Brunch on the Terrace - The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing

April 19, 2024

Brunch on the Terrace - The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing

Buffets can be a glorious occasion, especially when the restaurant hosting them places a premium on ingredients. However, I have always believed that when it comes to brunch, the set menu concept has so many virtues; less is more. The less is more concept, though, means your dishes have no place to hide because the menu is so limited. With buffets, you accept that dishes will hit and miss, but with a set menu, poor dishes stand out for the wrong reasons. I recently tried the Ritz Weekend Brunch but I prefer to call it the Brunch on the Terrace, a very exciting concept at The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing.

There is something so serene about the calming terrace, with its abundant greenery. Sipping champagne there takes the wow experience to a new level. The Brunch on the Terrace features a set menu with options. It is not an extensive menu, but neither should it be - this brunch is about simplicity. It is a different world to the buffet brunch hosted in Aroma, full of variety and fun, Ritz Buffet Brunch It is, if you will, more of a niche brunch - the guest who prefers to sit back and relax, without having to walk and choose from among many dishes, dealing with numerous other guests, the pitter patter of footsteps - Less is More.

Brunch started off with a seafood tower that screams freshness and Summer all at once. It is punctuated by caviar complete with blinis and with some fine other seafood items - the sashimi and oyster are just fabulous. I enjoyed that I was not rushed to get to the next course. It allowed me to savour every bite. On a small but also significant note, the oyster sauce used with the wasabi is excellent. It is so off putting to have soy sauce that has an almost unnatural saltiness about it - this, though, was just right!

One of the challenges for restaurants with set menu brunches is the perception among most guests that they will be hungry at the end because it is not a buffet. Your average customer is concerned with 'getting value' for his or her money. This accounts for why buffet brunches are always more popular than set menu ones. This is, though, a misnomer. After the seafood tower, I was already quite satisfied and by the time I started my main course, I was actually full already. With the Brunch on the Terrace, there are added benefits that are often easy to overlook. First, you are likely to have a higher staff to guest ratio, the freshness of food pretty much made to order and then of course, that extra special Ritz touch: champagne is served in a crystal glass, real silver cutlery and of course, Narumi fine china. If that feeling of being pampered means something to you, you will feel it even more at this brunch. So, not only is less more, it is exquisite.

The menu. There are two options - 598 RMB and 398 RMB. The former offers immense value for money and is therefore recommended - the Seafood Tower is sensational! Overall, I would describe the menu as a work in progress with one or two interesting and bold, less obvious offerings. It is quite a task for Executive Chef Him Chong and his culinary team to create a menu in a hotel that already has a sumptuous buffet brunch. Because you have so few dishes, it is inevitable that guests will have their say. Suddenly each guest, including yours truly, is a chef! What I appreciate about Chef is that he takes risks. He tries things. I am already excited about my next visit to see what changes are there. I want to add that the beef in the Surf and Turf salad was beautifully cooked, and matched with a balanced vinaigrette, it was hard not to enjoy.

The Drinks. Here too are two options. At an extra 228 RMB, enjoy a free flow of wine and selected cocktails. Add this to your base brunch price and you can see the value. However, nothing says more brunch on a terrace to me than Champagne, so the additional 368 RMB with free flow Perrier Jouët NV is a no brainer. There remains something decadent about sitting on a sofa, on a terrace at The Ritz, sipping bubbles.