Going to Town on High Town's New Spring Menu

When we heard about a new brewery heading to the second floor of Sanlitun's Nali Patio last December, we were cautiously excited; that's because we've come to keep our expectations low for every beer-focused venture that is launched, apparently daily, in the capital.

Four months on and a menu update to reflect the changing seasons, we're happy to announce that High Town remains an easy venue to recommend to friends thanks to its well thought out and excellently presented array of Western dishes. It also doesn't hurt that the restaurant is huge, providing plenty of options for seating, including a number of outdoor tables overlooking its Nali Patio ground-floor neighbors.

Their new menu has an expanded salad section, including a summer fruit salad (RMB 78), a kale salad (RMB 58), a caesar salad (RMB 48), and a pasta salad (RMB 68). We tried them all, and each came beautifully plated and featured generous portions of nuts, fruits, meat, and cheese. Our favorite of the lot was the pasta salad, a tasty mix of pasta al dente, seasoned chicken, yellow pepper, green asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and feta, as well as the caesar, with big and juicy chunks of chicken and no skimping on the bacon.

We tried almost everything else (it was a really difficult day ...) and were most impressed by the new Cuban sandwich (RMB 68), stuffed with slow-roasted pork neck, glazed ham, gooey Emmental cheese, and pickles on a crusty and toasted baguette for an absolutely winning combo. The new chicken and vegetable quesadillas (RMB 68 and RMB 58, respectively) were also well executed and come as two individual wraps on top of each other, thus twice as big as many other quesadillas across town, and are great for sharing between friends. Old favorites include barbecue pork ribs with french fries (RMB 168 for a large portion, RMB 98 for a small).

On the beer front, High Town have introduced an osmanthus ale (RMB 40), featuring a smooth texture and floral notes, an American pale ale (RMB 45), the next best option in our opinion, as well as a High Town IPA (RMB 45), and a milk stout (RMB 50).

The food portion-to-price and quality ratio is what makes High Town standout in Sanlitun and although the beer quality has a little catching up to do when compared to nearby competitors, it makes for a great one-stop shop to line stomachs ahead of a weekend night out, or to grab a salad and quesadillas with friends on a more relaxed school night.

More stories by this author here.
Email: margauxschreurs@truerun.com
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Photos: Tracy Wang, Margaux Schreurs