Red Wall Garden Hotel is located inside the historic Shijia Hutong, a tree-lined lane with unique Chinese architecture. This boutique hotel opened in 2010, and is home to Red Wall Garden Restaurant and Courtyard Bistro. Specializing in home-style Chinese cuisine inspired by the eight major cuisine regions of China, the kitchen also serves up a varied Western menu. A section of the menu is dedicated to Beijing street food, served as snacks or appetizers. Dishes are served “family style” so everyone can experience a variety of flavors.
Regional dishes include sweet taro with pork from Shandong, pork rib and rice noodle from Guangdong, and steamed shrimp with rice noodle from Fujian. The street food menu incorporates refined versions of pan-friend pork dumplings, spring onion pancake, golden fried meatballs, and egg roll with black fungus. The menu changes every quarter, to reflect the season and the available fresh produce.
There is no separate kids’ menu, but there are plenty of Chinese and Western dishes that kids will really enjoy. Our hungry young diner is 5-year-old Gabriela Nyang-Rocha. American-born Gabriela has been living in Beijing for only six months. Her favorite dinner is pasta and she loves every kind of fruit.
Gabriela samples pasta bolognaise and salami pizza. The chef has carved some cute little chicks out of boiled eggs to top off the tasty pasta dish; while the pizza toppings are arranged into an Angry Bird face. When asked what she thinks of the dishes, Gabriela says “I love them!”
Being a huge fan of anything with fruit, Gabriela samples three of their fresh juices: orange and carrot, fresh milk watermelon, and apple with muskmelon, all RMB 35. Her favorite is the orange juice with carrot, which she think is “just delicious!” Desserts include lemon cheesecake, apple pie, walnut brownies, and tiramisu, all RMB 55. Gabriela enjoys an off-menu treat: an exquisite bird carved from an apple, sitting alongside a nest filled with mini marshmallows.
The restaurant seats approximately 30 inside and 50 out in their beautiful courtyard, which also features a noodle bar where diners can feast on noodles every evening from 6.30-9.30pm. Every Friday night, from May to October, the courtyard showcases an array of traditional Chinese entertainment including shadow play, Peking opera, face-changing, and Beijing hawking performances. Reservations are essential for the Friday “Culture Nights”.
Family-friendly facilities: The restaurant and courtyard is non-smoking throughout. There are clean, Western-style bathrooms with soap and toilet paper. Highchairs are available.
Red Wall Garden Hotel 史家胡同红墙花园酒店
Daily 10am-10.30pm. 41 Shijia Hutong, Dongcheng District (5169 2222, reservation@rwghotel.com) www.redwallgardenhotel.com 北京东城区史家胡同41号
This article originally appeared on page 30-31 of the beijingkids August 2015 issue. Click here to read the issue for free on Issuu.com. To find out how you can get your own copy, email distribution@truerun.com.
Photos: Christian Neoh
