Inside the Lishui Garden complex, across from the south gate of Chaoyang Park, is The Rug Café, one of the first restaurants to work directly with local Beijing farmers, such as De Run Wu or Da He, who are organic by their own standards but without official certification.

Almost a misfit in this residential area, The Rug Café has a large communal table for the laptop set, a small private room and an area full of distracting toys for kids. Initially, organic bagels were the big talk, with a debatable declaration that they were a health food. Coming in varieties like cinnamon-raisin or chocolate, you can order a smear of cream cheese among other classic toppings, or try them as main-course options like egg, bacon and onion, with a side of organic potatoes and coffee or tea. It’s everything you want, until you take a bite and realize this is a bagel made in China, with local flours that aren’t quite the way you expect them. And so you concede.

Breakfast is the main deal here. There’s an all-day menu with a full-page spread of pancakes or the big brunch that come with lots of things – including a bagel. The side menu has typical wine nibbles, but the unsung hero is a build-your-own hash brown, with a base that can be combined with imaginative things like avocado or thick sausage. Fresh orange or other juices come in a jug grand enough to share.

The Rug signature salad wears a scatter of crunchy croutons and tatters of bacon, crowned with a poached egg that shows off a bright, papaya-colored yolk when poked. It’s slightly heavy on the dressing, so ask for it on the side. With a bowl of creamy pumpkin soup that’s light on seasoning, it’s a perfect healthy lunch, with assurances that the produce is (probably) not grown with pesticides or chemical fertilisers.

Address: First Floor, Building 4, Chaoyang Gongyuan Nan Lu, Lishuijiayuan Xiaoqu (opposite Chaoyang Park south gate), Chaoyang District 朝阳区朝阳公园南路丽水嘉园小区4号楼1层(朝阳公园南门对面)

Source: timeoutbeijing.com