Weekend Brunch at Feast by East - East Hotel, Beijing.
Feast by East at East Hotel, Beijing, is as the name suggests, a feast. It has perfected a formula that works really well for it, and its brunch seems to attract full houses rather effortlessly. Loyal guests is the buzz phrase. Having tried the brunch several times, here are some talking points.
1. Drinks Selection
The entry level package offers a choice of red and white. These are typical wines for this price. I have been at brunch when there were two reds and two whites. Nice. These are easy drinking wines. However, it is the bubbly package that really excites and actually offers guests the best drinks in the city for an under-500 yuan brunch. There is a choice of champagnes, either Mumm Cordon Rouge Brut NV or Perrier Jouet Grand Brut NV. On the wine front, there is a choice of 6. That is not a typo - 6! The reds include my favourite brunch wine, a Stoneleigh Marlborough Pinot Noir and Michael Lynch Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon. The white wines include the excellent Stoneleigh Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and the delightful Michael Lynch Sauvignon Blanc. If you want something less fruity, the Wyndham Chardonnay is pretty good! I usually stick to bubbles at a brunch, but the wines are so good that I find myself leaving my comfort zone.
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| Duck, duck and more duck. |
In the Beijing context, it is very unusual to have a brunch that is part buffet and part a la carte. Feast, in adopting this, manages to offer guests the best of the visually appealing buffet spread as well as a made to order main course, the latter accentuated by the fact that guests get to choose from 19 dishes. Options include a big American breakfast, Eggs benedict (I recommend you choose the salmon topping) and Stacked fluffy Pancakes - I should want you that the aforementioned is huge! Other dishes I also recommend are the Pan-fried Icelandic halibut and the mouth watering Slow-cooked Lamb shoulder, a nice surprise having a Middle Eastern dish on the menu. On a side note, a dish that is inexplicably popular is the Half lobster & Prawn pasta - the lobsters are a bit small and I like my lobster meaty! However, my absolute favourite dish on the menu has to be the three-ways cooked duck as I call it - Seared duck breast, confit duck leg and foie gras! This is exceptional. Make sure to ask for your duck to be cooked medium. This dish with the Pinot Noir on offer is a la carte worthy on any menu.
3. Buffet options
You can expect the usual array of dishes from sushi to a very good Chinese section to seafood. The seafood station is one station I am not enamoured with as the selection does not inspire me. On the other hand, the Indian station, my favourite in the city, is fabulous. The main element I like about it is that Chef has not 'spiced' down the spices for local palates. This is helped by the fact that there is a large expat demographic at brunch who want it as authentic as possible. Next, it is quite a decent spread with about 3-4 curries on offer, usually. For Indian cuisine at a brunch, this is must try.
Verdict
The formula I mentioned at the start of my review works really well. As a result, the menu has not changed significantly since I first tried it - to my disappointment. But if one looks at the numbers turning up for the Feast brunch every week, they don't seem to mind, so, as the cliche goes, 'if it ain't broke' don't try to fix it'. The hotel understands its market very well. Another strength at the brunch is the senior restaurant managers on the floor, with Steve and his assistant Sunny ensuring guests' needs are met. At the same time, a weakness is service levels when the brunch is very busy - waiting staff seem overwhelmed and frazzled - an area for improvement. I also think some additional language training, considering the large number of foreigners at the brunch, will be a good idea.
Feast, overall, offers outstanding value for money with a brunch concept that I think works brilliantly - an abundance of food on display but at the same time the care and attention that is given to a main course. But be warned, once you go, it will be hard not to stay away - one of my three MUST DO brunches in Beijing.
Essentials
Feast by East
East Hotel Beijing
22 Jiuxianqiao Road
Chaoyang District,
Beijing
T +86 10 8426 0888
Getting there by Subway
Line 14, Jiangtai station
Exit C
Packages
Wine, soft drinks 298 RMB
Champagne, wine 498 RMB
Saturday and Sundays 11h30-15h30
Brandon Stoltenkamp
https://instagram.com/bmstoltenkamp/
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