Hulu: TRB Goes Casual With Their New Restaurant in Taikoo Li
By Noelle Mateer
Two years ago, Beijing fine-dining legend TRB tried going casual. They failed.
Perhaps we should define ‘fail.’ When TRB Bites opened, we loved it – but consumers didn’t quite
get it. Diners in Beijing either want cheap, or they want fancy – and
TRB Bites was casual, but not quite casual enough. In sum, it failed
because the service was too good, the food too exquisite, the restaurant
too, well, nice. (Not the worst way to fail.)
But they didn’t
give up (though they did turn Bites’ Forbidden City location into a
fancy food spot of the finest caliber). Instead, they doubled down on
casual, and the result is Hulu. No, we don’t mean the
at-home Netflix-adjacent streaming service – not that casual. We mean
their new restaurant in Taikoo Li. Is is casual AF.
But perhaps
we should define ‘casual.’ The definition is relative. In Beijing,
‘casual’ begins with Element Fresh and ends with soggy 7-Eleven
sandwiches, eaten while squatting on the side of the road. Hulu is
closer to the Element Fresh end of things, though its food is better and
– amazingly – cheaper.
It will likely come as a shock to
longtime TRB fans that items on Hulu’s menu start at RMB20. For the
price of a latte at Starbucks, you can have Spanish croquettes with
Iberico pork. For the price of McDonald’s value meal, you can get foie
gras on toast. And for the price of a cocktail in a Sanlitun bar, you
can get both of these things – and have them served to you by TRB’s
renowned hospitality.
We
particularly enjoy the roast suckling pig (RMB398/half pig), its
crackly skin dipped in fine gravy. Our flank steak (RMB148/200g) is also
a treat, topped with a minimal line of pesto. For lunch, however, more
low-key options are available, including Belgian-style cones of French
fries (RMB48). Our salmon avocado ‘rose’ (RMB68), featuring cubed salmon
and avocado in the shape of a flower, feels like an upscale take on the
poke bowl trend, and the Spanish-style garlic prawns (RMB38) are the
perfect side any time of day.
What’s the catch? you say.
Frankly, there doesn’t really appear to be one – other than the fact
that the restaurant has been consistently packed every time we’ve walked
by (expect to wait). We could imagine a catch, though, for anyone
making plans at Hulu expecting the TRB Forbidden City treatment – menus
are big (almost too big) and laminated, and the atmosphere is louder and
more chaotic. This is not a white-tablecloth place.
What is it,
then? Perhaps a better comparison would be the aforementioned Element
Fresh. Hulu is the same fast-casual, but with better service; it’s
cheap, but with better food. It is your neighborhood Element Fresh, but
better.
And with more wine. Come warmer weather, Hulu plans on
opening a lounge on their massive rooftop. But until then, you can enjoy
both bargain and high-end vintages indoors. Or your morning coffee. Or
your afternoon tea. Or your, well, anything really – just not your white
tablecloths.
S4-32 Taikoo Li South, 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路19号三里屯太古里南区S4-32 (6512 5701)
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