New Openings: Todai
At Todai, size matters! This Japanese all-you-can-eat restaurant, with 27 branches around the world (see their website for details - www.todai.com), is a sleek, sophisticated 4,000sqm loft, operated by an army of chefs (170 plus), decked with 604 seats, seven private rooms, a banquet room for 88 people, and serves over 3,000 different dishes. The mile-long smorgasbord of offerings includes sashimi, sushi, pizzas, seafood, dim sum, tandoori, stir-fries, teppanyaki, grilled meats, live cooking stations, crepe machines, a chocolate fountain … you get the picture. The service is excellent; a staff member even hiked the mile-long journey around the restaurant with me to help hold my plate. While some stir-fries were a little overcooked by the heating lamps, general food quality is high with a fast turnover rate. Few souls will have the chance to sample every dish, unless they have a bottomless belly. If this is the case, they should take advantage of the all-you-can-drink beer, wine and fresh juice counter. Lunch: RMB 188 (weekdays), RMB 198 (weekends); dinner RMB 258 (everyday).
Todai
Daily 11.30am-2.30pm (lunch), Mon-Thu 5.30-10pm (dinner), Fri-Sun 5.30-10.30pm. Solana, 6 Chaoyang Gongyuan Xili, Chaoyang District (5905 6888) www.todai.com.cn
都太, 朝阳区公园西路六号蓝色港湾商业区