Opposite House Beijing - Sanlitun district of
Beijing, China.
What’s in a
name?
Think of something, like say an international five
star hotel, and then your mind may well conjure up images of formal lobby’s,
brocade curtains perhaps even, heaven forbid, guilt ormolu. Along with stuffy
service staff with starched
uniforms….now stick with that thought and then consider the complete
opposite.
Do this, but in a good way, and you end up with what
a hotel should be, somewhere actually interesting and desirable to go to rather
than faux formality and possibly an awkward experience. The Opposite House
Beijing does more than reversing one’s thinking of what a hotel should be, and
creates, and very well at that, a hotel that is enjoyable to be in and offers
more that just a place to stay but a place to really “chill out”, dine at and
enjoy overall.
The Layout
I recently had the pleasure of dining at the
Restaurant known at Sureno; while this dining establishment is located on the
lower level, half the fun is in getting there, as the lift takes one to a lower
lobby known as the “Egg” it’s an interesting, and cozy entrance to the features
of the lower level and leads to the front of the restaurant. This has the added
bonus of opening onto an outdoor courtyard, and as the dining area features
floor to ceiling glass it offers a nice semi-garden view as well. Note the
establishment has the benefit of a high yet angled ceiling, this follows the
layout pattern of separate squares that also features in the buildings overall
architecture, having been designed by the renowned Japanese architect Kengo
Kum.
Sureno features warm wood and leather providing an
inviting atmosphere of casual sophistication, and very caring and attentive
service from the wait staff. I visited over a recent long weekend, as it was a
Monday the Hotel had their weekday lunch special on offer. At RMB 138++ for
four courses and 158+ for four courses and a glass of house wine, which in the
case was a French red or white from Cotes Du Rhone. The Dining tables are well
presented and appointed with large bottles of Olive Oil and Balsamic along with
proper, in this case, Alesi pepper and salt mills.
The Food
Specialising in Mediterranean cuisine, the lunch
special is a Tapa’s style semi buffet as your choice of first course,
offering a very good array of tapa’s style food, bread, olives, salmon and
salads. To follow was a served Mushroom soup, and clearly a very well prepared
one at that, the taste and texture was superb, and it was quite evident that a
range of mushrooms was used to provide full flavor. For the main I ordered the
grilled Sea Bass, also fresh and fulsome in flavor, accompanied with grilled al
dente vegetables and a light drizzling of pesto oil. While the vegetables were
a tad salty overall the dish was excellent. For Desert, I opted for “homemade”
red berry ice cream over the other choice of a Profiterole. The ice cream was
pleasant enough and a nice palate cleanser for the end of the meal.
The Verdict
This was an excellent meal at very good value; the
service and quality of food for the price was outstanding. Other nice touches
such as linen napkins and frequently re-filled water glasses sets the
establishment apart from others in the area.
Bouquets - Quality and value for really good food
Brick bats - Not the easiest place to find for the uninitiated
Why you will
come back - Come back in the evening
to enjoy an alternative ambiance.
Opposite House China,
Beijing, Chaoyang, Sanlitun Rd, 11号院1号楼
Phone:+ 86 10 6417 6688
