Blue Balcony: A Culinary Odyssey in Sanlitun Soho

Blue Balcony is a Greek restaurant. Sort of. Certainly the decor has a hint of the Hellenic to it: white washed walls, swathes of Santorini blue, colored stained glass lamps, enough to forget you're actually on the fifth floor of a draughty office building.

The menu has more than its fair share of Greek influence too. A trio of spanakopita pastries (RMB 38) are crisp parcels bursting with a piping hot, well seasoned spinach and cheese filling. Moussaka (RMB 48) is a hearty wedge, substantial for one or big enough to share among friends. The dishes may not stay 100 percent true to their origins, but then again, Beijing is hardly brimming with authentic Greek options in the first place.

That is where the Greek influence ends. From there, the menu turns towards modern (one hesitates to say fusion) Chinese dishes. The runaway winner is the chicken curry served in a hollowed out cube of bread (RMB 56), sort of like the South African dish Bunny Chow. The creamy, lightly spiced curry is set off perfectly by the slightly sweet bread (and trust us when we say it works equally well as leftovers). Elsewhere, the sweet and sour pork ribs (RMB 52) is a more sophisticated version of traditional sweet and sour pork. 

Things take a turn for the theatrical at the desserts, which feature over-the-top touches like dry ice and teeny terracotta pots. Unfortunately the taste doesn't quite match expectations. Go for a glass of pleasantly sweet lime yogurt (RMB 35) instead.

With its well-priced Greek options and comfortable seating, Blue Balcony is a surprisingly homey find in Sanlitun Soho's otherwise nondescript halls.

Blue Balcony
517, Bldg 2, Sanlitun Soho, 8 Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District (8590 0386)
蓝灏：朝阳区工体北路8号三里屯SOHO2号楼5层517室

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Photos: Robynne Tindall