Life In China Food Restaurant Reviews: Paradise Found for Champagne Charlies

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Paradise Found for Champagne Charlies

by William Black

Food and its luxuriant enjoyment are no relic of Beijing's ancient imperial past. Great meals are found all around the city at a variety of prices, but if one subscribes to the theory that the best things in life are worth waiting for, one place that moves toward the top of the list is one that only happens once a week.

The Champagne & Caviar Sunday Brunch in the Swissotel lobby is a late morning/early afternoon slice of food lovers' heaven. The product of the entire kitchen team of 64 chefs, the buffet style marathon -- it's really more than just one meal -- sets itself apart, serving about 140 dishes and desserts, taking account of tastes around the world, and catering to them all with the added touch of periodic servings of caviar and fine French champagne.

At 280 yuan per person, the lobby brunch falls into the "affordably decadent" category that Elmar Pirchorner, the hotel's director of food and beverages, wanted to create. While the lavish contents of the buffet tables, from French pastries to Cantonese dim sum and Peking duck, promise rich pickings for any palate, he says part of the enjoyment comes from the setting -- the hotel lobby is transformed into a dining area after a night of moving and organizing. The entire setup takes about 10 hours, he says.

The tall windows and sun-friendly glass atrium roof emphasize the airy space, and the festive decor of the table settings puts diners at ease. It's a place to linger, savoring everything from black sturgeon caviar and salmon roe from Harbin to the dizzying selection of desserts.

"It's light and open here," says Dominic Egger, one of the half-dozen chefs running the hot serving tables dishing out fresh Chinese, egg and pasta dishes, as well as liberally spreading the gospel of caviar to gourmets and first-time tasters. The hotel goes through 1.5 to two kilograms of sturgeon and salmon roe at each brunch, no small achievement when the teaspoon-size servings are taken into account.

There's seating for about 120 diners, and Egger says the idea has been catching one among visitors, expatriates in Beijing and local food lovers.

"When we started it about two months ago, it was mostly expats, but now it's about half Chinese, which is nice," he says. "It's something very interesting for Beijing. And of course, a lot of people like the champagne."

Indeed. Most think it's a wonderful feeling to sip Moet & Chandon at the beginning of a lazy Sunday, to savor its tangy bubbles while picking their way through a world tour of food. Pirchorner says Swissotel is probably the second largest buyer of Moet & Chandon champagne in China, and guesses that, with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Shanghai, its total consumption accounts for between 20 and 30 percent of all French champagne in China.

But what pleases him more, he says, is reactions like one guest who arrived in the lobby, not sure exactly what was happening, then looked around the tastily appointed tables and said to no-one in particular, "Hey. That's not bad at all."

The Swissotel Champagne & Caviar Sunday Brunch is held from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm at the Swissotel, Hong Kong Macau Centre, Dongsishitiaoqiao. Call 010-65012288 for reservations.