New Chinese Executive Chef Brings New Cantonese Dishes to Jia, Nuo Hotel
Opened just two years ago, Nuo Hotel Beijing is already renowned for the quality of its food and its premium location – not far from downtown, yet surrounded by gardens in Lido. You may already know how we feel about N’Joy’s brunch. Remember how we held the Beijinger 2016 Reader Restaurant Awards there? That says a lot. This time, we are back at Jia, the Chinese restaurant at Nuo Hotel, to try new items from the new executive chef, Ho Hauyuen.
Originally from Hong Kong and having worked at Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant Lei Garden, Ho Hauyuen has brought his culinary experiences to Jia and changed several dishes on the menu, such as cold, sweet and sour pork ribs, preserved pumpkin with plum, poached conch with mustard sauce, double-boiled fish bone soup, and poached prawn with truffle and okra.
Among the hot dishes, the winner was the crispy roasted chicken, the skin crunchy yet slightly wilted into the juicy, tender, and well-seasoned meat. We were told that the kitchen chose the chicken carefully to ensure the dish's quality – if the bird is not the right size or with the requested amount of fat, it will be returned.
We also liked the wok-fried beef with goose liver, which was tempting for us foie gras-lovers (who would like to try anything with foie gras without much persuasion), but also acceptable for the non-foie gras-lover. The explosion of juice from the diced goose liver was balanced with sweet and tangy black vinegar sauce and matched the flavor of the beef and chunks of shallot. The sautéed grouper was also cooked to perfect tenderness with a strong kick of chili. To round it all up, we had a bowl of fried udon noodles, featuring shredded duck, bell peppers, bean sprouts, and preserved vegetables. Don’t be fooled by the seemingly simple appearances – the hearty and savory flavor was rife with surprising spice.
The new dishes have been added to the old menu, and the whole menu will be out this autumn. If you work nearby, or happen to be around Lido and prefer a lighter lunch, go for their lunch special from Monday to Friday. For RMB 158, you can choose five of their delicious dim sum options, paired with herbal tea. Options of selected dim sum dishes are steamed suimai with minced pork, shrimp and dry scallop topped with crab row, baked BBQ cake with cheese, steamed rice rolls stuffed with scallop, and deep-fried taro, as well as rose flower puff pastries. Call 5926 8281 to make a reservation.
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Photos: courtesy of Nuo Hotel, Tracy Wang
