ROOMbeijing
301-302, 3/F, PARK LIFE, Beijing Yintai Center, 2 Jianguomenwai Street,
CBD/Guomao
Subway exits C (internal) or D. Directly above Giorgio Armani.
建国门外大街2号, 银泰中心3层
8517-2033
Open Sun-Wed: 11am-2am (kitchen closes 1:30am); Thu-Sat: 11am-4am (kitchen closes 1:30am)
Price Y300-Y399 per couple
Accepts International Credit Cards
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- City Weekend says
This spacious Yintai Center venue is innovative, playful, dynamic, colorful, approachable and much more affordable than one might expect from such an impressive space. As well as creative, gourmet food, there are also changing art exhibits and music events. Don't miss the signature flatbreads or the superb cocktails.
- Contributor Description
ROOMbeijing opens with a big bang on Thursday 27 May - kicking things off with master DJ Bob Sinclar.
We know this has been a long time in coming - so for those who have been drooling at the mouth to the point of dehydration, waiting to try Brian McKenna's mouthwatering food, we thank you for your patience and understanding.
Please make bookings now.
ROOMbeijing, a restaurant, bar and lounge by Brian McKenna, opens 26 April 2010. We'll be serving casual international cuisine, which will be soundtracked by DJs playing house music, and complemented by classic and new cocktails, and contemporary art. ROOMbeijing is the place to go if you want a casual snack and a drink, a private dinner with colleagues or the family, a relaxed first date - it's whatever you want it to be. There are no dress codes and no assumptions of how you should dine. Just expect great value for money, flexible service and a place to be yourself. Key upcoming events: Intimate Sessions (Bob Sinclar - 27 May, supperclub Amsterdam - 11/12 June, Dimitri from Paris - 14 July, High on Heels - 13 August, Todd Terry - September, Boy George - October), wine dinners, cooking classes and more. Average spend per person: RMB 100-150 (lunch); RMB 200-300 (dinner).
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Most Recent Reviews
I often end up here and every time I`m very satisfied both with the quality of the food and the service. The waiters are always quick and attentive, the food comes always in particoular plates ad adorned with different sauces and vegetables but the portion are quite small. There is also a good choice of wine by glass and a bizzarre dessert choice which wont let u disappointed.. The only thing is the restaurant decor.. is not exactly my taste.. Suggestion: try the ham plate, you can make a choice of 6 differents type of ham from Spain and Italy.. its worth the cost!
Such a disappointing evening. Our expectations were quite high due to all the good reviews we read on this website and others. We have been very disappointed by the cuisine. I never ate such flavorless food!! I had to recompose each dish with pepper / salt or sugar to make it tastier. The salad was okay but no really special. The French style pate was a disaster for people who love French style Charcuterie! Main dishes.... cod was good but not excellent. Beer chicken was only okay. Only the dessert woke us up from this very latent evening, but only one of the three we ordered for tasting: the citrus meringue was really excellent while the others were only eatable. Atmosphere and service was very nice.
Funky Decor SUPER BAD service....
the cocount black cod was the most amazing dish ever! i literally closed my eyes and just slurped the sauce the cod was in. i had to remember every single part of it.
It was indeed a playground of all sorts; from the brightly colored chairs to the amazing and innovative food. We especially loved the different sizes they offered (L M S) which means we could sample a variety of dishes but at smaller portions. We started off with the oysters. Yum! Fresh and palatable followed by wantons and halibut wrapped in rice paper. We loved them all. When the dessert finally came, we were blown away. I forgot the exact name on the menu but thought it was very clever and creative. The waitress poured coconut milk into it and it erupted like a volcano. It came with a side of homemade ice cream too. Given the setting, the food and a fabulous DJ, it was money well spent. Dinner for two including drinks was about RMB 700.
Have to say that I was neither blown away nor totally disappointed by Room. It seems to be a hodge podge of different ideas and concepts, some of which work, some of which don't.
The space was interesting and, although massive, you didn't feel lost in it. The menu was way too big and varied and there was no feeling of what the place was trying to be. I did like the 3 size plate concept (small, medium and large) and the portions for the small option were decent.
The stand out dish was the spicy Asian prawn risotto. The flavours and textures worked beautifully. Halibut with Egyptian spices was perfectly cooked and tasty as was the slow cooked lamb shoulder. Taiwanese pork buns could have done with thicker cuts of pork, but the little pork that was there did taste great. The big disappointment of the evening was the TiROOMmisu. It looked great but was bland and totally wrong.
The cocktails list is extensive and well priced and the cocktails themselves are well mixed. Wine is plentiful and again very well priced with decent bottles to be had for less than RMB300.
Service was good and friendly but not totally perfect.
All in all I am not sure I would rush back.
Hmmm....Too many "ingredients" spoiled the broth?
If you're here to chill for the evening - I'd recommend the outdoor seating (reserve well in advance) - its really airy, calm and nice.
Indoors - Spacious, but something about the decor kept me imagining that the floor will flip and transform into a teenage-club; like the ones on Gongti 100.
Food: Starters: Salad 42: The watermelon bits were lovely, more=good :) Overall taste was bland, dressing didn't deliver any punch, and didn't complement the rocket leaves. Adding the slow-cooked egg was a mistake - so erm - didn't think it deserved house-salad status.
Lamb chops w/c/c were also bland. Sour cream was a total misfit - definitely too fatty.
Pork belly w/pancakes & hoisin sauce... Meat was good, but oh!!! Couldn't sink my teeth into the supposedly fluffy pancakes.
Note: After complaining about the biscuit-like consistency, the super-nice fuwuyuan sent it back immediately, and offered us free dessert (more on that later).
The only 2 dishes that met expectations were the egg friend rice, and cod fish pasta. Fish is as fresh as you can get in Beijing.
Now comes the FREE dessert... for those of you who don't know what tiao tiao tang is (jumping sugar/ sweet), PLEASE check out the Choc Mousse w/ raspberries.
You'll notice some brownish sugar bits to complement the mousse... try it!!! Its really worth it just for the giggles :D
All in all, I think its a hit on service, but miss on food.
p.s. NOT a place to impress your date / guests.
ROOMbeijing is such a delight!! Staff were so friendly and helpful, the place feels funky and fresh (amazing bathroom entrance!), and the food was tasty and reasonably priced! We had the chicken flatbread and the lamb, and both were great. The cocktails were also excellent - overall an enjoyable experience. I will definitely be back!
I am Chinese and live in Beijing but, thanks to my foodie sugar daddy, for the past seven years, I have been exposed to many wonderful restaurants and I must say Room is by far my favorite. Price wise, Room is a steal for Chinese food lovers. With 300 Kuai two people can have a very decent meal. My husband and I shared Brian Mckenna's whole roasted baby chicken. The tenderness of the chicken with Indonesian spices and the aroma of the sticky rice were perfectly blended. The portion was so generous that we couldn't finish it-- a shame. I tried their pot roasted black cod fish. I never had black cod in Beijing and it was super fresh and tasty. To my surprise, Mckenna put curry in it. Oui, c'est bon. We Chinese love curry but can't get good ones in China. My husband and I shared numerous medium-sized courses, they were Caesar salad, tuna tartare, Mediterranean fish soup, seared veal breast, chicken-liver parfait and pressed terrine of duck. Room has a wide selection of hams including pate negra,regarded by many as the best ham in the world and their own house cured ham. Also they make their own handmade pasta among which pasta with seafood is my favorite. For dessert we had their beautiful fruit tree, Ti-Room-isu (a smart name) and creamy citrus meringue. Of course we tried Brian Mckenna's Irish coffee and some other liquor. It is such a pleasure to try different dishes at Room. While enjoying the delicious food and drinks, I spared some time for pictures taking. All the glassware was imported from Italy and personally chosen by Mckenna. What amazed me the most was Room's silverware holder also designed by Brian. On one side it holds a pair of chopsticks, a knife, a fork and a spoon. It was the first time i had ever seen a holder which holds both Chinese and Western silverware. When our desserts arrived, the waitress simply turned that holder over and there is another set for a spoon and a fork. Cool. My husband hates pictures so he didn't take any photo of me there at Room. Next time I need to treat a friend there so she can take some pictures of me. Room is not just a restaurant, it is also an art gallery. Room ranks with the other great restaurants I love. They are: In New York there are few: Jean Georges, Bouley, Daniel, Peter Luger and Thomas Keller’s Per Se. In Paris there are L'Avant comptoir,Le Relais Louis XIII and L'Ambroisie. In Bangkok there is La Beaulieu. A friend of my husband is coming to Beijing and asks for our restaurant suggestions. We only recommend two places: Made in China for Peking duck and Room for everything which will surprise you. On the back of the chef's apron, it says "creating food with atmosphere". To me, Room is paradise for food. To my husband who barely likes Beijing, Room makes Beijing livable.
Had dinner here last night and it was a pretty decent affair...
Given the time, effort and hype associated with the design of ROOM, I expected something really unique. That said, I was pretty underwhelmed. Its an odd melange of pop-art and kitsch. In some areas of the place it works (I think the 3d posters are pretty cool) and in other it feels like an upscale hotel lobby (i.e. the lounge area). Kinda like they wanted to go the LAN route, but be classy and hip (LAN's just gaudy), but ran out of money and threw some stuff on the otherwise sparse walls. I'd say, based on design alone, it'd rate an even B, and most of that's for the amusing "hidden-behind-the-bookshelf" bathrooms.
Speaking of design, I'm curious how well the space will work for the events they're throwing (DJs, etc). Its a large circular room, but there's a big room in the middle of it (unsure if its a serving station or a private room) that would obscure any view for roughly 40% of the room looking from any direction.
On to the food.
Started with the 42 ingredient salad. It was quite good though, at times, a bit bland. It came out at room temp (I tend to prefer a salad have a bit of a chill at least) and considering how many ingredients there were, I was surprised at how it lacked any "zing." There were some interesting elements to it... the semi-cooked egg... the little gelatin cubes of someflavororanother... overall, also a B.
Moved onto the Rabbit/pistachio/bacon terriine, which was quite good. The thin bacon "crust" gave it a nice flavor. In general, ROOM's charcuterie offerings looked quite good, though the cheese menu was less impressive. I'd give this an A-.
Next was an item from the specials page - black cod in a curry sauce. Very good... the fish was perfectly cooked and the sauce, though very rich, was the perfect accompaniment. Also an A-.
Lastly, the shrimp risotto with avocado ice cream, lemongrass & tempura. I went into this mostly out of curiousity, having read some good reviews of it, but was skeptical. But its fantastic. The combined flavors of the avocado ice cream and the risotto works perfectly and was a surprising hit for both Chinese and American palates. Really loved this dish. A+
Cocktails were solid - an apple martini and a lemon martini both served ice cold and well mixed, though a bit sweet. B+
Service was attentive but not obtrusive.
Prices are on the expensive side - for example, despite how great the charcuterie options look, you could get similar or identical selections at Scarlett for a fraction of the price.
In addition - and I almost hate to mention this - the douchiness quotient of the clientele here was VERY high when we ate there. The place was populated with folks who talk loudly on their cellphones while eating and have no clue what they're ordering. One side of us was a young couple, bedecked in fashion designs, who literally ordered the most expensive things on the menu but had no clue what they got. They had a huge plate of iberico ham that they took home in a doggy bag because it "wasn't cooked." I wanted to scream (it was like ¥800 worth of ham, wasted).
The other side was a girl - maybe 20, and her date, at least 50, who literally asked for "the most expensive ham, lobster, steak, pasta" by way of ordering. Had no clue what they actually were getting. Made me mental. In short, ROOMBeijing is apparently VERY popular with the city's nouveau riche... and should be making a killing selling them $100 plates of acorn-fed-pork and Maine lobster.
All in, an interesting place, worth a visit, but I'm still debating how much of a "return visit" destination it is. I'd be inclined to not go again soon, but there were still a number of interesting dishes on the menu I'd like to try, and that shrimp risotto is haunting me...
Miami from the '80s was how our dining companion described this place. It's definitely different with trippy Georgia Okeefe popups adorning the walls and lighting that reminded me of a wedding reception at an airport hotel. It's a huge venue, that's a surprise. Tried the risotto ice cream concoction that felt like an iridescent disco ball in my mouth. Drinks are expensive.
After waiting for almost two years for it to open, I must say how disappointed I was with Room. First, it is supposed to have amazing decor - in reality it looks like a 10 year old girl's bedroo with the white walls painted in large pastel-colored flowers. Second, the food is very average. I went with several friends last week and was told that there is no al a carte, we had to have the 300rmb set menu. Everything was brough out to share. There was salad, more salad, some simple roasts and some lamb. Also this weird chocolate spagetti that tasted of nothing. Very below everyone's expectations and not even close to worth the price. They also bring a fruit tree that you have to eat with your hands eewwww. Sorry to say that Room failed my expectations in every way.
Experience Brian's brilliance first hand, have to say very good, value for money. Totally the opposite of what you would thought in a Michelin star chef, in fact he didn't really brag about it at all. He would instead talk about his real passion, food, I swear if he talks anymore he can cook a beef to medium rare perfection with his superman laser eye precision. The guy's energy is unbelieable.
The restaurant itself is separated into 6 stages - Kitchen table is definitely my favourite area where you watch all the action and everything coming out from the kitchen while you select over gazillion of wines on the Israelian method of wine cellars wall (best for two person dining on this area). The lounge is after dinner or before dinner relaxing and chit chat with friends over funky designed sofas. The main dining hall can seat up to 120+, colorful chairs I have to say. Two private dining room for his and her, perfect! The bar is where the action is going sexy lighting, not too bright, DJ is stationed here. The terrace is where you can really wind down with wine and candle lights overlooking the Chang An Avenue - China World phase 3, the never-open CCTV tower. There is an option of exclusive private dining on the terrace for two if you ever want to propose here is the place.
The food is really International with local ingredients, best of both worlds and was described as not fusion. The portion is definitely more than you can handle, as they increase the portion according to how many person per table. Wine list is definitely excellent and well priced. Last part is that I heard the restaurant is open to 1 or 2 AM in the morning, finally a place where you can find something to eat after a long day of drinking?
Our favorite Chef, Brian McKenna, is back and better then ever with ROOMbeijing. A great space, room for dining alfresco, dining with friends, dining with a loved one, dining with the family, partying with friends. It is all you want in rolled into one restaurant. Just when you think you have seen it all, he comes up with the new and different experiences.
Every menu item comes in small, medium and large sizes and is designed for sharing. We recommend trying the fresh oysters, tuna tar-tare and the lamb chops. Not to be missed is the 42 ingredient salad.
Staff is attentive yet unobtrusive. Single Malt selection is generous and the wine list is extensive.
A great place for dining out!
Gourmet Playground
[HTML_REMOVED]ROOMbeijing represents a groundbreaking development in the city’s dining scene. It is fun, innovative, playful, comfortable, dynamic, approachable and shockingly affordable. Most importantly, it brings a joy to dining that is unparalleled in Beijing.
[HTML_REMOVED]Chef Brian McKenna’s attention to detail and efforts to cater to both local and foreign clientele are commendable. Changing art exhibitions and multicolored seating makes the space visually delicious. Touches like secret doors to the bathrooms create a playground for adults. [HTML_REMOVED]
[HTML_REMOVED]The menu is long and diverse. Apart from two pages of specials and some appetizers, everything is ¥50, ¥80 and ¥100 for small, medium and large portions, respectively. And the portions are generous—a medium entrée is enough for two girls to share. The in-house cured Parma ham, fresh tomato, rocket and parmesan flatbread (¥80) is phenomenally good. The pot-roasted black cod (¥190), made with garam masala and coconut milk, is wonderfully infused with Indian flavors. Desserts are extremely creative. The “milk chocolate pop tart” is a smooth chocolate cake accented with raspberries and pop rocks. The creamy citrus meringue with basil sorbet and lemon jam is delicate and refreshing. The beautiful “fruit tree,” one of McKenna’s whimsical inventions, succeeds in justifying a ¥200 price tag for a glorified fruit plate. The cocktails are also superb. [HTML_REMOVED]
[HTML_REMOVED]The waitstaff anticipates customers’ needs and does everything to make diners feel comfortable and relaxed, thoroughly justifying the 10 percent surcharge. [HTML_REMOVED]
[HTML_REMOVED]McKenna has many plans for ROOM, from magic shows to farmers markets. Some sound a little out there, but if any place can pull it all off, it’s here. [HTML_REMOVED]
[HTML_REMOVED] [HTML_REMOVED]Sienna Parulis-Cook[HTML_REMOVED]