China Tang Brings High-End Cantonese Dining to WF Central

Robynne Tindall, Contributing Editor | Apr 28, 2021 8:01 am | Add a comment | 408 reads

International restaurant brands like Shake Shack and Taco Bell love to take a gamble on the Beijing F&B market (with varying degrees of success), but it's rare to see an international Chinese restaurant group try their luck. That's why we were interested to hear that China Tang, an upscale Chinese restaurant originally launched by the late entrepreneur Sir David Tang at the Dorchester in London in 2005, was opening in Beijing in WF Central.

China Tang's London and Hong Kong locations are known for their dazzling turn-of-the-century-Chinoiserie-meets-neon decor and while the Beijing location doesn't hit that mark, the surroundings are still plush. The private rooms, in particular, are a treat, with the largest even boasting its own private cigar room. The restaurant has taken over the space vacated by Howard's Gourmet on the third floor of WF Central in Wangfujing, which offers views over the Forbidden City.

China Tang serves high-end modern Cantonese food (influences by the food of Beijing and Chaozhou, among others) with a focus on set menus and private dining, although there is an a la carte menu. According to Dianping, an average meal will set you back RMB 693. Smart dishes like foie gras with blueberry and red wine coulis justify that kind of pricing, as well as show off a preference for light, balanced dishes in the kitchen.

The absolute stand out dish on the day we visited was the crispy-skinned squab. The restaurant uses 15-day-old pigeons sourced from Zhongshan in Guangdong, which are first soaked in a spiced brine before roasting. There is no doubt that this is among the best pigeon we have ever eaten in Beijing; the skin is shatteringly crisp and the meat is still juicy and tender, no mean feat when you're cooking with a bird this small.