Restaurant Review: Heat French Rotisserie

By Betty Richardson

The Place

If we know one thing, it's that there's more than one way to roast a chicken, and apparently, more than one way to sell them. Opened just after Dodu, a similar French rotisserie restaurant that avid readers of That's reviews (Hi Mom!) will remember receiving a generous four-star review, Heat also serves plump Label Rouge chickens that are a cut above your average feathered friend. 

They also rustle up a selection of bistro-style dishes and sandwiches, in addition to stocking a full bar at the front. 

The Food

What can we say, it's pretty good roast chicken. It's not better than some gourmet, Williams Sonoma, butter-basted, French grandmother roasted over an open log fire chicken, but it's a hell of a lot better than no chicken. And the price isn't too painful either. RMB245 gets you a whole chicken (RMB65/125 for a quarter/half), plus four sides and sauces.

We say the garlic aioli, shiitake mushrooms and gratin dauphinoise (sliced potatoes baked with cream) are the way to go. If for some reason you want just chicken by itself, the price is shaved down some to RMB188. 

Perhaps more memorable are the sides. Heat serves up some indellibly livery, proper rustic French chicken liver pâté (RMB28) with a thick layer of fat on top, a bold move in a town seemingly obsessed with opulent expressions of foie gras. 

Red wine-braised beef cheeks with mashed potatoes – another likeable, no-frills bistro dish (RMB178).

Food Verdict: 2/3

The Vibe

There's definitely something agreeable about Heat's unaffected dishes and unpretentious atmosphere. Being modern, brightly lit and decorated with an enormous and slightly ridiculous chicken-morphing-into-phoenix wall mural, certainly don't come expecting any quaint, Mères Lyonnaises bistro vibes. It's just a casual little place to grab a bite to eat white people food without breaking the bank, and that's better than no place to eat. 

Vibe Verdict: 1.5/2

Total Verdict: 3.5/5

Price: RMB65-180 per person

Who's going: mixed crowd of expats and young locals

Good for: French food without the sass

HEAT French Rotisserie Bistro, 199 Maoming Bei Lu, by Weihai Lu 茂名北路199号, 近威海路

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