Wudaoying Hutong New He Kitchen & Co. Space and Rooftop is Incredible, But Food Disappoints

This is really hard to write, because I just really wanted this place to be great. Not only do I have a personal interest because He Kitchen & Co. is located around the corner from my house, but the space is just so beautiful.

Huge concrete and glass walls and ceilings set He to be the ultimate hutong hipster hangout. I could already see myself strolling over in the mornings, spending all day here with a coffee, writing away while practically sunbathing. If you do end up doing that, unfortunately, you have to make sure that you don't eat anything complicated here, as the food doesn't live up anywhere close to the gorgeous space.

We went all out: ordering the English muffin with braised pork (RMB 18), the tuna sandwich (RMB 30), the pork terrine (RMB 20), the salmon sushi (RMB 30), and the Caesar salad (RMB 32), aiming to try something from every part of their menu. Sadly, none of it was good enough to ever order again.

Understanding that they’ve only just opened, our advice to them would be to ensure all food is fresh: some of the salmon sushi was discolored because it was probably set out too long. The same went for the tuna sandwich, which was put together using stale bread, disappointing for a place that seems to pride itself on its homemade bread. Improving these factors would go a long way to ensuring that customers returned.

The English muffin with braised pork, basically roujiamo, was pretty tasty, but very small for that money, and again, not made using the freshest bread. As for the Caesar salad, which was probably the best dish out of them all, the portion was also particularly small ... and served in tupperware.

We did enjoy the jasmine beer (RMB 45), an interesting flavor we haven’t yet encountered in Beijing’s ever-growing craft beer scene. We’re going to keep a close eye on this place, however, as we still in love the inside/outside seating area, which indicates that management has at least some experience in the F&B industry. For now, we'll fantasise sipping their jasmine beer on He's rooftop on a less polluted day … and pray that the food has improved by the time we finally head back over.

He Kitchen & Co.
Daily 9am-11pm. 48 Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng District (5245 1039)
东城区五道营胡同48号

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Photos: Margaux Schreurs