Smoking Hot: Barbecue from The Big Smoke Bistro

It's a good time to be living in Beijing – the food and drinks at The Big Smoke Bistro are yet another testament to that fact. We dropped in for a couple rounds of cocktails and a tableful of barbecue and fixins and came away happily sated. Read on for the gory details.

After enjoying the rotisserie chicken from the adjoining Uncle Otis last week, we wanted a taste of The Big Smoke Bistro, the larger side of the latest restaurant project from Kris Ryan (Saddle Cantina, The Rickshaw). We ate our way through a sizable chunk of the soft-opening menu.

For starters, we tried several of their "small bites" appetizers, including a portion of roasted nuts (RMB 25), chilled roast beef salad in radicchio cups (RMB 32), chorizo sausage (RMB 40) and chargrilled scallops (RMB 38). The hearty roast beef was a big hit, though my personal favorite were the scallops, which came with a zingy tequila lemon sauce.

Moving on to salads, a baby spinach salad (RMB 40) with shaved prosciutto and a garlic vinaigrette drew plenty of "oohs" and "aahs." Charred fennel and grilled zucchini (RMB 37) also got us excited. We were less enthused by a house flatbread salad with caramelized onions, as the sweetness of the onions overpowered the rest of the dish.

Considering this is a barbecue joint, the meats took their rightful place at center stage. We had a lengthy debate about which proteins we preferred, eventually settling on an "agree to disagree" truce. Succulent eight-hour woodfired pig (RMB 68) will be a big draw for some, but you'll want to eat it right away, as the crackly skin got rubbery after a few minutes.

We tried lamb two ways: eight-hour oven braised shanks (RMB 68) and braised cutlets with a coffee and ancho-chilli sauce (RMB 65). I liked them both. They're like a pair of brothers: I imagine the shanks as the athletic but unassuming one, while the cutlets are the urbane and sophisticated half. I expect the long flavors of the ancho-chilli sauce will be the preferred option, though I am looking forward to gnawing on the lamb shank on a cold afternoon. Still others among us voted for the beef tenderloin (RMB 67) and the bright flavors of its chimichurri and salsa.

After sampling all five of the sides, grilled mushrooms (RMB 27) took the clear lead, mainly because of a Chipotle mayo that could bump up the Grinch's heart a couple sizes. Meanwhile, garlic-rosemary roasted potatoes (RMB 25) pleased the crowd. I recommend avoiding the house-made garlic flatbread (RMB 35). It was dry and flavorless and one of the only low notes of our evening.

Drinksmith Gordon Kutil, who also doubles as manager over at Saddle Cantina, put together a nice selection of elixirs. My favorite was a refreshing bourbon stormy (RMB 48), though the strawberry basil mojito (RMB 55) is almost dangerously quaffable.

If you want to cap things off with a dessert, I'm told you'll be able to head next door to Uncle Otis for a slice of New York-style cheesecake or cinnamon buns in the coming weeks. Ryan indulged us with a preview of the latter, and I've already made a note in my calendar to stalk Otis for another bite of those buns.

Once the Big Smoke is fully up and running, you'll also be able to grab the rolls for breakfast at the café. I'm not often around the West Sanlitun area in the early AM, but I'm assuming that locals will gladly welcome a new coffee and breakfast option.

The Big Smoke Bistro
Closed Mondays during soft-opening period. Lee World Building (down the alley from Frost Nails), 57 Xingfucun Zhonglu, Chaoyang District (6416 5195)
朝阳区幸福村中路57号楼利世楼

By subway: 1.2km northeast of Dongsishitiao stop (Line 2)