New Spring Menus to Suit Every Diner: Element Fresh, Country Kitchen, Okra 1949, Bottega
With the sun out in full force brightening up our lives and thawing our toes, our favorite dining establishments are bringing us more sunny flavors to match, and even more of a reason to get outside of our houses.
For the health-conscious foodie
The health-conscious Beijing foodie will be happy to hear that tennis star Li Na has paired up with Element Fresh yet again, launching a range of spring and summer dishes to keep you satisfied and filled up without sacrificing your health. One of these additions is a summery rendition of their cobb salad, a Beijing favorite, adding prawns to the mix, as well as kiwi fruit cubes, edamame and grilled corn.
There's also a more Asian creation, the salmon and black rice salad, featuring grilled salmon with a ponzu glaze, steamed black rice, mizuna lettuce, grilled baby mushrooms, wakame sea vegetables, and special ingredients such as micro-greens, tobiko roe, and shiso-citrus vinaigrette.
Element Fresh is also upping their smoothie and juice game to keep us hydrated as the mercury rises: check out the Green Monster, featuring cucumber, apple, lemon, spirulina and honey, as well as the fiber boost, a mix of soy milk, oats, raisins, walnuts, almonds, chia and sunflower seeds.
For those seeking spice and strong flavor
At Rosewood Beijing, the winner of the outstanding award for Best Dumplings in the 2016 Restaurant Awards, Country Kitchen's new spring dishes bring more fish items with Northern Chinese flair on the menu, with a new stir fried sea bass fillet with special gan gu chili (RMB 260, pictured at the top of this blog post). Even though the fish is fried, don't let that put you off as the dish is light and the chili adds plenty of kick for that friend that just can't eat it unless its spicy.
The Braised Bighead Carp Fillet with Garlic and Ginger, sporting the most tender part of the fish, its tail, was easily a favorite at the table, the ginger and garlic combining with the slightly sweet sauce.
For the seafood connoisseur
Over at Okra 1949, a new seasonal set dinner menu focuses on fresh seafood and the finer, unique ingredients. For RMB 318 per person (plus 10 percent service charge), you'll be fed Chilean wagyu skirt tartare with pickled okra; a chef's selection of 6 nigiri sushi; scallop and sakura shrimp tempura; charcoal-roasted spring chicken leg with bamboo shoots and chili sauce; and finally housemade macaroon with wagashi and chocolate for desert.
If you really want to go all out, there's an option to add North Korean live uni with dashi jelly and housemade lemon salt for an additional RMB 110 per person.
For those craving hearty Italian lunches
Also in Sanlitun, Bottega's new set spring lunch menu is steering slightly away from the heavier winter ingredients, bringing in fruits, greens, and fresh seafood to gear us up for spring.
Their menu is still RMB 88 for two courses, with starters ranging from a kale and mixed greens salad with pear, ricotta, and citrus vinaigrette, and a green pea and potato soup. We opted for the bresaola, served with grilled asparagus, parmigiano, olive oil, and sea salt. The grilled asparagus' crunchy flavors are brought out really well by the brasaola, air-dried salted beef originating in the Northern Italian Lombardy region.
As for mains, the housemade ravioli with chicken, porcini, and white truffle oil is doused in fresh zesty tomato sauce, and topped off with parmesan. It really hits the spot. The delicate filling gets a slightly sharper edge from the white truffle oil lightly dripped on top. Being the winner of the outstanding award for Best Italian Food in our 2016 Restaurant Awards, the rest of the menu is sure to be a hit.
With these new menus around town at our favorite joints, there's no reason not to stop going to your usual youpomian store and get out there and try something new to celebrate the changing of the seasons.
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Email: margauxschreurs@truerun.com
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Photos: Margaux Schreurs
