Restaurant Openings: Mulu

Xinsi Hutong snakes across the block northwest of Zhangzizhonglu, concealing within one of its many courtyards the new private dining space, Mulu. It’s set the stakes high for itself with the self-proclamation of “the ultimate culinary experience in Beijing” – an aspiration, achieved or not, to appreciate and an intent to admire.

The intimate courtyard has been refurbished and ornamented in dark wood, with care towards maintaining the individuality of the space. The rooftop terrace will be brilliant in the summertime and the second-floor tatami dining room, cool and airy.

Private dining carries with it connotations of the higher echelons, but while this is not your everyday neighborhood joint, custom menus that traipse between Western and Pan-Asian cuisine can be reasonable, ranging from RMB 188 to RMB 1,288. Reservations are requested at least a day in advance, although the more impulsive who trips up for same-day dining can choose from one or two five-course menus (RMB 588, includes free-flow wine) that change biweekly.

One visit near the holidays prompted a festive roasted turkey with balsamic-glazed fresh figs and a bounty of Brussels sprouts in a proportion striking for a city often devoid of these potent pocket cabbages. The table had been primed with a handful of contrasting experiences – a complicated heat from the small bite of Malaysian chicken to start and the crab curry soup with mango puree, a fresh breath of salad greens and a Parmesan crisp speckled with basil flakes. The deep savory of a few roasted tomatoes amid the leaves introduced an increasingly rich trend of the meal. What next to follow, but quivering foie gras, pan-seared and sweet atop caramelized apples? A king prawn and its companion spaghetti all’amatriciana lose the momentum of the meal, but Manager Arthur Stehlide l’Estoile swoops in to pick it back up, graceful, easy, and bearing mountains of turkey and another bottle of wine.

Mulu 穆禄
Daily 10am-1am. 7 Xinsi Hutong, Dongsi Shiertiao, Dongcheng District (6400 3627)
东城区东四十二条辛寺胡同7号
400m northeast of Zhangzizhonglu station (Line 5)

Also try: Chi, Dali Courtyard

A version of this article appears in the January 2014 issue of the Beijinger

Photo: Mitchell Pe Masilun