Life In China Food Restaurant Reviews: Danieli's at St. Regis Hotel

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Danieli's: Impeccable Italian Peppered with Passion

Located in Beijing's poshest hotel, the St Regis, one would expect Danieli's to present impeccable Italian cuisine enshrouded in an ambiance of unsurpassed opulence. My expectation for sheer gustatory delight and uncompromised rapture of the senses was not proven amiss. I was even pleasantly surprised that the nippy feeling of estranged reticence, at times the unforeseen tradeoff of distinction, was displaced by a tender warmth emanating from hearth and heart.

The hand-painted ceiling, ersatz stone columns and walls, antique ornaments, books, and candelabras, jade napkin rings, and hand-painted 18th century Luxembourg Villeroy and Boch ornamental plates, imbue Danieli's with exquisite refinement without erring into gratuitous superfluity. Danieli's classical Italian ambiance flows onto a terrace overlooking the St Regis' palatial palm-appointed atrium-lobby.

Cooking is the labor of love for Danieli's Executive Sous Chef Marco Mazzei. Raised in a family steeped in rich culinary history, Chef Mazzei was initiated into the strict regiment of cooking school at 16. He started the typical three-year apprenticeship at 21, after which he served as a cook in the Swiss Army. Appreciating the existential irony of it, Chef Mazzei candidly recollected: "When I was in the army, I had to make fondue for more than 200. And I don't even like cheese." Chef Mazzei arrived in Beijing last year after traversing the better part of the globe -- Germany, Japan, Korea, Singapore, St. Vincent, and Australia.

Chef Mazzei presents a diverse range of Italian regional specialties, infused with tradition and embellished, judiciously, with modern twists. Although not on a mission to restore the purity of Italian cuisine, which Chef Mazzei acknowledges as a mission impossible, he does stress the need to dispel a certain (pre) misconception that many tend to hold towards Italian cuisine. "Most people have a mythical view of Italian cuisine. It has really proved challenging to educate people about it. Although Italian cuisine, just like cuisine from other countries, is very difficult to generalize, Italian cuisine is not just pasta and pizza."

Danieli's offers an extensive array of house wines available by the glass -- I particularly recommend the Italian red wine Villa Antinori Riserva Chianti Classico with a "violet and vanilla bouquet".

Appetizers include a veritable cornucopia of scrumptious selections -- Parma Ham with Marinated Artichoke Hearts, Smoked Duck Breast and Duck Liver, Salad with Balsamico Vinegar, Scallop, Shrimp and Mushroom Salad Flavored with Lemon Oil. If you are too dazzled to make a selection, then opt, like me, for the Antipasto alla Danieli's-- medley including grilled vegetables, fresh greens and mozzarella, melon, salmon, oysters, carpaccio, and coppa.

Despite Chef Mazzei's cautionary remarks about pigeonholing Italian cuisine as pasta, pasta, and more pasta, you still can't afford to miss out on Danieli's pasta creations, such as Penne Tossed with Scallops, Bacon, Garlic and Zucchini and Garganelli Pasta Tossed with Pheasant Sauce and Truffles.

Recommended main courses include Oven Roasted Lamb Rack with Garlic Potatoes and Rosemary, Pan-fried Salmon Fillet with Celery, Tomatoes, Olives and Capers and the Tiger Prawns Wrapped in Parma Ham and Balsamico Glaze. Your gustatory pleasure will testify that Danieli? only relies on the finest imported and freshest ingredients-including the full spectrum of fresh Italian herbs.

The only exception to Chef Mazzei's disrelish for cheese is the piece de resistance of his dessert menu- Parmesan Cheese with Fresh Pears. Also highly recommended are the Marinated Prunes Ice Parfait on Pistachio Sauce and Amaretto Flavored Sabayon with

Vanilla Ice Cream- or simply the Tiramisu.

The pleasure of dining at Danieli's reminds one that food is the soul of life. And Chef Mazzei reminds us that the soul of cooking, as with other enterprises, is the heart: "Of course cooking requires creativity, but it is most important to use the heart."

Price: At least 600 per couple (including wine and dessert)

Where: Danieli's The St Regis, 21 Jianguomenwai Dajie

Tel: 010-64606688 ext. 2145