Healthy Eats and Retro Decor On Offer at New FFC Restaurant Host

Worker bees looking to splurge on a healthy, fancy lunch in an equally flashy setting could certainly do worse than Host. The recently opened eatery, located on the second floor of the FFC building, has salads, sandwiches, meaty entrees, and salty appetizers like spicy potato wedges. The decor, with its pastel-ish color schemes and airy table placing, is quintessentially '80s, and makes us feel like a character from Miami Vice from the moment we step inside.

The restaurant touts its use of organic and home-made ingredients, an admirable point that was more than apparent when we tucked into these very fresh dishes. We ordered a shrimp caesar salad, which came with an egg poached to the point of delightful puffiness.

The half-dozen shrimps scattered among the greens were just as soft and satisfying as the egg, boosting our protein without bogging us down. Sadly, the RMB 88 price tag left us feeling deflated – it was healthy and tasty, but not enough to shell out that much cash. Seafood fans would be better off trying the salmon and cheese salad (RMB 68) or the shrimp pasta (RMB 98) to get more bang for their buck.

The appetizer menu, meanwhile, has a range of more suitably priced, ready-to-share items that will surely work for the business crowd that no doubt come here to impress clients. We tried the spicy potato wedges, which didn't live up to their name in terms of fiery seasoning, but were thankfully salty and crisp on the outside and cottony soft on the inside, without being overly greasy or hefty – all of which was enough to cease our hunger pains and leave us feeling like we'd indulged a bit without overdoing it. Their RMB 38 price tag was also pretty reasonable.

In short: CBD patrons looking for a slightly upscale bite to eat will enjoy this satisfying new restaurant. But the prices, location, and the very much fine (but not quite exceptional) flavors and quality of their food likely won't be drawing anyone from outside that business district.

Host
Weekdays 8am-10pm, Weekends 11am-8pm. E202, 7 Dongsanhuan Zhonglu (8597 7107)
东三环中路7号

More stories by this author here.
Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
Twitter: @MulKyle

Photos: Kyle Mullin, Host