With its glass polka-dotted walls, Peking Legacy isn’t your typical Guijie establishment, but despite the lack of red lanterns, this place is firmly rooted in the capital’s culinary traditions. Both chefs hail from families that have cooked in Beijing since the Qing dynasty—her family’s food attracted opera singers and actors, and his kept Imperial Guards sated. This background is reflected clearly in the dishes, which stand out for both flavor and quality.

The iPad menu did not include English tabs for types of dishes or English descriptions of dishes. We were told that these problems should be solved by the restaurant’s grand opening at the end of the month.

The organic kale (¥38) is one of several organic vegetable dishes sourced from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science. The dish is one of the greenest we’ve ever seen in Beijing, as well as one of the most crisp. The braised pork belly (¥28) is a savory pork cloud of specially sourced, stunningly marbled, but not fatty meat. The sweet and sour pork ribs (¥58) are another stand-out dish, with the savory, fall-off-the-bone meat complemented by, but not dependent on, the sauce.The beef pancakes (¥36) came highly recommended, but tasted like flattened-out baozi and were quite heavy.

Unique drinks include the “black beauty” (¥22/glass, ¥68/pitcher) a warm mix of chestnuts, organic black rice, cream and rock sugar, and the “red beauty,” a mix of seven ingredients, including rose petal tea, two kinds of plums, cherry tomato and apricot.

Our rating: 4/5 stars

DETAILS

What: Peking Legacy

Where: 227 Dongzhimen Nei Dajie, 东直门内大街227号

Tel: 6226-6368

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