AZUR by Mauro Colagreco - Shangri-La Hotel, Beijing Description

Azur lives up to the hype. More crucially, it is worth the RMB35 cab fare from Chaoyang. It’s not often we venture out to Haidian – but maybe that’s about to change. 

‘The Forest’ is a dish worth the trip to Haidian alone. What appears to be little more than a pile of foraged veggies and fungi on a plate is an explosion of rich textures and freshness in our mouths. As in any respectable hotel fine-dining destination, though, this dish is merely part of a larger experience (RMB988 for the seven-course signature menu – Michelin stars don’t come cheap). Azur is a nice restaurant in the classic sense: white tablecloths, swift service, wine pairings. 

At our four-course lunch, we start with a plate of fresh oysters and Champagne, followed by bread and la aforementioned Foret. We then move on to our mains – the tender squid is our favorite – followed by some of the best desserts in Beijing (do not leave Azur without sampling the osmanthus-tinged creme brulee with salted caramel ice cream).