Creative East-Meets-West Desserts Served at New Yu Cafe in SLT
(Update, May 2019): The owners have since revamped this restaurant into an egg themed brunch spot called Eggee.
If you think dessert is a sweetly simple indulgence, then you clearly haven't spent much time in China. For those of us who regularly dine with Chinese foodies, dessert debates can often make for the perfect mealtime entertainment, as we foreigners deem this cake or that mousse to be too bland or airy for our *ahem* robust palates, while our Chinese counterparts are often quick to call something too sweet and sickly, and cringe after their first (and also their last) bite.
Thankfully, a new Sanlitun café is striking the right balance between East and West. Yu (whose second branch recently opened on Chunxiu Road, their smaller first location being in Sanlitun Soho) incorporates Chinese staple ingredients into its desserts, making them tasty and exotic for laowai patrons but also familiar and not overly sugary for Mainland diners.
Case in point: the black sesame mousse (RMB 45), which has a gently bitter flavor and an even more satisfying melt-in-your-mouth texture. Other highlights include a subtly sweet rice wine mousse (which looks like a standard slice of New York-style cheesecake, RMB 45), rice wine tiramisu (RMB 35), soya bean peanut mousse (RMB 45), among others.
The creative dessert recipes are made by the café's pair of Chinese chefs, one of whom studied in Paris. Aside from these sweet treats, Yu also boasts several excellent tea and coffee options like Smash a Cup rooibos tea from Big Small Cafe owner Zhang Yipeng.
The best beverage of the bunch might be the Wild Old Tree black tea from Yunnan (RMB 45), which has a wholesomely earthy aroma that, if you close your eyes before sipping it, will whisk your mind's eye to the far-flung wilds of southern China. Its heavy, fermented consistency makes it satisfying to gulp down, especially during Beijing's chilly December days. The elegant glass pot and pedal shaped cup that Yu's teas are served in also make them aesthetic successes. Other options include Phoenix Oolong, Moonlight White, and a cold brew tea (all RMB 45). Coffees on hand include high-end options such as the hand drip (RMB 45) and Geisha (RMB 98), along with the standard double espresso, latte, and cappuccino (RMB 20-35).
The café's interior is also eye-catching, thanks to its cushy dark leather sofas and crisply clean white walls and chairs. The latter makes Yu feel like a blank canvas which plenty of colorful potential, a point that co-owner Ruai Chao plans to capitalize on by hosting numerous art shows for up and coming talents.
The first is slated for January 1-3, where artist Yi Zhou (nicknamed Dr Zhou by friends) will allow participants to dip their hands or other body parts in the same sort of plaster used to make casts for broken bones, making mini busts that are vividly detailed (it will cost RMB 500 to give it a try). One such piece of a participants hand, held in the "devil horn" rock sign, captured every crease and line in the person's skin.
Dr Zhou's show will be the first of many such events that are sure to make Yu a standout in Beijing's increasingly crowded café scene. Indeed, from the desserts to the art, this new Chunxiu venue looks poised to attract a wide array of curious patrons.
Yu Cafe
Daily 8am-12pm. Chunxiu Road (around the corner from Sanlitun Youth Hostel, opposite Cafe Groove), Chaoyang District (5602 7007)
朝阳区春秀路华通新到店院内
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Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
Twitter: @MulKyle
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Photos: Kyle Mullin, Yu Cafe
