A stuffed wolf stands at the door of Indonesian restaurant Padang like a paralysed sentry.

Walk a little further down the tropical rainforest décor–expect fake trees, jungle-mural walls and myriad ponds – and the canine is joined by a fake peacock, live twittering parakeets in birdcages, scuttling crabs in a waterhole and, bizarrely, three cages that contain two fluffy rabbits, two small rodents and a lizard, respectively. While the crabs are there to be eaten, the rabbits and rodents, thankfully, do not end up on plates.

Padang gets full marks for attempting to jazz up an unfortunate interior on the third floor of the new but already tatty looking Shimao Department Store. It’s clearly aimed at families with kids or wedding parties who want a taste of the exotic; one room contains a huge gold throne. Sadly, all the animals in the world cannot save Padang from feeling dated: the main dining room has shiny brown tablecloths topped with faux roses brushed with glitter.

A vast menu echoes Padang’s joint ownership between a Chinese Muslim and an Indonesian. One half offers typical Indonesian fare with explanations of dishes alongside their local name and photos; the other is made up of Chinese dishes such as Lanzhou style fried noodles and Hezhou style beans. The food is halal and the chef is Indonesian: one of the waitresses explained to us proudly that he is so Indonesian that he needs a Chinese translator.Padang is like that. It aims high – and throws in lots of bright, shiny, eye-catching touches, such as the likes of Mr. Wolf at the door – but unfortunately nothing here quite gels.Address: Third Floor Shimao Department Store, Gonti Bei Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区工体北路世贸百货3层Source: timeoutbeijing.com