Celebrate 23 Years of FLO With This Decadent Seven Course Offering

Founded in Paris in 1901, FLO made its first roots in Beijing in 1999. Since then they have gone on to open a number of sub brands in the capital such as L’OX, LEO and RÔTI, to just name a few. However, it is their original FLO Maison restaurant that is at the heart of the brand and which is now celebrating 23 years of bringing authentic French cuisine to the capital.

In celebration of their 23rd anniversary, FLO is offering an exclusive seven course menu until the end of November which takes diners on a culinary, historical journey of FLO’s time in Beijing. We were lucky enough to be invited to try out the menu and we're happy to say it's a true delight. 

To kick off the trip down memory lane is an amuse bouche that is parcelled up like a delivery from the original FLO restaurant in Paris. The attention to detail here is incredible with the box featuring real vintage French stamps from the '90s. Open up the box to reveal a velvet interior with a custom made tin filled with a delicious Tuna Mousse with avocado, mango and passion fruit which will definitely leave you wanting more!

Following the amuse bouche is the first course of the menu: FLO’s signature Fresh Oysters. These come served with your choice of a red wine vinaigrette or squeeze of lemon juice to slurp them down with. They are accompanied by a side of lemon sourdough which is meant to be eaten prior to the oysters because, as I was informed by staff, fresh oysters shouldn’t be enjoyed on an empty stomach. The oysters pay homage to FLO being the first restaurant in Beijing to serve oysters imported from France back in 1999. 

Next up is Foie Gras Terrine with confit fig, raspberry compote, champagne jelly and yellow tomatoes served with a side of ginger bread (no not the gingerbread man kind). In order to find the perfect foie gras for Chinese tastes, the FLO team took a whole five years to develop their recipe, finally achieving a result they were happy with in 2004. 

Another true French classic for the third course -- Herb Butter Escargot. Following customer feedback after first appearing on the menu in 2006, the escargot are served in the shell. Diners are given traditional escargot tongs and escargot fork to fish them out with, which was honestly a rather tricky experience but worth it.  

The fourth course is 16 Hours Slow Cooked Pork Trotter with truffle and foie gras stuffing and potato puree. This dish is all about embracing the culture of both French and Chinese cuisine, pork trotters being chosen because they are enjoyed in both cuisines. It was created in the wake of the Beijing 2008 Olympics and the lead up to FLO’s 10th anniversary by Michelin-starred chef Daniel Chambon. 

Now, come the fifth course you may be starting to feel rather full but definitely want to push through and make room for this extravagant dish of Smoked Boston Lobster and Qingyuan Chicken. This unusual combination was first created in 2012 to mark FLO moving to its new, and current, location on Xiaoyun Lu. 

Approaching the final stretch of the meal, the sixth course is Wagyu M7+ Beef Oyster Blade with grilled maitake mushroom. I have to admit by this point in the meal I was full to bursting and could only manage a small part, however the steak was so delicious I asked for the remainder to be dabao'ed. Oyster cut steak was introduced to the FLO menu in 2017 when they started experimenting with charcoal grilling which laid the foundation for their RÔTI and L’OX ventures. 

As the saying goes, there is always room for dessert, and this even applies after six courses. The final course is a Chestnut Mont Blanc, a traditional French dessert, served with pear and vanilla sorbet and William pear confit. Created in 2019 when FLO celebrated their 20th anniversary, this adaptation of a classic French dessert was inspired by a local Beijing treat: winter pear soup, to again embrace a fusion of Chinese and French cuisine. 

If you too want to indulge in a nostalgic walk down memory lane with FLO, the seven course 23rd anniversary meal is available until the end of November. The meal is RMB 1,288 per person and for an additional RMB 538 a wine pairing for each course can be added.  

Maison FLO
Call: 01065955135
Address: 18 Xiaoyun Lu, Chaoyang District, 朝阳区霄云路18号

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Images: Katie Coy, courtesy of FLO