TRB’s 5-Course Spirited Dinner with Paired Cocktails

Posted: January 29th, 2013 | | A Day In My Life, Foodies & Dining Scene | 600-year-old temple, Bespoke Beijing, Contemporary European, crafty cocktails, Frankie Zou, Ignace Lecleir, Sarah Keenlyside, Spirited Dinner, Temple Restaurant Beijing, TRB | No Comments »

A delicate drink fit for Royalty, an elixir by Mixologist Frankie Zou

Last week saw Temple Restaurant Beijing (TRB)'s exquisite Spirited Dinner, a unique dining concept that begins with the creation of 5 mind-blowingly crafty cocktails that are each specially paired with a 5-course dinner menu.

As luck would have it, this event fell right on a dear foodie friend's birthday, the lovely one and only Ms. Sarah Keenlyside of Bespoke Beijing, and with even more reason to celebrate, there was no stopping either of us from making the most of this incredible event and indulging in every last bite and savoring every last sip.

Walking into the enchanting 600-year-old temple that is now Temple Restaurant Beijing (TRB), I was delighted to find genius mixologist Frankie Zou already lining up in perfect formation hundreds of beautiful cocktail glasses prepared in all shapes and heights for his Spirited Dinner Drink Menu.

Temple Restaurant Beijing (TRB): Spirited Dinner with Mixologist Frankie Zou

First up: a gorgeous, tropical looking welcome drink made from fresh kiwi juice, pineapple and Midori Melon Liqueur Vodka. The rim is lined with sun-dried rose flower and rock sugar.

Spirited Dinner Welcome Drink by Mixologist Frankie Zou

Mixologist Frankie Zou is All Smiles Creating Crafty Cocktails

Not only does mixologist Frankie Zou create his own original cocktails, he also masterminds his own infused liquors and bitters made from locally sourced herbs and seasonal ingredients. As you can see from the small print on the Botany Bitters' labels below, there is quite a lengthy ingredient list for each potion below.

Frankie's house-made Botany Bitters

Stepping into TRB's main dining room, I walked straight into a fully-packed house.

It was obvious that about half of the diners in the room were also enjoying the full Spirited Menu with pretty distinctive cocktail glasses spread across their table, so it's encouraging to see that Frankie's amazing drinks do draw the crowds into TRB even on a cold winter's eve.

Spirited Dinner Packs the TRB Dining House

5 Course Dinner Menu Paired with 5 Uniquely Created Cocktails

LDS Breakdown of TRB's Spirited Dinner:

First Course Cocktail:

"Dawn Breaks" – Sparkling Wine with Elderflower Liqueur & Pomegranate Seeds

TRB's Complimentary Bread Bowl

TRB's Bite-Sized Appetizer Snacks

Amuse Bouche with Lobster Bisque Jelly & Green Foam

First Course: Foie Gras Terrine, Mango Chutney, Lime Jelly and Pomegranate Reduction

First Course Foie Gras Paired with Two Boobie Bread Buns (can't see it any other way!)

2nd Course Cocktail:

"Golden Harvesting" – Cinnamon and Granny Smith Apple Infused Vodka with freshly blended Pineapple Juice and Sesame Seeds around the glass rim

Second Course: Spiced Creamy Pumpkin Soup with Shrimp Tempura, Fennel Confit and Micro Leaves

A flawless presentation by TRB's General Manager Ignace Lecleir

Finished Product: Spiced Pumpkin Soup

3rd Course Cocktail:

"Hip Hop" – Grapefruit & Black Pepper Infused Vodka with Domaine de Canton French Ginger Liqueur, Peach Puree and Chili Pepper Garnish

3rd Course: Crispy Salmon, Clams, Baby Carrot Confit, Mashed Potatoes, Paloise Sauce

4th Course Cocktail:

"Horseradish Mary" – Fresh Herbs Infused Vodka Mixed with Bacon, Horseradish, Cherry Vinegar, Celery Bitters and Tomato Juice Garnished with Celery and Caviar

Mixologist Frankie Adds the Finishing Touches Himself

Fourth Course: Red Wine Braised Beef Cheek with Celeriac Puree and Celery Roulade

Palette Cleanser Sorbet

5th Course Cocktail:

"Bitter Rum" – Dark Rum with Homemade Bitters with Saffron and Galangal, Vanilla Bean Cream, Cinnamon Syrup and Earl Grey Tea

5th Course Dessert: Olive Oil Cremeux, Cinnamon Jelly and Spiced Vanilla Ice Cream

TRB's Famous Dessert Cart with Chocolate Truffles, Marshmallows, Jellies and Petit Fours

Trio of Chocolate Truffles: Infused with Tea Leaves (L), Nuts (C) and Original (R)

Trio of Fruit Flavored Jellies: Apple (Green), Blackberry (Maroon), and Passionfruit (Orange)

Marshmallows & Petit Fours in Clear Glass Displays

Lemon and Caramel Tartlets

Ignace Gives Us the Honor of His Personal Service

A Hand-Picked Assortment of Sweets

Overall, the meal was generous and the service was perfect as can be, but the true highlight of our dining experience were the exceptional cocktails. From the tropical welcome drink to the dessert dark rum cocktail, each one was original and distinctly memorable.

I was slightly joking when I first said that TRB's kitchen would be under pressure to keep the food up to par with Frankie's exceptional cocktails, but it actually turned out that way. If I had to pick between the bar and kitchen, the bar would win hands down. While that's good news for Frankie, the ideal situation would probably be a tie. Not that there was anything wrong with the dinner menu, but I felt like the dishes were not as creative as their paired cocktails and each course were all things I've had before at TRB (implying more the salmon and beef dish, but the pumpkin soup and olive oil cremeux both left us very much impressed so it's good to both begin and end the meal with high points.

Next time, I'd like to see the kitchen keep up with Frankie and produce something equally mind-blowingly fantastic.

Frankie Spoils Us with One Additional Post-Dinner Kiwi Cocktail

Temple Restaurant Beijing (TRB): Spirited Dinner with Mixologist Frankie Zou

Bravo for a Successful Spirited Dinner Frankie!

Temple Restaurant Beijing (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
Email: meet@temple-restaurant.com
Website: http://www.temple-restaurant.com/restaurant/

Other Suggested LDS Articles:

Read More @ Source

Comments