Upper Crust

Goodbye Brrr ... Hello Blossoms

Spring means Renewal on all fronts -- from love to the rebirth of all that is green and colourful, to people's donning of lighter, brighter clothes, getting out and about, arranging picnics, dining alfresco and tracking down other new eating places. BTM sheds its overcoat and goes in search of something tasty for food lovers grateful to see the back of winter hot-pots and soups. Best of all, we now have promise of blue skies and sustained sunshine. Amen to that.

Le Quai Restaurant and Lounge

This is a perfect venue for lunch, not least because it is at the heart of the city. Manager Judy Zhu's warm welcome to individuals is standard, virtually a guarantee that Le Quai has much to offer the discerning diner. No surprise then that the restaurant is a current favourite of Beijing's smart set with educated palates but who are known to change their 'in' place with alacrity.

With a 200-year-old Qing Dynasty interior reconstructed from the home of a nobleman from Jingdezhen city in Jiang Xi Province, Le Quai cultivates an atmosphere of exclusivity.

There is something eminent about the food too. Mango and Japanese crab roe salad, flambé sea snail served in flaming Hennessy VSOP brandy and fragrant sautéed shrimp balls with hot pepper are some of the house delicacies served at table with a professional flourish.

Overall restaurant service in China is often a notch above other places in the world. Beijing is no exception. Le Quai is something of an ambassador in this regard. The service is efficient and convivial, and waiting staff are diplomatic to a fault in never intruding on the fine dining experience offered.

Le Quai caters for business diners and visiting VIPs.  It is advisable to book a table. Arrive early for your meal and take time to visit the Beijing Art Now Gallery (BANG), upstairs, accessible by stairs from within the restaurant. You can buy competitively priced contemporary Chinese artworks.

Find Le Quai in the compound of the Workers' Stadium, opposite Gate 12,

with access off Gonti Beilu, Chaoyang District. Reservations: +86 10 6551 1636/39, 6551 5156