Cafe Restaurant

Try exotic flavors at a Spanish culinary feast at Cafe Restaurant, the Days Hotel & Suites Beijing. Dishes include fish fillet with tomato sauce, paella, and rioja-style chicken. 6773-1234 ext 3930

CRU Steakhouse

Pining for a slab of meat that can't be tamed with chopsticks? CRU Steakhouse (CRU) at JW Marriott Beijing, offers a grill and rotisserie menu featuring a dozen different cuts of meat. Steak lovers choose their meat from the restaurant's dry ageing room, with a glass wall so that the fresh meats are visible to customers.

"The dry aging process takes three weeks. It will increase the flavor of meats and make it more tender," said young American chef Jadan Sheive.

According to the chef, the restaurant's beef is chosen to be medium-range marbled so that the meat is savory and tender. The steak is served with the customer's choice of two from seven vegetable options, plus sides and sauce.

CRU's dcor is elegant and comfortable, with wooden floors and rugs and leather sofa. Open only for dinner, the dimly lit environment with a beautiful red candle bottle on the table is an ideal venue for a relaxing business dinner, or a romantic date.

Chef Sheive is from Maine. At 23, he's worked at Florida, and finished Culinary School of America in New York. His last job was in Los Angeles.

Sheive prepares a menu that is simple but comprehensive, offering plenty of choices and flexibility. Besides the salads, main courses and desserts, there is a Churrasco set menu, a seafood bar menu, and a DIY grill and rotisserie menu.

At 458 yuan per person, the Churrasco menu has six different spit-roasted meats including prawn, chicken, lamb, pork sausage, beef ribs and beef tenderloin, as well as a coconut and sour cream cheese cake. Located near the entrance of the restaurant, the seafood bar is visually tempting, with its beautiful display on ice. The bar features at least nine types of seafood including oyster, lobster, crab, shrimp, clam, scallop and mussels.

For the true beef devotee, membership to CRU's LaGuiole club includes discounts on steaks, a bottle of wine, and a handmade traditional LaGuiole beef with your name engraved on it. A grand VIP show with the best Wagyu striploin costs 1,888 yuan. The menu is designed to allow a wide range of options from 300 yuan per person. A 3-course meal costs 400-500 yuan per person.

Below are some chef-recommended dishes:

Charred cabbage with arugula; shrimp bisque with seared scallop; rib eye or Wagyu beef

fillet with potato slivers, Chinese broccoli, and demi glace; warm honey and thyme apple pie.

Location: 2/F JW Marriott Beijing, 83 Jianguo Lu, China Central Place, Chaoyang District

Opening hours: 6-10pm

Tel: 010-5908-6688 Ext 8530

Volar

This Hong Kong import, designed by Philippe Stark, Volar brings one of the best liquor selections and some of the best trained bartenders to the Shanghai scene. What's more, all is exclusively at Volar and the prices are to match.

One thing to note about this place is that, although sometimes a bit intimidating, Volar throws sweet parties and more importantly they have great bartenders. It upholds a members only plus guests door policy.

For people who need something more than "a beer" or "a drink", Volar is great simply because the bartenders have a clue. When the upstairs bar at Volar is not so crowded, it's nice to sip on a Long Dragon while lounging on one of Philippe Starck's black pony armchairs.

Bar-goers may expect nothing but la creme de la creme of Shanghai's local and foreign crowd in a very cool interior.

Wish

Encased in glass and surrounded by the greenery of Lido Garden, this softly lit, two-story restaurant manages to be trendy, glamorous and cozy all at once.

The creative design of the poetic scroll menu is really impressed, though the Chinglish descriptions of the fusion dishes may make you clueless.

However, the food turned out to be superb. Firstly, the creamy cod pumpkin soup (RMB 28), served inside a hollow pumpkin, was soft as silk. Secondly, crispy-skinned tofu topped with mango and salmon (RMB 38) was complemented splendidly by the complex and refreshing taste of the accompanying perilla leaves, which burst with aromatic flavors. The scallops with cepe mushrooms cooked with a cheesy egg yolk sauce (RMB 78) were also excellent. Don't expect heavy entrees here but rather appetizer-sized dishes; it's hip dining at its finest.

What's more, free salsa classes are on offer every Friday downstairs on the dance floor.

Location: 6 Fangyuan Xili, Lido Garden, Chaoyang District

Opening hours: Daily 11-2am.

Tel: 010-6438-1118/8883

Urumqi's Beijing Office's Xinjiang Restaurant

Expect plenty of mutton dishes, such as hand-torn lamb rack and sauteed lamb chops with black pepper. The naan and homemade yogurt are must-tries. Also get some Korla pears, grapes, hami melon and red jujube from Qarkilik at reasonable prices. 60 yuan per person. 11am-9:30pm. Inside Urumqi's Beijing office, 1 Chegongzhuang Beidajie, Xicheng District. West of Guanyuanqiao on West Second Ring Road, turn right at first traffic light, go 150 meters, to the left. 6836-2795.

Xianheng

The service is improving. But everybody comes for the food. Start with hand-peeled bamboshoots, then try the fried, dried fish with spring onions, bound pork and three crisp vegetables (lettuce, water chestnut and preserved lettuce). Wash it all down with yellow rice wine, which comes out for 38 yuan per 500 grams. 50 yuan per person. 11am-1:30pm, 5-8:30pm. Northwest corner of Heping Xiqiao, 19 Eastern North Third Ring Road, Chaoyang District. 6443-1558, 6443-1668.