Zrou x Panino Teca: 20 Years of Beijing's Changing Tastes, as Told Through One Man's Enterprising Spirit

Drew Pittock, Contributing Editor | Jul 21, 2021 12:55 pm | Add a comment | 147 reads | Paid for

Few people are as easygoing as Giuliano Movio, owner and operator of Assaggi, Panino Teca, and Da Giuliano, a trio of Italian restaurants in Sanlitun. However, the one thing Movio – who describes himself as water, “just going with the flow” – won’t compromise on is quality ingredients and traditional recipes. Nevertheless, harboring equal parts open-mindedness about living life and stubbornness when it comes to his beloved food, Movio has set himself up for a truly successful enterprise here in the capital.

Movio’s penchant for going with the flow and trusting the process is baked into his Beijing story. The Italian-native by way of London first visited the capital in 1999 as a tourist, and though he wasn’t on the hunt for Italian cuisine (he was in Beijing, after all), he also couldn’t help but notice a dearth of Western options save for the odd McDonald’s and KFC scattered about town. Not thinking much of it, he returned home to London and continued his life as one-third of a restaurant group, his partners being a Brit and a Chinese national. At some point over the intervening year, Movio met his Chinese partner’s friend, a young woman who was studying hospitality in the UK capital. Fresh off his Beijing trip and sensing an opportunity in the burgeoning market, Movio told the aspiring restaurateur that when she finished school and returned to China, he would be interested in opening a restaurant with her at the helm. And thus, in 2001, Assaggi was born.

Unfortunately, however, this was 20 years ago, and the spot that Movio’s business partner had picked to set up shop was Sanlitun, a veritable wasteland of stodgy embassies and dirt lots. There was no Taikooli to speak of, nor any of the other glitzy nightlife and shopping that the area’s now known for. Likewise, there were virtually no international food distributors and Movio was relegated to growing his own basil and rosemary from seeds. Nevertheless, in Movio’s characteristic fashion he decided to take it all in stride, and the new team of intrepid foodies wasn’t about to give up that easily. Their perseverance paid off and by 2003 the restaurant’s reputation had not only spread among the local embassy crowd, but the surrounding area was beginning to see increased development and foot traffic, such that by 2004 Movio was able to purchase the building below Assaggi and open Panino Teca, the casual dining counterpart to Assaggi’s fine dining experience. Both restaurants continued to enjoy a meteoric rise, and a couple of years later, Movio’s enterprise had taken over the adjoining storefront for Da Juliano, an Italian-inspired bakery and confectionery.

Now, a full two decades later Movio is again going with the flow and embracing the plant-based revolution, having recently teamed up with Shanghai-based alternative meat purveyor Zrou to bring a range of vegan and vegetarian options to Panino Teca. According to Movio, there’s been a growing demand for it, both from the international embassy crowd and local health-conscious Chinese folks, a fact that’s actually parlayed into Assaggi stocking alcohol-free wine, all of which stands as a testament to the restaurateur’s inclusive spirit. What’s more, given his uncompromising allegiance to quality ingredients (see, Movio’s anecdote about a woman who brought in a birthday cake with blue frosting that could’ve “taken the skin off my fingers, I can’t believe it went into her body!”), there was little doubt that Zrou’s use of locally sourced natural ingredients like non-genetically modified soybeans, konjac, coconut oil, and shiitake mushrooms was a welcomed partnership.

The new Panino Teca menu has four Zrou dishes – two vegan and two vegetarian – perfect for a quick work lunch or relaxed weekend meal. And as an added bonus, Movio is more than happy to oblige diners upstairs at Assaggi and swap the meat on any pizza for Zrou. As for the Panino Teca menu though, vegetarian options include a Zrou quesadilla stuffed with mozzarella cheese and yellow and red peppers (RMB 58), as well as a Zrou pizza topped with mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes, and fresh veggies (RMB 55). Meanwhile, vegans can indulge in the handmade Zrou burger served with fries and a salad (RMB 88), or the Zrou burrito featuring black beans, rice, and veggies (RMB 65).