Look at the food and drink reviews on these pages: All Sanlitun-based. Mostly Sanlitun-based. You get the idea – if you’re in the area, you’ve got options. And yet, you probably still end up at your old haunts. We are creatures of habit, after all.
But if your fave bar happens to be Infusion Room – and it is many Beijingers’ fave bar – it’s easy to check out Bistro 3, as the Courtyard 4 newbie sits right beside it and even shares the same cocktail menu.
Even if you’re not into speakeasies like Infusion Room, Bistro 3 is worth trying. The door opens automatically, without a password, and the dining experience would be singular even for non-drinkers.
We appreciate the cozy atmosphere – the space includes just a handful of tables, so you’re more likely to catch your neighboring table’s dinner conversation than have to shout across the table. This intimacy also provides us with ample opportunity to judge our neighbors’ meals (perhaps we should have ordered the roast sheep).
Ordered a la carte or via set menu, the European-style fare offers something for everyone. (Except vegetarians, who’ll have to make do with a couple of appetizers.) Each dish is elegantly presented and most hit the mark. Our favorite appetizer is the saliva chicken (RMB70), mouthwatering sous-vide chicken breast. Our main is average (again, should’ve ordered the sheep) but dessert impresses: the rice tea (RMB45), oolong tea ice cream atop a bed of nuts and a side of puffed rice, is fantastic.
Perhaps what’s best about this place is that it all comes with a side of world-class mixology – Infusion Room’s own show-stopping cocktails. This isn’t your average bottle-of-wine-with-dinner joint. Perhaps the best part, then, is staying for cocktails afterwards.
See a listing for Bistro 3 and read more Beijing Restaurant Reviews
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