Beijing Restaurant Review: Wood
By Oscar Holland
Images by Holly Li
No points for guessing which material dominates the interior of Wood.
Sure, there are sprinkles of a faux-industrial zeitgeist – namely the heavy black lightshades and exposed ventilation ducts – but good old-fashioned trees are the order of the day here. Wood can be found atop the bar, lining the walls and, of course, as a chopping board upon which your steak will sit.
But aside from thwarting the possibility that Wood (the restaurant) is dismissed as a misnomer, wood (the material) offers something genuinely organic. And we mean ‘organic’ in the original sense of the word – one used long before it was commandeered by the wellness brigade. Natural light streams in through the front windows, giving the ground floor a pleasant, airy ambiance. Throw in some white tiles for good measure and the resulting restaurant feels remarkably fresh.
Having started life in Tianjin – where it was recently awarded Best New Restaurant at the That’s Tianjin Food and Drink Awards – Wood has found its way to the capital; a welcome addition to the carousel of food offerings at Solana (or to give it its official name, Solana Lifestyle Shopping Park, but, you know). Located right next door to the ever-popular Moka Bros, it offers commendable pan-Western fare, sans the inspirational slogans.
So we implore you to forgo your next power bowl – for variety’s sake if nothing else. Those who do will be rewarded with a selection of no-nonsense steaks, BBQ, pastas and Tex-Mex. The robust Australian rib-eye (RMB268) – pink and meltingly tender – impresses, and there are pleasant surprises elsewhere in the menu. The quesadillas (RMB68) are a particular standout, as is the unashamedly tomatoey vegetable pasta (RMB58) and the indulgent chef’s salad with egg, avocado, cheese, beef and chicken (RMB68).
Wood’s fare is filling and thoroughly unpretentious (though there is some excellent single-origin coffee available to those with affectations to fuel). The dearer end of the menu might makes this more of a dinner venue, but those after some mid-afternoon Wood can opt for the very reasonably priced lunch sets (RMB58-88). We wood.
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