The Deep Dish: Delicate Roman-Style Pizzas and Unpretentious Vibes at East Hotel's Xian

Tom Arnstein | Sep 19, 2017 10:00 am | Add a comment | 642 reads

As online voting continues for the 2017 Pizza Cup, The Deep Dish will be previewing a few of the restaurants vying for the title of Beijing's most beloved pie. So take a look, grab a slice, and pick the team you want to be victorious.

As far as hotel bars and restaurants go, East Hotel's Xian has been a favorite of the Beijinger's since it opened back in 2012 for its comparatively relaxed and no-snootiness-necessary attitude toward service and atmosphere.

Our visit this time around, specifically to try their pizza, proved no different, with the live band already in full swing and covering various contemporary pop hits and diners scattered throughout the sleek wood-and-brick bar, enjoying Xian's reasonably priced cocktails. Deciding to make the most of Beijing's hospitable weather, we settled into a booth outside and got to ordering.

Before we get to the food, I'd like to take a moment to sing the praises of Xian's newest addition: the Craft Container opened in June. Dedicated to selling craft beer, this repurposed shipping container makes for the perfect one-stop tour of some of the city's best-respected brews (albeit a small selection), and one of the few places that you can chase a Jing-A Flying Fist with a Slow Boat Monkey's Fist with NBeer's hefeweizen (all three excellent beers but very rarely found in one place).

Xian's pizza (approximately RMB 78) is equally refreshing, it's thin Roman-style crusts baked so that an initial crunch gives way to the smooth doughy insides. If there's any salt used at all, it's kept to an absolute minimum, which lends the base a light and delicate consistency and taste. In fact, the staple toppings – tomato sauce and cheese – are both restrained in order to let the fresh ingredients speak for themselves.

Stuck as to which to order? The 'build-your-own Margherita' puts the customer in charge, allowing you to select four of around 10 toppings. Of the mixture of red peppers, mushrooms, salami, and anchovies, it was the mushrooms that shined through for their deep flavor and bouncy consistency. The four stagioni replaces the cremini mushrooms found on the build-your-own pizza with a fresh Yunnan variety, giving an extra depth to the accompanying artichokes, ham, and olives. As my dining companion noted, the result is something akin to a "healthy person's pizza," thanks to their balanced, less-is-more approach.

Xian as a venue, just like the kitchen's seemingly no-fuss but high-attention-to-detail pizza, makes for a perfect haven in the northeast of the city and one that just as easily caters to a mid-level meal among family, friends, or for business. Coupled with reasonable prices, a strong drinks selection, and a laid-back contemporary aura, it's also one that consistently delivers with small tweaks and additions to their already reliable formula.

Haven't yet voted in our 2017 Pizza Cup? Simply scan the QR code below to have your say before the winner is announced on Oct. 19: