Ancient and Modern, Ming meets Bling

TRB – Temple Restaurant Beijing

It may at first seem odd to travel to Beijing to dine on modern European cuisine, but this is only the first in a series of contrasts you’ll encounter, and something that Temple Restaurant abounds and excels in. Set within the grounds of a 600-year-old Ming dynasty temple complex, the interior of the almost austere, glass and concrete contemporary dining salon is surprisingly romantic, and punctuated with vibrantly coloured chairs and sleek, modern soft-furnishings. Part owner and former Maison Boulud Beijing general manager Ignace Lecleir painstakingly constructed TRB from the ground up, and hosted multiple pop-ups and food trials perfecting the experience and service before finally opening the temple doors in November 2011. And what a difference it’s made.

The result is a menu big on traditional flavours like foie gras and lobster, but with delightful seasonal surprises like wood pigeon and (the rather good) homemade marshmallows. Other favourites include roasted red snapper with celery root remoulade and caper butter, and confit of suckling pig with spiced apples and mash, while oenophiles will be happy to know that the France-centric list not only manages to cater to most pockets (not easy when you’re dealing with the Old World), but the restaurant also hosts monthly wine dinners, with multi-course menus curated by and alongside visiting winemakers from across the globe. We’ll raise a glass to that!