Café Ruhe: Where Tacos Meet Tom Yum Goong

Robynne Tindall, Contributing Editor | Oct 23, 2019 11:30 am | Add a comment | 404 reads | Paid for by Café Ruhe

There’s only one restaurant in Beijing where you can start your meal in Thailand, take a short hop to Japan for tonkatsu, swing by Italy for pasta, and finish your meal with a classic all-American burger. Located in Pacific Century Place, Café Ruhe serves a wide-ranging selection of dishes and drinks from different countries around the world and, more surprisingly, executes each one with aplomb. If you love dining out with friends but always end up arguing about what to eat then this is the restaurant for you.

The name Café Ruhe comes from a German word meaning “peace.” The founders chose this name to reflect how they want customers to feel when they are eating at the restaurant: comfortable and at peace like they are in their own home. You won’t find any starched linen tablecloths and uptight service here; the staff are friendly and approachable and the tables are set with both chopsticks and knives and forks (if you feel like eating your pasta with chopsticks you can trust that no-one will look at you sideways). “Ruhe” (如何) also means something akin to “how is it?” in Chinese, demonstrating how important customer feedback is to the team.

The food at Café Ruhe is testament to the amount of work that goes into restaurant menus behind the scenes. Indeed, as one of the founders told us, it was only through hard work and dedication that they could create such a broad menu without sacrificing the authenticity of any of the dishes. Take the burger, for example. The current recipe is the result of nearly five years of constant research and recipe tweaking, including multiple trips to the US to taste burgers at popular chains like Shake Shack and In-N-Out.

All of that has resulted in a burger that is, without a doubt, the juiciest in Beijing, so much so that they serve it with plastic gloves if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t like getting your hands dirty. The signature bacon double cheeseburger (RMB 108) strikes the perfect flavor-to-texture balance, thanks to a homemade bun and a combination of 11 different fresh ingredients and seven seasonings.

The burger may be the most-ordered item at Café Ruhe but from there on out the menu takes a turn for the international. The crispy shrimp tacos (RMB 82) are another highlight, a signature creation of the restaurant’s head chef. With layers of coleslaw, spicy marinated shrimp, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and a finishing touch of mango chutney these tacos boast a finely-tuned array of spicy, sour, sweet, and savory flavors. The staff will even show you how to eat them so that you get a bit of everything in each bite.

Those in search of Asian flavors should start with the tom yum goong (RMB 76), which is as flavorful as any version you will find in Thailand. The chef worked hard to create a soup that is spicy yet fragrant and that doesn’t simply attack the taste buds with chili heat. This is certain to be a popular option in colder weather.

Another hearty option for the approaching winter is the barbecue pork ribs (RMB 288), which are so meltingly tender that you don’t even need a knife and fork to pull them apart. The ribs are marinated and then slow-cooked to achieve that texture, before being coated with lashings of barbecue sauce that is sticky but nevertheless doesn’t overwhelm with sweetness.

Special offer for readers of the Beijinger!

Additionally, Café Ruhe is offering the Beijinger readers a voucher for a set meal for the very low price of just RMB 39 (originally worth more than RMB 163). Sample one of three of their signature dishes, including the aforementioned crispy shrimp tacos and double bacon cheeseburger, as well as seafood pasta with pesto sauce, served with either a mojito cocktail, a Weihenstephaner Draft Beer (200ml), or a (non-alcoholic) lemon mojito.

Scan the QR code above, follow Café Ruhe's official WeChat account, and then send “IWCP” to the account to get your voucher. There are only 288 vouchers available, so act fast (vouchers can be redeemed from Oct 23-Nov 22, from 5-9pm daily). Call 6500 5639 between the hours of 9am and 11.30pm to make your reservation (the restaurant requests that guests please try to use Chinese when you make the reservation).

We all scream for Halloween!

The team at Café Ruhe never passes up a chance to celebrate a festival and Halloween is no different. They have put together a selection of special Halloween cocktails, including a flaming B-52 and an appropriately-spookily-named bloody mary.

On Oct 31, from 5-6.30pm or 9-11.30pm order any entree, appetizer, or snack and enjoy buy-one-get-one-free cocktails and beer (note that after 9pm the menu changes to the late-night menu). From 6.30-9pm, the deal switches to buy-one-get-the-second-half-price.