“Mother-daughter bonding time” is probably my mom and my favorite phrase. We say it every time we go out for dinner, shopping, or road trips. But when we were introduced to Feast (Food by East), this phrase has never been more fitting. Since its opening in 2012, Feast has offered unique semi-buffet brunches on weekends.
Brunch With a View
Located on the second floor of the luxurious East Hotel, one side of the restaurant is composed of wall-length windows, and the other is where the buffet is served. We picked a table next to the windows and were awestruck by how the view was practically parallel to that of sky dining. Not only were tall buildings and flourishing trees in sight, but the midday Beijing sun shone through the glass onto our plates and created a warm, comfortable atmosphere.
After settling in, we ordered our main courses: garlic grilled king prawns for my mom and creamy smoked salmon linguine for me. While waiting for them to arrive, my mom and I browsed the buffet, eagerly filling up our plates with everything from macaroons to chicken nuggets. All the main courses, buffet, and free-flow drinks are included in the entrance fee, which is RMB 328 per person, RMB 164 for children from ages 7 to 12, and free of charge for kids 6 and under.
A Bonding Buffet
Walking from one end of the buffet to another felt like the International Day lunches my school hosts. We started with Japanese sushi and sliced raw salmon, arguably one of my favorite dishes. I just couldn’t get enough of it. Then we passed through the desserts section, which was an explosion of flavors and colors. I dived into the cream puffs, jelly beans, and mocha cake. Even my mom and her dessert-free diet couldn’t resist the temptation. She bit into the mocha cake expecting to be bombarded with excessive sugar yet was delighted to find it to be just the right balance of mocha flavor and cream, tinted with a light sweetness.
Right at the center of the buffet was a Chinese section consisting of bamboo steamers and even the popular street food Jianbingguozi (煎饼果子 jiān bǐng guǒ zi). At this point, my mom exclaimed that she’d been meaning to try one ever since we first returned to Beijing a month ago, but never found the chance.
Seafood Is For Sharing
We made our way back to the table and were still savoring our treats from the buffet when the main courses arrived.
My mother’s king prawns were delicately arranged, using their natural curved shapes to form a spiral. Hand in hand, my mom and I squeezed droplets of lemon juice across the prawns. My mom cut me a piece and I immediately noticed the exceptionally flavorful combination of spices. Sprinkled with just the right amount of red peppers to make us crave more, the plate became empty in no time.
For my salmon linguine, the linguine was coated in a rich layer of herbs, creating a powerful contrast with the creamy, mushroom sauce. The smoked salmon was scattered across the dish and intertwined with the linguine, ensuring every bite was accompanied by at least one small piece of salmon.
By this time, the restaurant was already brimming with customers gleefully chattering away. I looked around and saw that a large portion of the customers were international, often families with young children. I watched as a little girl nibbled away on a chocolate donut and her parents and siblings all gathered around.
Giving Back Love and Good Food
Feast truly is a place of bonding. My mom and I have been enjoying “mother-daughter bonding time” every day for the past two years. We lived in Israel where she worked as a journalist and I attended secondary school. Exploring the nature reserves and historical sites of a foreign country was the type of bonding we were familiar with.
Stepping into Feast felt like a reverse culture shock to us. We seldom visited restaurants in Israel, plus the past nine months of tackling COVID-19 had made such a sight unbelievable to us: tables and tables of people with no masks and no fear, just amazing food and meaningful conversations.
Every day for the past two years, I’ve watched my mom tinker away in the kitchen, racking her brain to cook up something new for dinner. That’s just one of the countless things she’s done for me. She drove me to other cities so I could attend the events I wanted to, she had the brightest smile in the audience at my school concerts, and she always asked me if I was hungry first thing when I got home from school. A mother-daughter bonding brunch was the least I could do to give back to her.
Good food means the world to every Chinese, even if you are far away from home and lacking half the spices; even if you are in a hurry and about to be late for school, even if you are exhausted and not in the mood for a deep talk over dinner. Good food can change all that. Good food is even the secret to the best “mother-daughter bonding time.”
KEEP READING: Strict Traditions Are Overrated: Adapting Western Holidays to Fit Our Beijing Lifestyle
Photos: Uni You
This article appeared in the beijingkids 2020 December issue
