It's Not Easy Being Cheesy: Sweet and Savory Curds at Cheese Family
Though Cheese Family has only been open for 20 days, it's already something of a hit among Chinese locals. This might have more to do with the cool if rather cloying decor than the pervasive stench of burnt cheese.
One couple cuddles up on a cream sofa underneath chalkboards where "I Love You’s” are scrawled next to cartoon chunks of cheese. Another pair ignore each other while staring gloomily at a vast plastic tree from which birdhouses and baubles hang. Parents tuck into their Caesar salad (cheese not optional) as their kids scramble about in the cute creche wedged between the first and second floor.
The management describe Cheese Family as the restaurant spin-off of their two-year-old "Cheese Teenager" cake shop off Gulou. They have grand designs for their Cheese House brand, and for cheese in general, lauding both for their natural, novel, and nutritious properties. "We want to create a cheese culture in China," the manager coos. But when I ordered a tuna cheese salad, they forgot to add their favourite ingredient.
As with their successful Gulou sweet shop, there's an exciting assortment of cheesecakes (chocolate, durian, red bean), which are claimed to be made fresh and are decently priced at RMB 28. There's also durian and red bean milk on offer (RMB 28), and, to my delight, imported beer (Erdingers, Leffe, Duvel, all RMB 30). But with flavourless baked cheese and rice (RMB 28, with optional cuttlefish, salami or durian), the closest they offer by way of an actual meal, Cheese House may wish to rethink its menu if it's to pull in true cheese connoisseurs.
Cheese Family 起司家
Daily 10.30am-9pm. 257 Dongsi Beidajie, Dongcheng District (150 109 44703, 186 1033 5610) 东城区东四北大街257号(近张自忠路地铁站)
Subway: 200m south of Zhangzizhonglu station (Line 5)
Photo: Sarah Karacs
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Teej
Submitted by Guest on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 19:58 Permalink
Re: It's Not Easy Being Cheesy: Sweet and Savory Curds at ...
Cheese has been a great place to hang out. It's a welcome change from the usual cluttered, dusty and grimy bars and cafes in Nanluoguxiang. It does cater a little more to the Chinese market taste wise. Which is probabaly good business when you're surrounded by 24 000 000 Chinese people. They've taken a lot of queues from Ikea while maintaining a small level of kitsch for the locals I guess.
No restaurant is without teething problems but after a few staff changes and a couple of tweeks to the menu, Cheese Home has come a long way.
If you're after a good espresso they're about to start serving Rickshaw Roasters coffee this week and have a very fancy Italian espresso machine from Nuova Simmonelli. The espresso was the best I've had outside of visiting Rickshaw in the 798 district.
By the way - the trees are real! And the cakes are baked fresh on premises. If you want proof, ask the owner, she'll be happy to show you the kitchen.
If you're after a genuine piece of baked cheesecake (there's over 10 to choose from), a quality espresso and a comfortable atmostphere with good music - they were playing Van Morrison, Leonard Cohen and Massive Attack yesterday - then Cheese Home is worth checking out.
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