Mediterranean Sushi, Delicious Lamb Shank, and 3-D Peach Cake: Artsy New Autumn Items at Galleria

Haruki Murakami said, “artists are those who can evade the verbose.” After successfully opened edible jewelry store-like Art de Sweets, artists from Eatalia Group are those who can evade boredom and routine. It’s been almost a year since our last visit the artsy restaurant Galleria at Jiaming Center, and we are back to have a taste of the new items on the menu.

Welcomed by the complimentary bread, our meal was kicked off with mushroom & chestnut soup, which was very hot, rich, creamy, and savory, served in a glass bowl on top of two carved glass plates. If you are as clumsy as we are, be careful not to drop the soup on your light-colored clothes, or elbow the delicate tableware to the ground. The soup was followed by the Mediterranean Rainbow Roll (RMB 88) – sushi with Mediterranean influence, the sushi rolls were colorful with avocado and shrimp tempura fillings, covered with layers of sliced mango, and wrapped with parma ham. The avocado provided rich texture, and the shrimp tempura was crunchy, with savory parma ham, sweet and sour mango, and a little help from the classic sushi condiments of soy sauce and burning hot wasabi. The result? So good.

As for the main, the roasted lamb shank with mashed potato was the star. The lamb shank was roasted to make it extremely tender, with a nicely glazed and soft skin. Every bite was melting away in your mouth with sweetness from the raisin sauce, and herbal flavors from the mint oil.

To round it off, we had the peach cake (RMB 48), thanks to the modern 3-D print technique, it looked like a real peach, you have to ruthlessly break the hard white chocolate crust and spoon the smooth coconut mousse out, and approach to the core made of sweet and sour peach jam. If you prefer a coconut-free formula, try the New Style Cheesecake (RMB 48), served deconstruction-style. It has everything that a cheesecake needs, but is served like contemporary art with a plate for a canvas, like a cheesecake version of Frank Gehry’s architecture.  

The art displayed in the dining area has been changed, including the 3-D chocolate Marilyn Monroe we saw last time. The view into the bright open kitchen was comforting, while rustic house-made bread (RMB 8-12) is available to-go at the door. All these elements are what bring in the lunch-hungry workers nearby, completely filling the space in the middle of the week during daylight hours with people eager to sample the RMB 88 lunch set, which allows you to choose a first course (between caprese and asparagus soup), a main course (out of linguine in Bolognese or duck breast with pumpkin), and a dessert (pick between passionate chocolate dessert and something called "the Madagascar scenery"). You can add coffee, beer or a soft drink for an additional RMB 12, or a glass of wine for RMB 22 to soothe you before heading back to work for the rest of the day.

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Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
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Photos: Tracy Wang