Back in 2005, when your reviewer first arrived in Beijing, the city had just two upmarket Western restaurants: Aria (in the China World Hotel) and The Courtyard.
The latter was in all the guidebooks. Not only because it was the well-heeled traveller’s ‘treat’ after days of eating Chinese food they weren’t used to, but because it was situated beside that most special of locations: the Forbidden City.
And all was going swimmingly… until it wasn’t. In recent years The Courtyard simply dropped off the map. Considered past its prime, and just a little bit ‘2007’, there was no real reason to go.
So when, just before Christmas, we heard from the controversial but brilliant British chef Brian McKenna that he was ‘taking over’, we were suddenly very interested again. After all, this is one of the few Beijing restaurants with an historic setting – it even has a view overlooking the palace’s moat.
And so we found ourselves once more in the shadow of the Forbidden City’s East Gate, climbing those familiar, bamboo-flanked stone steps into Beijing’s most famous dining room. This time, however, it won’t be so long before we return.
The first thing you notice about the new Courtyard is the space itself. McKenna hired GRAFT – the company behind the W in New York and Dubai’s Vertical Village – to transform the restaurant. They’ve done an incredible job of morphing the space into something more akin to an exclusive private dining room, albeit one without an ounce of pretention.
There are just nine tables, each covered in a crisp white tablecloth, circled by five, olive-green dining chairs, and subtly spotlit to show off the food when it arrives. The fact that McKenna is always present in the kitchen or moving between the nine tables to explain his dishes means that for the evening you’re there, you’re suddenly part of a club; a group of 40 people smart enough to have booked a table at the hottest restaurant in town, and with the full attention of the people running it.
So enough about the restaurant, what about the food? Make no mistake: the main reason this is the hottest table in town is the food.
Despite his immense talent, McKenna’s record in Beijing has been patchy. While those who were lucky enough to visit his signature restaurant for the Shangri-la group, Blu Lobster, back in 2007-9 will know what he is capable of, those whose only McKenna experience was RoomBMK mightn’t have been so impressed. If that’s the case, don’t be put off. Unlike at Room, where he was merely consultant, The Courtyard is his baby again. And you can see he’s in his element.
(tempura of crab, avocado and lemongrass bubbles)
We really don’t want to spoil the surprise of a meal at The Courtyard, so won’t give a blow by blow account of each dish. But rest assured you’ll be delighted by every single course of the tasting menu. We literally heard squeals of delight coming from other diners on our visit.
Using top quality ingredients, molecular gastronomy and a lot of imagination, McKenna has created an experience so special you’ll want to create occasions to go again and again.
For now there is a single, 6-course tasting menu (588RMB; 888RMB with wine pairing), but soon you’ll be able to order from several, or a la carte. Be sure to book though, this one’s going to be big.
The Courtyard, 95 Donghuamen Dajie, East Gate of the Forbidden City (6526 8883). To organize private events in The Courtyard’s private 14-seat dining room or on the terrace, email [email protected].