Wudaoying Hutong’s Chi Restaurant (that’s chi as in ‘eat’) is very much its parents’ child. Nathan Zhang of nearby up-cycling charity shop Brand Nü and chef Yao Yang, of Spanish spot Saffron, have created a sustainable dining venue set in a little restored hall, complete with peeling concrete walls surrounding an open kitchen built of unfinished wood. You’re eating in a crumbling building, but that’s part of the theme. It’s all about the ethics of urban renewal and sustainability, with a dedication to local eating and organic food even printed on the receipts.
Diners begin with a hunk of crusty bread. Tear it apart and drag it through the red-pepper sauce smeared along the plate, and if there’s any left, sop up the shallow mound of mashed eggplant. The eggplant is cooling, rich and flecked with piercing nubs of garlic, all topped off with a miso dressing.
As dishes get more intricate, the flavors become more and more playful, such as the juicy grape halves hidden in a succulent pudding of pumpkin purée and slivers of fried foie gras. A burly scallop arrives juicy and seared, sharing a shell with smooth, slightly sweet corn mash. The duo are then powdered with paprika and drizzled with vinaigrette to bring out a pleasing contrast.
Lunch, too, has its struggles. For a soup-and-main set menu, 80RMB is still a wallop compared to other business lunches around town. The mushroom soup is warming, but can’t break the functional mould. The same goes for the spaghetti, which has all the depth and character of something from a kid’s menu, even with the al dente noodles and meaty tubes from Beijing’s own Andy’s Craft Sausages. The ciabatta, slick with avocado and shrimp, has some taste, but the spongy bread irritatingly takes center stage.
Even with the marathon dining plan, Chi is best addressed as an incubator for organic ideas than green-eats gluttony. The menu frequently feels like something you could go home and cook, but they’re so giddy in making it for you it’s hard not to share the enthusiasm. Hopefully the restaurant itself can be as sustainable as its ethos.
Address: 67 Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng District 东城区五道营胡同67号
Source: timeoutbeijing.com
