Solaire

Solaire inhabits the space between a lemonade stand and a community theatre group. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. In a city brimming with world domination strategies, often backed by foreign and ill-informed investment, it's a breath of fresh air to see some regular Joes donning chef's whites to concoct a simple restaurant they and other Beijingers would enjoy. The goal is a gamble – Chinese, French and Italian fusion – though dishes do demonstrate an understanding of hemispheric cooking. The waiters' earnestness will touch your heart, generous home cooking will sate your hunger, and prices are more than fair.

Withhold initial guffaws at some endearing early missteps: menus are poorly put together, décor is a hodgepodge of artistic themes, the heat is too low and the ambient music too schizophrenic.

 Put that to one side and instead focus on the meal and service at hand. You'll be warmly greeted by a waiter, who will promptly take your drink and food requests in the correct order. Toasted bread appropriately arrives at the table just after, followed by a changing of silverware to match your meal. For the creamy pumpkin soup (18RMB), for example, the large spoon is left plate-side to scoop up the slightly too-sweet purée; when it was time for the chicken salad (22RMB) – a large helping that might be more fitting as a dinner option – a knife was brought to replace the spoon to help cut up the generous helping of tender free range chicken laid atop a bed of lettuce, sprinkled with black sesame seeds and drizzled with a light vinaigrette.

There are kinks to work out, however: advertising materials claim no msg or chemicals and reveal an earnest attempt to incorporate organics (supplied by Yuan Ding Yuan), but when fresh parsley for the soup is quietly replaced by the dried-up spice, promises fall flat. The crispy grilled potato cake on snapper (65RMB), like a few other dishes, is not yet available.



Consider instead a grilled sea bass fillet (42RMB), which is tender and light, despite being doused with a saffron cream sauce. The highlight here is the organic sweet mashed potato, mixed with red bean, in a melding of two East-West staples. Fall-off-the-bone pork ribs with black bean sauce (48RMB) are decidedly Chinese, and are certainly the best executed: rich, spicy and delicious.


Hidden in an old textile factory facing the western edge of Wanda Plaza, Solaire is clearly trying to follow in the footsteps of the northern art district of 798 in its creative fashioning. We see potential, and look forward to a repeat visit.