In a quiet part of Sanlitun is Backyard Café, with a canopied outdoor area that makes for a rare hideaway far from the bustling world. A strip of tables large enough to hold laptops is the perfect vacation office setting – complete with Wi-Fi – when you need to escape for light lunches or drinks.

There’s a focus on nutrition favoring the crunchy, healthy set here. Early birds can start their morning with healthy grains in porridges, homemade muesli and granola, or indulge in traditional bacon and eggs. Lunch options include simple sandwich fillings, including an unusual combination of tuna, celery, olives, pickles and a lot of apple chunks (29RMB). The ‘backyard salad’ (29RMB) is bowls of greens with nuts, thin slices of avocado and dried fruit in a sweet dressing. Between the dressing, fruit and the awful surprise of sugary sun-dried tomatoes, the sweetness overwhelms.

Roasted vegetables and homemade bread (29RMB) have a pure flavor but feel like a plate of diet food. Lightly roasted, soft yellow-orange vegetables turn into healthy punishment and beg for some herbs, salt – anything to lift them. Whole-grain bread might perk up the diehard health-conscious, but crusty bread lovers may find the texture heavy and difficult to swallow despite the great flavor of real grain. You can quench your thirst with fresh juices and smoothies in good combos like pineapple, celery and pear in a tall glass reasonably priced at 23RMB.

Inside, a coffee bar (which uses filtered water) proudly serves Rickshaw Coffee in all forms. If you want to wind down, cocktails and beers are available, which balance a menu that is so focused on health it sometimes forgets flavor. If you need a break from the heavy, oily life of eating restaurant fare, Backyard Café can help you do a little cleanup from the inside.

English address 2 Sanlitun Bei Xiaojie, Chaoyang district

Chinese address 朝阳区三里屯北小街2号

Open

8am-10pm Mon-Fri; 10am-10pm Sat-Sun.

Tel: 6464 7642