On a chilly late February evening, Bailliage members and guests gathered for an intimate dinner where we were dazzled by true culinary artistry.

Situated within a complex of 300-year-old meticulously restored courtyard houses, Qu Lang Yuan Restaurant is a hidden gem full of surprises. Sleek, modern interiors pay homage to the traditional architecture of the hutong. [Ed: *Hutong are a type of narrow street or alley commonly associated with northern Chinese cities, especially Beijing.]

RECEPTION

Foie gras with raspberry in pastry
Coconut panna cotta with mango
Salmon mousse on toast
Bortolomiol Audax Prosecco Extra Brut NV
Valdobbiadene DOCG, Italy

MENU

Mi Yun sweetfish
oyster sauce, shallot oil

Kaluga Queen caviar, scallop, water chestnut
coffee kombucha vinaigrette, wild mushroom sauce
Jade Vintage White 2020 - China

Seasonal crab, baby clam
lotus seeds, sorghum rice, pomelo

Fermented eggplant, seven days aged abalone
sweet soybean sauce

Puchang Vineyard Rkatsiteli 2019
Xinjiang, China

Yanqing white duck
mullet roe, organic whole grains
steamed bun, artemisia

Fangshan wild shepherd’s purse
fried tofu, wild mushroom broth

Frozen pear, jelly fish, vinaigrette jelly

Jade Vineyard ‘Hyacinth Red’ 2017
Helan, Ningxia, China

A4 Wagyu beef, beef gyoza
taro purée, fermented bamboo shoots
kimchi, beef sauce
Puchang Vineyard Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
Xinjiang, China

Pear, Da Hung Pao tea
Sichuan pepper granita, Jasmine tea tuile

Pu’erh tea, yuzu, orange jelly, orange cake

Gewürztraminer Les Princes Abbés
Domaines Schlumberger, Alsace, France

Beijing-born, French-trained Chef Li Zhan Xu prepared the freshest local ingredients in classic European style. The dishes were not quite Chinese and not quite French. Unique and creative, the 10-course tasting menu was expertly paired with the finest Chinese wines continuing the evening’s Sino-European theme.

After dinner, festivities continued over cognac and cigars until we all made our way down the winding lanes of the ancient hutong.

Preston Thomas
Vice-Chargé de Presse