Maison Boulud (Beijing, CHINA) ★★★★★

If there's one thing that has always remained a constant in Beijing, it is its traffic jams. Most often than not, a short 10-minute drive here could easily be stretched into a long and boring 45-minute ride on any given day. Like this afternoon, a drive to Maison Boulud which often takes 10 minutes or so, ended up going more than 30 minutes.

But other than the traffic jams, the capital city of China is undergoing major changes. One change every foodie including myself is happy to see is the change to the culinary landscape of the city which has seen its share of evolution since the 2008 Olympics. And with the city's new wave of fine dining restaurants, Beijing is looking different by the minute.

Among those, Michelin chef Daniel Boulud and his Maison Boulud is right at the forefront of the wave.

Housed under the former American Embassy building in the legation quarter just south of the Forbidden city, Maison Boulud welcomes diners with its cutting-edge French cuisine in a unique Versailles mansion setting.




At Maison Boulud, Executive chef Brian Reimer brings along culinary experience from his extensive travels in North America and Europe highlighted by his three-year experience working alongside his mentor, Daniel Boulud at New York City's renowned Daniel. 

Things got rolling with a small welcoming dish of cheese puff.

The amuse bouche was an assortment of tiny yet fashionable nibbles highlighted by a fresh oyster with caviar (left). That was followed by a hamachi sashimi (middle) and madai fish tartare (right) with avocado and citrus purée (5/10).

However, the first real test came in the form of a curried cauliflower soup with gala apple and cream of coriander.

The soup base was silky smooth and extremely rich in texture with curry and coriander providing that extra flavor to put it over the top. I also liked the idea of having thin slices of apple in the soup which undoubtedly added a soothing sensation to my palates (7/10).



Soup was immediately followed by the pigeon ballotine, a lovely French dish of deboned pigeon and foie gras wrapped around by a thin layer of pastry.

The dish was beautifully presented with variations of plums including purée, jelly and juice and then finally completed with the addition of pistachio shave and mustard to the side. That was an excellent dish, vintage Daniel Boulud style (7.5/10).



Ditching the signature "DB Burger" was a difficult call to make but I was glad that I did.

For my main course, I ended up picking a spice grilled butterfish that was served on a bed of wild rice, fricassee of tender carrots, olive and capers. The buttery texture of the fish was perfectly complemented by a variety of flavorful ingredients and a rich Romesco sauce that did well to tie everything together (7.5/10).



Dessert was the weakest link on the day but it has come with very little surprise. With the very few good patissiers available locally, it will be hard pressed to find high-quality desserts anywhere other than 5-star hotels.

Meet my creme brûlée with assorted fruit (2/10).



Petite four was slightly disappointing.



Finally, a basket of madeleine cookies to wrap up a terrific lunch at Maison Boulud.







Food Rating: 7/10
Price: ¥ ¥ ¥
Address: 23 Ch'ienmen Qian Men Dong da Jie, Beijing, 100006 China
Closest Metro Station: Qianmen
Tel: +86 (10) 6559-9200
Website: www.maisonboulud.com/Beijing

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