Photo: www.bestfoodinchina.net

by Moy

Location: No.35 East Chang An Avenue, Beijing.  Tel:8610-65137788－368/312 Beijing China If you play the face game or you just like to eat, holidays of any kind in Mainland China are an especially good time to get your act on. From solid classics such as the mid-autumn festival and its moon cake sets to foreign favourites such as Easter and even nationality-specific events like Oktoberfest and Thanksgiving, any established name in hospitality here knows that it's a good time to strut one's stuff when these events roll around, and when it comes to the western holidays, in terms of scale of execution in Beijing, Christmas is definitely number one.

With literally dozens of five-star hotels in Beijing, the amount of choices for a holiday banquet is by no means small. A number of different chains and single entities run various themes, but generally no matter where you go you'll find yourself presented with three four "tiers" of buffet or banquet, usually alternating between Chinese and Western fare.

If you like a central experience, the Grand Hotel Beijing in Wangfujing is the closest five-star to the nation's effective centre, Tiananmen Square, in terms of both absolute straight-line as well as on-road commuting distance. In lines with the extreme theme, the top tier of holiday fare is served at the hotel's premiere dining location, the Old Pekin Restaurant on the fourth floor, which specialises in ultra-high-end Chinese cuisine.

The set meal line-up even in menu form speaks for itself – the hotel's other choices of a Christmas Eve buffet for 2380 Yuan and a beefed up set meal for 2980 Yuan (all prices per person) are enticing, but with the Olympics yet around the corner, albeit not in Beijing this time, there's no reason not to go for the gold: at 3880 Yuan a head, the Old Pekin and Ming Yuan restaurants are serving up a serious selection of the top tier of Chinese cuisine, expertly arranged for maximum impact – shark fin soup, oversized kung-pao shrimp, braised abalone, quail egg and sea cucumber soup and bird's nest soup bring some seriously fancy firepower to a culinary landscape that's also stocked a good amount of cold vegetables and fresh fruit to help you cool off in between courses. With all the effort that's been put into the preparation, the least you could do would be to show up and try it out.

Shark fin soup is frequently described as being "not for everyone" but it's hard to imagine why when you're having a truly good cup of the stuff prepared properly. The restaurant's offering was thick and strong, with the glass noodles having just a slight give to them that imparted a solid quality that some lesser preparations are sometimes lacking. The shrimp, somewhat of an in-house creation in their specific format, are first fried, then spiced and seasoned, dipped in water and then refried with salt, vinegar, and a bit of fragrant oil certainly make for an interesting mix of strong flavours and add a memorable element to the sea of other luxurious culinary entertainments included in the set meal.

The abalone is top-notch, braised and served in a heavy sauce – even with a bit of vegetable accompaniments, it's still a very strong dish. The cool coconut bird's nest soup, served with a topping of goji berries, is both a nutritious and refreshing option to calm down with. The sea cucumber and quail egg soup is also another great step in the cooling direction – even if you aren't a great fan of the marine animal, it's definitely worth a try. The gooey nature that makes some squeamish about the braised versions of sea cucumber is absent, instead replaced by a cool clarity and distinct crunchiness that even less adventurous eaters should enjoy.

Overall, whether you are an avid shark fin and abalone fan, or the kind of person who subsists mostly on sandwiches, beef noodles, and other simple fare, the set meal is a great option to give one a full-featured tour of high-end cuisine without overwhelming the senses. The presentation of all the components as well as the accompanying side dishes is superb – it's also worth noting the Oolong tea that I opted for was exceptionally full and smooth, but then again after such a meal, I wouldn't have expected any less. With excellent service, location, food, and a serious status factor, definitely consider this location for your big meals this holiday season.

Blessings and Prosperity Banquet RMB 3880/Pax.

Service quality: excellent
Food quality: excellent
Price per head (RMB): 700+
Environment: excellent