TRB Hutong Brunch, Beijing

August 28, 2020

TRB Hutong Brunch, Beijing

There is something surreal about the hutongs, narrow lanes, alley, or small streets dwellings in Beijing. For locals they are a connection to ancient China while for foreigners, they carry something mysterious, doing more than giving them a glimpse into an earlier world. Walking through them, the voices I hear make me think about life in the Yuan dynasty in the 1200's when the concept of hutongs was popularised. The voices of the children I here as I make my way to the restaurant, having taken an accidental detour, get me thinking about children running through hutongs through the years. While these are fairly newly built, you cannot help but feel the past in each hutong. It is here that you will find TRB Hutong, the group's flagship restaurant in so far as it lead to the group's name - Temple Restaurant Beijing.

As I make my way through the small courtyard, I see subtle touches that connect this restaurant to TRB's sister restaurant, located in the Forbidden City. I am welcomed and seated. The dining area has a starkness about it, but not unnerving at all. Black, white and gray dominate, broken by large floor to ceiling windows. It is the kind of restaurant where, apart from well appointed paintings, you cannot escape that minimalist ambiance. Like at TRB Forbidden City, seating is capped at around 70, right on target for the fine dining title in Beijing.

My table, one of three in the main dining area with unobstructed views of the temple courtyard, must be the envy of diners when the restaurant is full. On this, its reopening weekend, the restaurant is at about 65% capacity, not bad at all considering the dining climate in Beijing, post Covid-19. I am offered TRB's signature welcome drink, a glass of Laurens Le Moulin, sparkling wine. As I peruse the brunch menu, I see subtle changes from my last brunch experience at TRB Forbidden City - Executive Chef JFK oversees a common menu at both venues. For this look at my brunch experience, rather than go through it dish by dish, I will focus on dishes I had not tried last time, new additions to the menu or variations on old dishes. For my previous experience at TRB Forbidden City, have a read here TRB Forbidden City

Chilled melon soup

Foie gras, cherry

The Dishes: Something old, something new and some Variations.

Lobster cup and apple in green pea puree.

With salmon having been removed from menus in Beijing over Covid-19 fears, a big loss has been the gravlax which was previously on the menu. However, life has a way of giving us an opportunity to enjoy something we would otherwise not have been able to enjoy - Chef has replaced it with Tuna, baby cucumber, citrus. The result is...simply sensational. It is visually arresting and as I watch Valerie, my excellent server for the day, pour the basil oil, I cannot help but marvel at the time and care taken to create this dish, one of 4 starters on the brunch menu. I love the non-kitschy fish design made by the cucumber and the metaphor of it then swimming in the basil oil. There is something very poetic about the dish. Don't you love it when you have fallen in love with a dish while the pleasure of tasting it still awaits?

Tuna and avocado is such a sensible combination in other cuisines, so why not here? Chef uses wasabi to infuse the avocado and I know, there is a risk in doing this but he has used the wasabi in a very subtle way, so it is there without being there, if you will. Green apple brings crunch and sourness but the real sour element in this dish comes from lemon caviar that explodes with each bite. This is an exceptional dish and one that I look forward to seeing a permanent fixture on the menu. Gravlax is a classic and is safe. It is what people know, but this dish is challenging, bold and daring in its presentation and also its flavours. Bravo Chef!

French toast, raspberry

One of the dishes that really excited me on my last visit to TRB Forbidden City was its version of an eggs benedict. Today, there is a slight variation of this dish, Asparagus, soft boiled egg, duck breast, hollandaise. That variation is felt intensely as the dish is served. The duck breast aroma wafts through the air as the dish is placed in front of me. It is aromatic and intense. The rest of the dish, with asparagus and soft boiled egg resting on brioche is pretty much the same, but I tell you - that duck breast has been cooked in a way that it has real chew and texture. This is a fabulous variation on an already wonderful dish. To balance out the duck, I do recommend the Le Petit Saint Jacques 2018 or, for a surcharge, order a by the glass Pinot Noir from the menu. Either way, make it red.

My dish of the day, a choice of 4 main course options and one of two fish choices, is the Halibut, leek, basil, sour cream. There is something undeniably delicate about this dish the moment it is placed in front of me. Not even red-rimmed cherry radish slices interfere with that subtlety. It is not a dish that dazzles with colours and screams for instagram. But there in is a symbolism that contributes to its brilliance as a dish. Halibut is a lightly flavoured fish and whatever it is complemented by, should not in taste or indeed colour disturb it. Halibut is firmer than cod, but also shares its quality of flavour that does not overwhelm at all. For this reason, it is not unusual for chefs to serve it with sauces and condiments that add 'flavour'. As is the case with a number of dishes here, theatre is brought to dining by a sauce served table side. TRB does this so well. The sour cream sauce is so well made that even if the guest bathes the halibut in it, I believe the essence of the fish would not be lost.

However, I ask my server, to add just a little. The sour cream is nicely juxtaposed by the bed of leek that the halbut sits atop - there is a natural marriage of sweet and sour here, with the delicately flavoured halibut in the centre. Radish also serves to neutralise a bit of that sweetness from the leek. Finally, the basil oil adds a fresh element to the dish, further enhancing the tasting experience. Even with all the sauce on my plate, I simply love the halbut as it is. It is beautifully cooked, retaining its moisture so well, evidenced by its easy flaking. Every now and then, though, I take a bit of the other ingredients on the plate - so good. Eat this dish however you will, but give yourself a chance to try that halibut in all its purity and innocence. It is quite something. Then, marry everything on the plate. Yes, the Pigeon dish on the menu is a classic, but do yourself a favour and order the halibut!

Your Drinks Options

For today's brunch, I stick to the two packages on offer. First there is a the sparkling option which features the J. Laurens Le Moulin, a French sparkling wine. For a drinks option at 218RMB, this is a decent offering. This wine comprising 90% Mauzac, 5% Chenin Blanc, 5% Chardonnay will surprise with its style and finesse. I find it fresh with notes of green apple and citrus is honestly not a bad way to while away 3 hours, but on this occasion, I focus on the wine package. At 198RMB it too is a steal. The Le Petit Saint Jacques 2018, is an intense red with red fruits like cherry and raspberry that dominate. This wine, a Cabernet/Syrah would be excellent with the M5 Wagyu I had last time, but make sure you have it air quite a bit as it improves remarkably with breathing. However, today I enjoy quite a few glasses of the Domaine Salitis 2017 Sauvignon Blanc, an easy drinking option for brunch. This citrus laden wine, especially grapefruit, is very uncomplicated and is a good choice for many of the dishes on the brunch menu.

One of the private dining rooms with a glass 'wall' offering tremendous natural light.

A symphony of peaches with Peach, chocolate and peach sorbet

Executive Chef JFK sharing a moment post-service

Verdict

Less is more. This is a concept so perfectly executed at TRB Hutong, from the simple post-modern restaurant design to the menu itself. The old adage that if something 'aint broken, don't try to fix it' is also evident here. It is never easy trying to keep people's favourite dishes on menus while also allowing a chef to showcase newer dishes and is a tightrope fraught with difficulty. However, I think Chef JFK and his culinary team have achieved that balance. On the service front, General Manager He Dong, with charisma and elegance, moves smoothly from table to table chatting to guests and topping up drinks while Valerie, the restaurant's maître d', brings to the experience product knowledge and instinctive service. While the rest of the team still has some way to go to reach that level, I can only see an upward trend.

TRB Hutong, like TRB Forbidden City, provides fine dining that is both warm and inviting, without sacrificing that feeling that you are experiencing a restaurant that is a cut above the rest. Service is professional, not snobbish but not overly familiar either. Its location, compact menu, sumptuous dishes and excellent leadership on the floor ensure a memorable afternoon. I have already penciled in my next visit and cannot wait for the Winter menu!