We were excited to hear about a new Vietnamese restaurant opening in Wangjing. Sure, that part of town has Korean cuisine on lock–and we’re grateful for it – but its slim pickings for other international options.

Our enthusiasm dampens slightly on entering the space. Face a certain way and everything looks on point with the evolving aesthetic of Beijing’s hipper restaurants – chic wooden furniture and clean lines. Turn your head though, and things tumble out of control as you spot massive, neon-colored translucent panes dividing the room.

Hanoi’s bun cha is served street-side on small plastic stools for 8 RMB. You grab a couple bits of grilled fatty pork, a bundle of cold vermicelli noodles and a heaping pile of wild greens and swish it through a bowl of salty-sweet dipping sauce for an outrageous bite. Flor de Loto’s bun cha (88 RMB) recalls this vaguely, but the fact that they think pale lettuce will do it for the greens should tell you all you need to know. They’ve got beef pho here, too. The broth is delicate and balanced – if not slightly weak – but skip the bland shredded meat (medium 53 RMB). Perhaps we would have fared better with the ‘Pho Fresh Beef’ (medium 53 RMB).

Weirdly, Flor de Loto has a defter hand with the Thai-style curries. The yellow curry (92 RMB) really pops with notes of lemongrass, lime and just enough heat to make mouths tingle. The primary cuisine might not be much good, but we’d come back just for this.

Address: Shop 201, Second Floor, Building A, ULO Park Building, Guangshun Nan Dajie, Chaoyang District 朝阳区广顺南大街悠乐汇A座2层201

Source: timeoutbeijing.com