Get a real taste of Beijing with Horizon's new menu
Kerry Hotel's been a favourite of ours for a while, with Centro coming in as the Best Hotel Bar in our 2018 Time Out Bar and Club Awards. We went back again recently to see the changes happening to their Chinese restaurant, Horizon, and, safe to say, they've done something special once again.
Horizon has been making delicious duck and dim sum for the past few years, but has just introduced a new menu to further highlight Beijing's enticing cuisine. The restaurant is a tasteful, elegant retreat from the busy streets of the CBD. With soft lighting and deep, earthy tones adorning the tables and walls, traditional Chinese elements inspire the décor. Intricate wood panels bring privacy to the dining areas, while birdcages and tasteful art decorate the room.
Horizon is known for its Peking duck. The restaurant is home to an old-school, wood-fired duck oven that sees the finest quality ducks hung and grilled over jujube wood. This Chinese date hardwood doesn’t smoke, leaving the skin crispy but succulent, with a subtle trace of fruit hidden within each bite. Not only must the wood be the right kind of wood, and the temperature be at the exact right degree, but the ducks themselves are handpicked for their pedigree.
Horizon’s chefs only use ducks from Beijing. You can’t really get any more Peking duck than that. The ducks must be over a certain age and subjected to a complicated set of steps (pre-roasting) that ensures each one is as crispy and tasty as can be. Once in the competent hands of the chefs at Horizon, the ducks take just over an hour to go from order to table (so pre-ordering is advised). Once carved beside your table, the duck (298RMB) is served with five traditional garnishes and comes expertly plated with leg and breast meat separated, as well as the head for you to try if you're brave. We’re told to first cleanse our palettes by dipping a piece of skin in the sugar and placing it on our tongues.
To say that the duck is mouthwateringly good doesn’t do it justice. As the skin melts, you taste the fruity wood and the slight hint of fat left behind. The crispy, succulent and decidedly flavourful skin nicely offsets the ambrosial, mellow meat, with the toppings adding even more texture and flavour. Chef Yuan Chao Ying has been cooking ducks this way for more than 35 years, and now travels the world teaching people his art and roasting ducks for political figures and international celebrities alike. As the Executive Chinese Chef at the Kerry Hotel, Chef Yuan brings his decades of experience to bear on the delicious delicacy.
But it’s not only the Peking duck that is served up with a traditional Beijing twist. Horizon’s new menu features classic Beijing fare that brings the city’s best dishes out in all their glory.
We tried the braised fish head, accompanied by Chinese pancakes (398RMB). Featuring what’s known in Beijing as a ‘big head fish’ (aptly named due to the fish’s rather large head), the dish sees whole fish simmered in a rich sauce. As per tradition, the pancakes are added to the stew upon arrival at the table and left to soak up the heady juices. The meat is tender and smooth, the broth and pancakes altogether too moreish.
Next comes stir-fried diced chicken and walnuts with a soybean paste (88RMB). Presented in a manner that makes you want to take a hundred Instagram photos, the dish is light and very well balanced. Although the crispy chicken seems fried, the pieces melt in your mouth and the addition of fresh vegetables and sesame-coated nuts makes for a refreshing boost to your meal.
Other notable dishes include the wok-fried shredded duck breast with bean sprouts (118RMB) and the spinach with sesame paste (68RMB). Again, the duck and bean sprouts are cooked and seasoned to perfection. We had it as a side to share, but perhaps that’s not the way to do it – just a taste of the dish has you wanting more.
The spinach with sesame paste is another traditional favourite, but eaters beware, it does come cold and with a distinct thread of wasabi running through it. It’s worth a try for its very unique flavourings, even if you give the rest to your table mates who love the sting.
Slide to see the full menu
While you can find the soul of old Beijing buried within the hutongs and hidden behind the walls of the Forbidden City, for those who want a Beijing feast for all the senses, Kerry Hotel's Horizon is an experience to be sought. With its elegant and tasteful setting, coupled with the traditional flavours, ingredients and cooking styles, the dishes offered on Horizon’s new Beijing menu bring the old into the new.
About Time Out Gourmet Network
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Time Out, Time Out China has launched a brand new project that seeks to use its brand influence as well as the huge network it has developed through the years to amplify businesses who are enlisted in the Time Out Selection membership program. This feature is part of this initiative.