WINTER WARMERS
Capital M restaurant adds to its cozy charm with a selection of hearty dishes to make diners forget it’s cold outside. Mike Peters drops in for a tasting.
It takes some bravery to mess with success. But Capital M, Beijing’s award-winning sibling, Shanghai’s M on the Bund, has recently updated its menu, adding winterseason specials to the mix of modern European cuisine that has made the restaurant, with its commanding third-floor view of the Forbidden City area, a favorite for special occasions.
A monthly luncheon menu attracts regulars and curious newcomers at midday, priced a la carte or with the option to choose two courses plus tea or coffee and petit fours for 188 yuan ($29) per person. We suspect few people settle for two courses, but the option is there.
We choose roasted pumpkin soup, finished with maple and rosemary cream, for a warm start to our recent lunch, and an appetizer of baked figs — a special treat as the season ends for these beautiful fruits. They come wrapped like tiny Christmas gifts in Parma ham alongside soft goat cheese and grilled sourdough.
Char-grilled Australian beef is a tempting main-course option — M Group founder Michelle Garnaut is an entrepreneur who has made an art of using the best foods from her native Australia.
But the promise of cinnamon and honey lured us to the roasted duck breast, which is also spiced with a bit of chili and sided with purple carrots and Brussels sprouts. The latter veg has a reputation for being hard and tasteless (or even bitter), but the young sprouts selected by this kitchen staff come out tender with just a bit of crunch. The duck itself is everything you want it to be: succulent, sweet, rich and indulgent.
Indulgent could be the restaurant’s middle name.
“I want our guests to feel as if they’re at a dinner party — that sense of warmth and happiness, accompanied by great food and drink, and of course, great service,” says Matthew Nilon, the genial Queensland native who is general manager of Capital M.
Few restaurants have become iconic in Beijing as quickly as did Capital M after its 2009 opening. Perched on the edge of the 600-yearold Qianmen pedestrian street, its interior is luxurious and contemporary, with a 54-meter-long mural that celebrates the changing seasons, inspired by a 16-century Chinese painting.
The M Group is keen to bring quality cultural events and eclectic entertainment to its eateries. Besides the annual Shanghai International Literary Festival (now in its 12th year) and the 4-year-old Capital Literary Festival in Beijing, the M restaurants also frequently host history talks, chamber-music recitals, visiting DJs, performance art and support events for women’s charities.
The restaurants are also keen on dessert. Today there is a pear and chocolate tart topped with crispy walnut praline — some of my favorite flavors dancing together on one plate. There is fresh soft cheese, made by le Fromager de Pekin in the capital, served with local dried fruits and lavosh, one of the Middle East-
with its commanding third-floor view of the Forbidden City area, has updated its menu, adding winter-season specials to the mix of modern European cuisine.
ern touches that pops up on the eclectic menu. There’s a baked mascarpone cheesecake with a berry compote, and baked and stuffed apples with a creamy vanilla custard.
None of those winter-inspired
treats, however, will deter us from our chosen sweet finale: the pavlova. This colorful riot of sweet fruits atop a mound of crispy meringue has been a signature of the restaurant group since M on the Bund opened in 2009.
“Some things on the menu will come and go — and come again,” says Nilon, the Beijing GM. “But the pavlova will always be with us.”
Contact the writer at michaelpeters@chinadaily.com.cn