--a neat alternative to the hustle and bustle of a downtown coffee shop.

Romantic Moments (5pm-9pm)

From sunset until the fall of the night's curtain, you can sit outside and--the odd car or lorry notwithstanding--delight in the comparative silence of the parkland surrounding Firenza. The restaurant recognizes these few hours as diners' "quality time" between friends and lovers after a busy day, and thus try not to be intrusive.

In this respect, and if Firenza had a slogan, it could well be: "Eating is important, but not the only thing to enjoy here."

Up Island Chain Spreads the Coffee Message

It doesn't seem possible now, but it was only as recently as the 1980s that Chinese people in general--in cities especially --began to drink coffee as an alternative to tea. Like most newcomers to the beverage, they did not at first take to the taste. But coffee is addictively coffee, and most people find its stimulating taste to be highly acceptable.

In China, this is in no small part due to the country's pioneering Up Island Coffee Shop chain, whose founders were among the first to bring Brazilian, Columbian and Jamaican coffee beans to the Chinese market.

With more than 30 years' experience in coffee retailing, Up Island currently has more than 300 branches in China, including one in the Ritan Park area. Its coffees have a unique fragrancy, said to be created by imported Fuji automatic coffee baking machines and the exclusive in-house techniques used

 Home-style Jibetan at Makye Ame

Newcomers to the Ritan Park area include the Makye Ame Tibetan Restaurant, which offers an excellent range of home-style dishes that qualify as "fine dining" to educated palates. The food is traditional, but with a contemporary twist to satisfy local tastes. Meats, milks and yoghurts naturally feature strongly, but there is plenty of variation made better by an interesting selection of Tibetan wines.

Opened just a few months ago and already boasting a regular clientele, Makye Ame grabs the senses as well as stomach because it absolutely breathes Tibetan culture.

Wisely, its owners created a spectacularly ethnic interior. Cultural and religious motifs abound, with even the ceiling decorations crafted by Tibetans. The fact that tables and chairs are pretty much what you would find in other restaurants hardly matters. The place is Tibetan by name, and Tibetan it is to the highest degree possible. True, the place could have been designed in yurt (dwelling) style for good measure, but it hardly matters.

Artist Xu's Dual-purpose Teahouse

Beijing's arts community in Beijing, along with many other art lovers, will probably be delighted to know that the latest restaurant to open its doors (June 1) near Ritan is the Peace Art Teahouse, owned by famed Chinese artist Xu Hua Chi. The teahouse, back in the 1950s the Peace Art Shop, is a double-story outlet whose ground floor is given over to the teahouse while the basement serves as arguably an even more attractive lure--a small exhibition hall for Chinese antiques.

On view are the likes of ancient Chinese rosewood furniture; calligraphy; and paintings by famous contemporary artists. Traditional decorations reinforce the Chinese ambience. All the items on view are from the personal collection of Xu, who says the teahouse is intended to provide a stimulating place for Chinese artists to gather and, by extension, the better to further spread Chinese culture.

Authentic Sichuan at Pioneering Ritan

Located near the south-west corner of Ritan Park proper, the long-established Ritan Restaurant serves authentic Sichuan cuisine prepared by highly experienced chefs. Since its opening in 1987, the restaurant has always been particularly popular for its flavored catfish; sauteed chicken with chilli and traditional Chinese medicine (honestly); braised eel with bean curd; and stuffed green peppers with minced pork. Also in much demand are local Sichuan snacks such as guokui and marinated glutinous rice.

The restaurant has a delightful Chinese garden with classically laid courtyards and walkways between two largish dining rooms. Arched bridges and lush greenery add to the general peaceful environment, so much so that you might be tempted to ignore the office for a while after your lunch. Seats close to the lake need to be reserved in advance.