One of Beijing's Finest Restaurants

I'm genuinely shocked that this small but successful restaurant with a devoted following hasn't received any reviews so far. It took three separate events to get me there: regular, effusive praise for the place from a fellow hutong establishment owner; someone saying that the steak of a particular Xingfu Ercun outlet was good but "that it's nothing like Mercante's; and the Beijinger's Cat Nelson writing a review of a Mercante dessert, the prose of which was perhaps even more delectable than the item itself.

I was not disappointed when I finally made it to Mercante, nor have I been in subsequent visits. The atmosphere is casual, if a bit cramped, but the dining is fine. Everything is made to order, including homemade bread that is refilled upon request. Service is attentive without being suffocating. The wine list is limited but clearly chosen to complement the menu. The menu is small, but obviously because the restaurant chooses only to serve dishes it can do impeccably. Words that can be used to describe Mercante: intimate; fresh; organic; homemade; handmade. With the possible exception of Capital M's Pavlova, Mercante's panna cotta is the best dessert in Beijing, although you may very well try the other four or five on offer and feel exactly the same way about one of them.

While a dinner for two at Mercante is wonderfully romantic, it is almost a let-down: two people cannot order enough to enjoy the menu fully. A party of four to six allows for maximum menu coverage, and no one should be permitted to duplicate.

Hutongs are known for hiding some of the best bits of Beijing. Mercante is one of them.