Waldorf Astoria Beijing- Dining review.

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Stylish choices of luxury accommodation and dining arrived long ago in Beijing, while historically ones choice was limited to a handful of hotels that thought they had a hold on the market, this fortunately is no longer the case.  More recently the likes the Waldorf Astoria have opened in Beijing,  

The recently opened Waldorf Astoria offers a more intimate atmosphere while retaining a special touch and a high level of personal service.

Located in a central shopping area in the city, it is a warm welcome to the city’s Hotel scene. While the building is new and purpose built, the attention to detail within the Hotel’s interior in terms of a classic yet modern design pays homage to the brand’s history abroad. With warm and welcoming hues and tones of brown, beige and burnt orange, (looks better that it sounds) in use throughout the lobby and the main dining area. The real charm is the outstanding level of service and the high staff to guest ratio providing a superior guest experience. Along with a solid choice of international newspapers and magazines on offer in the Lobby and Bar. My visit to the Lobby Bar, oozed a cozy lounge feel, provided a relaxing venue on an Sunday afternoon to read the FT Weekend and try out one of the Hotels signature and in this case name sakes dishes being a Waldorf Salad. The accompanying touches prior to serving the meal, included beautifully laid out silver cutlery, butter served in a silver butter dish, crisp fawn toned linen and warmed bread rolls baked in-house.

Having tried a Waldorf Salad at other Waldorf Astoria Hotels I was keen to see their version of this classic dish. On the Menu it is listed as being “Beijing Style”, in this case served with a Confit of Duck. The dish did not disappoint and was both beautifully presented and a delight to consume. Partially deconstructed with the Confit of Duck being served in four squares to the side of the large square plate, and the salad itself being a mix of shredded apple, caramelized walnuts (another Beijing touch) and dashes of raisins. On this occasion I chose to accompany this with a Shaw and Smith Sauvignon Blanc from the Adelaide Hills region of Australia, which was crisp yet fruity and a perfect match. Overall, for those that enjoy something different the Waldorf Astoria Beijing has an impressive choice of wines available, both by the glass and the bottle, along with two dining venues, a Western, Brassiere 1893 and a Chinese restaurant ZiJin Mansion, with the Lobby Bar serving dishes from the Brassiere’s A La Carte menu.

 

With a standard that really does exceed expectations, this Hotel will certainly become “The” Boutique hotel in Beijing.

Bouquets- Outstanding service.

Brickbats- Needs more road side signage.

Why you will come back- To enjoy a stylish retreat from an otherwise hectic city. 

Hotel details: Waldorf Astoria Beijing: 5-15 Jinyu Hutong Wangfujing Dongch , Beijing, 100006, China, Telephone: 86-010-85208989.

Website http://waldorfastoria3.hilton.com/en/hotels/china/waldorf-astoria-beijing-BJSWAWA/index.html

This review, was the result of an unannounced, self funded, fully independent visit.