OUEST is a Contemporary French Creperie OUEST (West in French) offers the very best of the West of France Cuisine in a cosy setting near the Chaoyang Park A nice selection of Ciders, Crepes and Galettes, Savory and Sweet, rooted in the most authentic tradition, with that extra touch of creativity the gourmets were secretly lounging for...

Oh, Crepe

When Le Petit Gourmand stopped making galettes over a year ago, we worried that Beijing had become a city devoid of the savory French crepes. But now, there’s a restaurant entirely dedicated to crepes and galettes, and doing a great job with both. Ouest is located in the former Ras space, next to 2 Kolegas, but it manages to avoid the divey vibe. The atmosphere is cool, with comfortable chairs, modern beige and gray tones, good lighting and relaxing music. The bathroom is an immense improvement over the Ras days. The restaurant’s French owned and run, and the recipes are generations old, so you’re definitely getting something authentic. The pancakes have a really nice buckwheat flavor, and the texture is better than Crepanini, although still not the crisp perfection of La Taverne. Ouest is positioning itself as a contemporary creperie, so you get creative fillings as well as the classics. The “Sweeta” (¥52) is made with curry sauce, chicken and emmental cheese, an original combination that works quite well. The “Anne” (¥50) is made with emmental, goat cheese, Roquefort, mozzarella and arugula—just the thing for cheese lovers. The dessert menu is just as extensive as the selection of savory items, and sweet crepes start at ¥20. We liked the beautifully presented “Joelle” (¥38), which comes with strawberries, strawberry sauce, almond slices, white chocolate and whipped cream, but our favorite crepe of the night was the “Marion” (¥42). It’s filled with apple, salted caramel and toasted almonds, topped with ice cream and whipped cream. The wine list is all affordable French stuff, with glasses starting from ¥25. More exceptional is the availability of hard cider from Brittany (¥25/glass, ¥115/bottle), which the restaurant imports on its own.

Sienna Parulis-Cook, January, 2012