Post-Great Wall Half Marathon Celebration at TRB

China's Annual Great Wall Marathon Run 2012 (Photo by Sarah Keenlyside)

After pushing myself to the limit, killing myself running the Great Wall Half Marathon this past Saturday, May 19th, I was in dire need of a few very critical things (and in this consecutive order): 1. Shower 2. Massage 3. Second Shower 4. Nap 5. A well-deserved celebration with 6. plenty of cocktails to cure my post-marathon pain.

As competitive as I can be, I wasn't running for myself. I ran the half marathon in place of Temple Restaurant Beijing (TRB)'s General Manager Ignace Lecleir to fundraise for Prevention Through Education (PTE), a 501 (c)3 nonprofit founded specifically to address the lack of knowledge about HIV/AIDS in China.

This was my first-ever attempt at running a long-distance race and climbing up and down the Great Wall across 21km/13 miles was a no mean feat for me. But after exactly 2 hours and 47 minutes, I crossed the finish line barely resisting the urge to faint, vomit and pee my pants all at the same time.

The best part: The announcer broadcasting "Ignace Lecleir from Belgium" as a little Chinese girl (me!) runs across the finish line to collect my Great Wall Half Marathon Medal of Honor.

After crossing the FINISH line of the Great Wall Half Marathon (Photo by Tom Pattinson)

After completing my first couple priorities (shower, massage, second shower and nap), I was ready to get all dolled up for my post-Great Wall Half Marathon celebration with dear friends and fellow foodies at TRB – where else?!

Turning up early, I made friends with TRB's expert mixologist Frankie Zou who introduced their new drink menu, secret housemade bitters and house-infused spirits with local Chinese herbs and ingredients like Ginseng, dates, pomelo and even a black truffle infused cachaca. So impressive.

After Frankie patiently listened to me rant about my half marathon run, he knew just the potion to cure my post-marathon pain: a cocktail concoction with ginseng, ginger, egg white and a few other secret ingredients that mixed together into one of the best cocktails I've ever been served. Hats off to this brilliant bartender!

Expert Mixologist Frankie at TRB creates a killer custom cocktail to cure my post-marathon pain

TRB's Table Centerpiece

Sitting down at our table, Ignace Lecleir helped us to both select an appropriate wine for our dinner and he personally served us out of the most elaborate wine decanter I've ever seen.

TRB's Ignace Lecleir pours decanted wine out of a crazy long spout

A party of five, we ordered a mix of both TRB's 3-course tasting menu (RMB 258) and must-try dishes a la carte as well. Hungry foodies can also choose from a 4 or 5-course TRB tasting menu at respectively RMB 358 and RMB 428 per person.

While we all chose our own dishes, we ended up sharing and tasting our way through all the dishes each of us ordered. After living in China for so many years, it's hard to imagine a time when we all used to just eat whatever we ordered and not pick off of everyone else's plates.

LumDimSum Breakdown of Dishes at TRB:

Amuse Bouche

Starters:

King Crab & Avocado Salad with Citrus Dressing (Part of TRB's Tasting Menu)

Cep and Truffle Velouté (RMB 110)

Foie Gras, Lobster and Sea Lettuce au Torchon with light Lobster, Truffle Mayonnaise Salad (RMB 138)

TRB's Boobie Bread Buns

I really have no idea what's the deal with TRB's boobie bread. Only two buns were served to our table and they came out exactly as photographed above. We found it hilarious and totally random and naturally, we were curious to hear more about them. When pointing out the uncanny resemblance of boobies to his bread buns, I really couldn't get a straight answer out of Ignace as he totally played dumb to the blatant and very indiscreet play with food.

King Crab & Fine Herb Raviolis with Celeriac Puree, Brown Butter (RMB 110)

Despite the small portions of these starter dishes, we were all very satisfied with each of these dishes. The Cep & Truffle Velouté was rich and creamy and the irresistible, strong truffle fragrance filled our table from the start. The King Crab and Avocado Salad and King Crab Raviolis were also equally as delicious and fragrant. But the winner of this starter selection is definitely the Foie Gras and Lobster au Torchon, a genius creation combining two delicacies for a perfect dish that is bound to impress the most discerning of palates.

Braised Short Rib of Angus Beef, Spinach, Olive and Roasted Garlic Crushed Potatoes (RMB 195)

Roasted Monkfish with Pimentos, Clams Gnocchi (RMB 195)

Roasted Young Pigeon with Smoked Ventreche, Cauliflower Puree, Shallot Confit and Port Wine Jus (RMB 188)

Lamb Navarin with Spring Vegetable and Pomme Fondant (RMB 260)

I was happiest with my order of the very tender and succulent Braised Short Ribs, but I very much liked the Pigeon as well. Each dish was cooked to perfection and it seemed like our entire dinner conversation was based around all of us taking turns to rave about how good the dishes were and ceaseless praise for both the service and of Ignace's perfect hospitality.

I very much admire and respect Ignace's ability to make each of his guests feel so special and welcome and his unique style in working his way across each and every table throughout the evening in his very courteous, personable and professional manner is a gift.

As I've said before in my first review of TRB: "The service was among the best I've experienced in Beijing. It was so impressive to see each course served simultaneously with our party of 8. I would even dare say the service is better than Maison Boulud. But I wouldn't expect anything less from Ignace Lecleire as he is the man when it comes to flawless service and professional hospitality. It's refreshing to be served like royalty as I've become so jaded to horrendous service experiences living in Beijing."

Desserts:

Passion Fruit and White Chocolate Cheesecake

Caramel Mousse, Coffee Panacotta and Hazelnuts

Warm Chocolate Fondant with Brown Rice Ice Cream

Most of us who ordered from the Tasting Menu chose the Passionfruit and White Chocolate Cheesecake for dessert, but my Warm Chocolate Fondant was the overall favorite. It was a more generous portion and you'd be mad to try and resist gooey, melted chocolate and ice cream.

Post-Dinner Drinks by Frankie Zou:

A Table of Happy Humpty Dumpties at TRB:

Stylish Swedes in TRB (yes, that's a candy&caviar shirt on the left!)

After dinner and drinks, TRB gave us a personal tour of its outside courtyard and compound of private dining rooms and event spaces.

A Perfect Post-Great Wall Half Marathon Celebration

Previous Reviews of Temple Restaurant Beijing (TRB):

TRB Contact Details:

Address: #23, Shatan Beijie, off WuSi DaJie, Dongcheng District. Beijing. 100009 東城區五四大街以北，沙滩北街23号
Tel: 8400 2232

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