These Merchants Trade Global Flavors to Become One of 2019's Best Openings
Tofu skin doesn't typically spring to mind when you think of high-end dining ingredients, but The Merchants wants to change your mind. In order to so, chef and co-founder of the upscale Meishuguan wine bar and restaurant, Paulo De Souza, utilizes his passion for scouring local Chinese markets to create a nightly RMB 388 per person, eight-course set menu at The Merchants.
Our splurge-worthy meal just so happened to kick off with a twist on the aforementioned and humble Chinese staple: tofu skin ceviche. Here, Souza – formerly of Salt and the Ritz-Carlton in Beijing and Michelin-starred Alkimia restaurant in Spain before that – fries the bean curd slivers to a springy crispness that makes it stand apart from the preferred serving method typical of many Chinese restaurants. The ceviche, meanwhile, comes coated in a fragrant and enticingly tart sauce alongside a mellow avocado palette cleanser, making for an alluring mix of East and West.
A sumptuous chicken roll, with slow-burn Sichuan spices and rounded out by pancetta and truffle paid tribute to the Middle Kingdom flavors was followed with slow-cooked beef with creamy mashed potatoes, light and fresh Singaporean prawn laksa, and the sweet Mango pudding for dessert.
Most memorable of all was the plump and juicy scallop with cauliflower mash, encased in – get this – a fluffy piece of Chinese youtiao that sopped up the juices. Inclusions like this nod toward the classic Beijing street-side breakfast food ensured that the meal was entertaining and unpredictable throughout. Thanks to restraint on Souza’s part, the cross-cultural combinations worked without growing gimmicking or tiresome.
If you've just fallen in love with one of the dishes we've described above, be warned: while the price and number of courses will stay the same, the dishes will sometimes change based on what’s in season and what Souza is partial to that week, meaning you might tuck into something a little different when you stop by.
The Merchants' dishes are rivaled by their globe-spanning list of reasonably priced boutique wines, and their rare Coravin openers, which allow servers to pour without actually having to open the bottle (wine is drawn out through the corks, using a system not unlike a hypodermic needle) means that they can serve every wine both by the bottle and the glass, a rare but welcome feature in Beijing.
The owners plan to collaborate closely with up and coming vineyards and highlight one winemaker each month with dish pairings, masterclasses, and wine dinners. Among the highlights we tried was a three-year-old Little Beauty Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand that was crisp, refreshing, and fairly affordable at RMB 100 per glass or RMB 425 per bottle. One of their current wines of the month, a 2015 Nocton Vineyard Willow Series Pinot Noir, is a Tasmanian gem with a fruity aroma and subtle vanilla notes. Flights of five glasses are served for RMB 800 each for those looking to dabble in a variety of The Merchant’s offerings.
The Merchants' casually chic lounge atmosphere (the address used to house the Meridian Space gallery, and the metal framed exterior carries on the artsy vibe), high-quality food and drink offerings, and convenient location next to a trendy cafe which they also own, make The Merchants a prime destination for your next special occasion. We’re glad Souza has bowed out of hotel dining for this hip and inviting venture that is sure to be one of the strongest openings of the year.
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The Merchants
Daily 10am-1am. C&C Park, 77 Meishuguan Houjie, Dongcheng District (400 7990 299)
东城区美术馆后街77号文创美术馆东门直行右侧
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Photos courtesy of The Merchants
