Nesting Instinct: The New El Nido Bistro

The El Nido Bistro kitchen managed to hold its own against a glut of hungry patrons at its opening party on Friday night. Final details for the restaurant's menu are still being drawn up, but the joint has definitely shown some promise. Read on to find out why.

One of the only complaints I've heard from customers of the El Nido bar is that it's simply too small. Proprietor Xiao Shuai is aiming to avoid that problem with his new bistro, as the restaurant has roughly three times as much indoor space as his bar.

El Nido Bistro has a nice homey feel to it that lives up to its name ("The Nest" in Spanish) in a way that the bar doesn't. That homeyness is accentuated by the fact that Xiao Shuai could possibly rank as one of the nicest guys in history. It's a shame we'll never actually know if he is nicer than St. Francis of Assisi.

Judging just by Friday's turnout, space may still be an issue, though. Faithful hutongers, many of whom appeared to be regulars at El Nido, turned up for the opening and had to spill out into the alley to eat and drink when all the seats were occupied.

Xiao Shuai describes El Nido Bistro's food as "Western homestyle." He says he's been learning recipes and techniques from his foreign customers and is looking to serve the foods that expats miss most from back home. Of course, it's too early to tell, since the menu and pricing aren't out yet, but I'm optimistic that the restaurant will deliver in this regard.

Opening night's menu was a parade of Western favorites like spaghetti Bolognese, pizza, lasagna, gnocchi, steak, apple pie and pound cake. Dribbles of gorgonzola on the pizza were a nice touch and the steak had plenty of juice. The homestyle vibe of the cooking lends it a soulful touch, though exacting gourmands will probably prefer a place like Mercante that puts the "o" in autentico.

One of the hits of the night was a leg of ham that tasted like Christmas. Unfortunately for us, the ham will only be trotted out on special occasions, as Xiao Shuai said he didn't plan on having it on the regular menu since it was quite troublesome to make.

I'll definitely head back to El Nido Bistro once they're fully up and running. Having left our respective nests for Beijing, we expats could always use an extra dash of homestyle cooking to pad our stomachs, especially before another one of those marathon drinking sessions at the original El Nido.

El Nido Bistro.
64 Fangjia Hutong, Dongcheng District
东城区方家胡同64号

By subway: 800m northwest of Beixinqiao station (Line 5)

Photos: Josh Ong