Il Ristorante Niko Romito at Bulgari Hotel Beijing (Beijing, CHINA) ★★★★☆

Finally, I decided not to test my ailing back at The Great Wall under extreme weather conditions this morning. Instead, with no planning what-so-ever, I went on a nostalgic journey back to Chaoyang district (朝陽區), the central business district of the national’s capital. If there’s ever a theme to this journey, it was meant to revisit and reflect on my past when I was still living out of a suitcase as a youngster.

This journey ended up taking me a little further than I thought. After numerous stops to catch my breath, I found myself walking past Liangmaqiao station (亮馬橋站). This is probably where I want to be if I decide to splurge on a big meal in Beijing, as it was right in the middle of several upscale hotels including Four Seasons, Kempinski and Westin. But I already had my sights set on the elegant Bulgari Hotel Beijing at this point.

The Bulgari Hotel Beijing first opened doors in the heart of the embassy district back in 2017.

Hidden behind the ground floor lobby was the hotel's bar and lounge but as lunch hour quietly approached, my focus was solely on their signature restaurant Il Ristorante Niko Romito.

No stranger to celebrated chef Niko Romito's cuisine thanks to my visit to his three-Michelin-starred flagship Ristorante Reale in 2014, I was naturally a little curious about the decorated Italian chef's venture here, which has garnered a Michelin star for five straight years.

Not surprisingly, the dining room was stylishly decorated with contemporary furniture from some of Italy's most renowned designers.

It provided the perfect ambience for a relaxing meal with a sense of warmth and comfort.

Lunch started off brilliantly with a small cup of vegetable soup as my amuse. This was prepared by squeezing the juice out of the tomatoes with no extra water added, finishing off with a touch of extra virgin olive oil and champagne. The clean flavors of tomatoes came through beautifully.

Next up was the collection of bread including grissini breadsticks with chestnut honey, sourdough bread loaf with potato and some flour crisps. This was reasonably good.

Langoustine, potato espuma, black truffle – That brings us to my first starter (I was supposed to have one starter only but more on that later).

Beautifully cooked langoustine topped by crispy potato flakes and shaved black truffles from Yunnan, was served on a pool of potato espuma. I like the lightness of the potato foam allowing the natural flavors of the langoustine to shine but I probably won’t mind some lovely acidity added to the dish. It would bring out the sweetness of the langoustine even more.

Ravioli, potato, chives – It was supposed to be time for my main dish but the guys here were kind enough to offer me an extra dish of homemade ravioli.

The ravioli stuffed with delicately tender potatoes was superbly cooked with patches of caviar and fresh chives sprinkled on top to add to the flavors. The lemon butter provided a nice lemony finish for the pasta.

Guangzhou chicken, potato, onion, olive, capers – My main dish was braised chicken fillet from Guangzhou served with chicken jus (prepared using different parts of the chicken from head to tail). This came with various degree of acidity thanks to the supporting cast of pickled onion, olive, capers and lemon.

A small salad helped to offset the richness of the dish.

Hazelnut, salted caramel – Dessert was an inspiration from the famous Ferrero Rocher chocolate. This was not the first kitchen to tackle the idea of making something reminiscent of the legendary Italian chocolate.

The centre of hazelbut mousse with salted caramel underneath the hazelnut chocolate crust. Could have added its own twist but love this~

Some sweet treats including a mini bomboloni, a crunchy pear with orange and cinnamon and a cup of lemon water to wrap things up.

This is in par with the philosophy behind Chef Romito's contemporary Italian cooking. I think it's modern yet classic. Something to look forward to on my next trip to Beijing.

Food Rating: 7.5/10

Price: ¥¥¥¥

Address: Building 2 Courtyard, 8 Xinyuan South Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China

北京市 朝阳区新源南路8号院2号楼

Closest Metro Station: Liangmaqiao (亮馬橋站)

Tel: +86 10-8555-8555

Opening Hours: 11:30am - 2:30pm, 6:00pm - 10:00pm daily