Black Pearl Double Sliders, Hot Rock Black Pepper Steak and More on the new Menu at Chat Room by the Rug Black Pearl Double Sliders, Hot Rock Black Pepper Steak and More on the new Menu at Chat Room by the Rug

Black Pearl Double Sliders, Hot Rock Black Pepper Steak, and More at Chat Room by the Rug

Tracy Wang, Senior Editor | Mar 17, 2016 10:00 am | Add a comment | 2246 reads

The heat is off, and spring is in the air. It’s time to embrace something fresh and our need for greener pastures and new food is obviously palpable – Chat Room by the Rug, located in Chaoyang Joy City, have developed a new menu just in time for the warmer weather.

We started with a latte, which did not disappoint. The barista surprised us with by decorating the foam with a cute bunny pattern (thoughts, dear readers? Is it suitably festive for the Easter season?). While the aesthetic was enticing enough, the latte's flavor was even better, which comes as no surprise, seeing as The Rug uses the same coffee bean supplier as the beloved Café Flatwhite.

Elin Hung – who owns The Rug with her husband Aden Chang and co-founder Gordon Chan – described to us the many things that set Chat Room apart from their flagship venue. For instance, Chat Room's portions are smaller and more suited for sharing, compared to The Rug's larger, single dishes. Hung adds that this new café is more of a draw for Chinese families thanks to its Joy City location, which is a marked difference from the throngs of expats who visit The Rug's Sanlitun and Chaoyang Park outlets. In order to suit the more local clientele, Chat Room offers spicier dishes with Chinese twists. We had the Spanish spicy shrimp (RMB 56), and Sichuan spicy mussels (RMB 66). Both had a perfect amount of fiery pepper but not to the point of overpowering the dish.

While the mussels and shrimp were highly satisfying, we were even more impressed with the black pearl double sliders (RMB 69). This pair of bite sized burgers featured handmade buns dyed with dark squid ink, homemade sauce, and fried fish. They had a fresh, juicy flavor that was laudably complex, thanks to their layers of vegetables, chunks of fish, and cheese. Three other mini-burger varieties are also on offer: the red velvet double sliders (RMB 69), dyed with red beet juice; the green valley double sliders (RMB 63), dyed with emerald colored spinach juice; and the old fashioned double sliders (RMB 79).

We also tried the hot rock black pepper steak (RMB 58), consisting of all-natural homemade black pepper sauce and 21-day fermented beef steak slices, served atop a hot plate. You decide how you like your steak cooked, the meat proving especially tender and full of flavor. The Sichuan spicy beef tendon pasta (RMB 88), however, did not fare as well, with fresh green onions and handmade Sichuan spice dominating any of the remaining nuance. Even the most seasoned of spice-lovers should skip this dud.

Thankfully, the meal was redeemed by the Bangkok pad kra pow moo rice plate (RMB 72), our second favorite dish of the meal, thanks to the creamy, sunny-side organic egg, rounded off with fresh chili pepper and basil mixed with coconut milk. Together, the ingredients were balanced in a fittingly Thai fashion.

Best of all, The Rug team never disappoints those of us with a sweet-tooth. At Chat Room, they offer espresso brandy tiramisu (RMB 59) and apple cranberry crumble (RMB 48). A lot of customers claim that the tiramisu here is the best in Beijing, and we certainly can't deny that it's one of the best we've had. The crumble is also worth a try, mainly because of its numerous apple slices. Both cakes are made every morning at the Sanlitun Rug's bakery.

For tea-lovers, there are 12 varieties of Teapigs, one of England's most popular brands, and yet another noticeable difference that sets the Chat Room and The Rug apart – Chat Room's Chinese customers often prefer a soothing cup of tea, as compared to the Sanlitun and Chaoyang Park venues, which are brimming with coffee drinkers. Despite such distinctions, all of the outlets share Huang and Chang's unparalleled attention to detail and quality. And as if that weren't enough, co-founder Gordon Chan has employed his famed design skills at the outlet, making the Chat Room as pleasing on the eye as it is on the tastebuds.