The Trouble with Truffles
Truffles are addictive, plain and simple. One bite of these earthy and slightly pungent fungi and you’re bound to be thinking about them for days, if not weeks or months. That’s the trouble with truffles. The only saving grace of these devilishly divine growths is that overindulgence is impossible. The best ones, the white or “Alba” truffles that hail from the Piedmont region of Northern Italy, are extremely precious and available only for a month or two in the fall. After that, the buyers try to get us back on their less-appealing black truffles. So if you’ve been looking for an expensive habit without risk of a long-term commitment, Beijing’s finest restaurants have got you covered, but only for another two weeks. Those hoping to get a last minute indulgence before these “diamonds of the kitchen” run out have got a couple of options. Alba truffles will be available, god and suppliers willing, through the end of November.
Photo courtesy of Aria
Aria, located in the World Trade Tower 2, is serving up truffles in line with Chef de Cuisine Matthew McCool’s “classic and innovative” cuisine, and dishes include lobster ravioli with white truffle, duck breast with milk skin and white truffle, as well as chicken liver parfait with truffle. Daily 11.30am-2.30pm, 6-10pm; bar 11am-midnight. 2/F, China World Hotel, 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District (6505 2266 ext 6644) 朝阳区建国门外大街1号中国大饭店二层
If you’re still jonesing for more, head east to the Ritz Carlton Beijing where Barolo Chef Massimo will be serving up truffle dishes such as veal Lion, cabbage puree, ginger and honey sautéed brassica with white truffle; Ferron rice finished with butter truffle a la table; Boston lobster and turbot timbale, saffron and Chinese cabbage sauce, dill and white truffle; and parmesan fondue with sea urchin roe, radish micro cress, deconstructed egg and white truffle, to name a few. Mon-Sat 11.30am-2pm, 6-10pm. 2/F, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, China Central Place, 83A Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District (5908 8888) 朝阳区建国路甲83
For those with a strong heart, Ristorante Sadler offers a five-course truffle degustation (call for current price), and rumor has it that General Manager Gian Luca Fusetto has just secured a brand new batch of Alba truffles, which are best in their first few days. Head to Ch’ien Men 23 and try the feast, or for a more humble dinner, order any menu a la carte and top them off with a shave of the good stuff (currently RMB 110 per gram). Recommended dishes include cauliflower soup with slowly cooked organic egg; home-made ravioli with taleggio cheese sauce; a parmesan cheese creamed risotto, with sea-salted duck liver, and a grape reduction, and slowly cooked veal cheek with mashed potatoes, and white pepper, and of course, Alba truffles. Daily (closed Mondays) 11.30am-2pm, 6.30-10.30pm. Ch'ien Men 23, 23 Qianmen Dongdajie, Dongcheng District (6559 1399) 东城区前门东大街23号
The truffle dishes at Cepe provide an excellent reason to journey to financial street, as delightful dishes such as chestnut cream, smoked goose liver with hazelnut oil and Alba truffles; creamy eggs on mushroom essence with Alba truffles, and veal tenderloin carpaccio, bagna cauda, poached quail egg and Alba truffles fragrantly await your arrival. Pasta dishes, each topped with truffles, of course, include egg tagliolini; raviolo stuffed with creamed spinach and egg yolk; traditional parmesan cheese risotto with pan-seared goose liver, and Agnolotti stuffed with braised pork on potato and leek cream. Main dishes include steamed Canadian lobster, sautéed lettuce, lentils and white truffles and roasted Wagyu grade 9+ tenderloin, braised oxtail, celery root mousse and truffles. Dishes range from RMB 450 to RMB 1,398. Daily 11am-2.30pm, 6-10.30pm. The Ritz-Carlton Financial Street, 1 Jinchengfang Dongjie, Jinrong Jie, Xicheng District (6601 6666) 西城区金城坊东街1号北京金融街丽思卡顿酒店大堂
