New Restaurant: The Georg
By Noelle Mateer
A two-word review of The Georg: Holy shit.
A many-word review of The Georg: This is Beijing’s best new restaurant. This is maybe just Beijing’s best restaurant, period. In terms of international-standard fine dining, anyway, The Georg has already cemented itself in the echelons of Beijing greats.
A wee prediction for 2016: some publication of international repute – Travel + Leisure? New York Times Travel, perhaps? – will include it in an article about where to eat in Beijing. Countless celebrities will drop by for discreet dinners. (Composer Tan Dun, of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon soundtrack fame, was there on our latest visit.) Media outlets will present it with plaque upon plaque of restaurant awards. Hell, we’ll probably give it a bunch of restaurant awards*. But enough posturing. Let’s talk food.
We begin with a round of bites and bubbles. Fresh bread, yogurt sauce and some light-as-air crackers suspended in a bowl of barley. (Note: the raw barley is not intended for you to eat. Do not ask how we found this out**.)
The next course is a pile of wet leaves, which is fantastic despite being listed on the menu as simply “spinach - pear - egg.”
Custom dictates that we now present our two-second primer on the whole Scandinavian-food thing: a respect for traditional Nordic dishes combined with high-quality ingredients. In short: Simple, done well. This is no longer revolutionary in Northern Europe, but it is in Beijing, where chefs all too often feel the need to overcompensate by smothering their filets with caviar and foie gras. Note to insecure chefs: “spinach - pear - egg” – when done this well – is just fine.
And thus continues a restaurant review in which dish names don’t do themselves justice. There is “sauteed mushroom - cauliflower - brioche.” There is “grilled angus tenderloin - smoked sweet potato - fennel.” There is “chocolate - hazelnut - yogurt.” The names certainly won’t tell you how good they are, so let us: They are fantastic. Flavors were consistently sophisticated – but in no way that prevented them from comfortably sitting on our palettes.
Personally explaining each dish to us before we dig in is Chef Talib Hudda, who runs The Georg alongside General Manager Stefano Censi. They are both young as fuck (mid-twenties).
The pair is backed by Danish ‘silverware and lifestyle brand’ Georg Jensen, for which the venue serves as a flagship. In addition to the elegant restaurant, the space includes a cafe, a lounge and a gallery showcasing Georg Jensen pieces.
Jensen’s presence indicates that Beijing is no longer impervious to international dining trends. In fact, there is nothing we can do to escape them.
But if that means more places like The Georg, then we’re OK with that. In fact, we’re “happy - thrilled - excited.”
* This prediction is premature and That’s Beijing makes no promises.
** Contact us if you know a good dentist, though.
// The Georg, Tue-Sun 6-10:30pm, 45 Dongbuyaqiao Hutong 东不压桥胡同45号 (8408 5300)
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