Rive Gauche Lives Up to Expectations Thanks to Smart Service and Standout Signature Dishes
It’s not every day that a new restaurant gets the majority of Beijing’s foodie community talking but Rive Gauche, the French-styled all-day dining restaurant at The Puxuan, seems to have pulled off that rare feat. Thanks to a 50 percent off deal that ran throughout Spring Festival, many of us who didn’t manage to escape Beijing for warmer climes found out WeChat moments full of pictures of the food at Rive Gauche. Which of course meant that we had to try it for ourselves.
Rive Gauche bills itself as a bistro but don’t go expecting casual dining. It’s not quite white tablecloths and silver cutlery but the service level and price point certainly place it more towards the fine dining end of the spectrum. The staff is knowledgeable and approachable, happy to offer advice or tidbits of info about the dishes throughout the meal. You will also frequently see executive chef Ivan Miguez, who most recently worked as executive sous chef at three Michelin-starred Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet in Shanghai, roaming the dining room chatting with diners.
Chef Miguez’s menu is simple, featuring just a handful of starters and mains, priced at RMB 98 and RMB 148 respectively. The undisputed standout from the former is the bone marrow with tendon crackling, parsley, anchovies, and capers (pictured at the top). The sour-salty bite of the capers works as an excellent foil for the rich bone marrow, as do the accompanying slices of charred baguette. Vegetarians are well catered for too, with a vibrant starter of roasted vegetables with yellow pepper puree.
Bone marrow aside, the other dish that was attracting the most “oohs” and “aahs” on WeChat was the beef short ribs (supplement of RMB 298 on top of main course price) and justifiably so. The short ribs are cooked for eight hours in a mixture of more than 20 spices (we detected chili and lemongrass, among others) before being carved tableside. The dish even makes a surprise reappearance inspired by the traditional method of serving a stir fry or soup after Peking duck (we won’t spoil the details of the surprise for you, although Dianping users apparently have no qualms about it). Rive Gauche has clearly bet on this being a star dish – our server asked if we wanted to take photos before carving and plating – and it does live up to the hype, although if we had to pick holes the beef could have been a little more tender.
This slight gripe aside, the only other misstep of the meal was an apple tart that was more pastry than apple, although it avoided dryness with a luscious homemade salted caramel ice cream. The comprehensive wine list – so comprehensive that it is split into chapters – is also a highlight as is the extensive selection of wines by the glass, starting from just RMB 58.
With a menu of interesting twists on French cuisine and a terrace with fantastic views over the Forbidden City set to open before the summer, Rive Gauche looks set to be one of the hottest tables of the year.
Rive Gauche
Daily 6.30-10.30am, midday-2.30pm, 6-10pm. 2/F, The Puxuan Hotel and Spa, 1 Wangfujing Street, Dongcheng District (5393 6688)
左岸：东城区王府井大街1号璞瑄酒店2层
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Photos: Robynne Tindall, Aidan Teare, Dazhong Dianping
