Char Indulgence Blackmore's Wagyu, a signature dish at Char Photo: Courtesy of Crowne Plaza Beijing

 

Char's Spanish Chef Fernando Tabernero Photo: Li Hao/GT

 

The dining hall at Char Photo: Li Hao/GT

After two years of elaborate planning, Char restaurant, a stand-alone InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) food and beverage brand will be opening at the Crowne Plaza Beijing Lido on June 16. A contemporary restaurant and bar that delivers a fine but refreshingly informal dining experience, Char first opened at the Indigo Hotel in Shanghai in 2011 and has successfully built a strong reputation for its service and cuisine.

Located on the first floor of the Crowne Plaza Beijing Lido, Char offers its trademark simplicity of flavor and playful presentation. In the kitchen, Chef Fernando Tabernero prides himself on only using the freshest local and imported ingredients, which are sourced from Shanghai and Beijing's finest providers, to create his masterpieces. Originally from Spain, Tabernero has wanted to be a chef since he was a child. Every time his mother cooked in the kitchen, he would stand nearby and watch carefully. Tabernero began his culinary career at Freiburg in Germany. Later, he returned to his roots in Spain to be a chef at a Martin Berasategui restaurant, working with the renowned world-class chef, Martin Berasategui. Four years ago, he moved to China and continued his cooking career.

"I want to share our good food, good service and excellent wines with our customers," said Tabernero. "A lot of guests come to eat what I cook very often and give me a lot of feedback, which makes me improve quickly."

The restaurant doesn't cut corners when it comes to quality, either. Char's steaks are superb. The restaurant is the only steakhouse in town serving Wagyu eye fillet beef from David Blackmore's award-winning, environmentally sustainable ranch in Australia. David Blackmore beef just absolutely shines on restaurant menus and is regarded as the "Rolls-Royce" among beef. The Fullblood Wagyu cattle have bloodlines that can be traced back more than 70 years and are fed for 600 days using traditional Japanese farming methods. The taste is exquisite.

The Char way of preparing steak is simple and flavorful, ensuring that the taste of the meat shines through. Guests can choose the type of meat they prefer, select their favorite cut, and tell the chef the way they would like it cooked.

Tabernero said the cuts offered at Char went through a rigorous selection process that involved 30 different kinds of steak. "We finally selected 10 kinds to build Char's menu, according to their moisture content, softness, smell and taste, and other important criteria," said Tabernero.

He said that while the restaurant does not use "complicated cooking techniques," its dishes are still flavorful because they "contrast ingredients with different tastes" to create food that is unique, delicious and bursting with flavor.

To increase the restaurant's unique charm, Char imported a series of steak knives from countries across the globe. Before their steak is served, guests will have the opportunity to choose from five different knives: LamsonSharp and Antler from the US, Mundial from Brazil, Laguiole from France, and Global from Japan.

Salt is an essential part of preparing the perfect steak. Understanding this, Char selected six natural sea salts, including smoked salt from Sweden and rosemary salt from Norway, to pair with the various dishes and tastes offered by the restaurant.

The wine service is another key aspect of the Char experience. Wines are presented in a way that makes new world wine (wines produced in the US, Australia, and South Africa) more enjoyable and old world wine (wines produced in France, Italy, Germany and so on) more approachable.

Each bottle of wine on Char's wine list is selected with a specific purpose in mind: to match a specific dish, for a celebration, or simply to provide a nice glass at the table.

Tabernero's life revolves around food, which simultaneously makes him happy and satisfied.

"Everything around me is about cooking. I totally enjoy what I do," he said. "I have a passion for investigating, discovering and creating new dishes in the kitchen. I learned to respect what I do and be proud of being a chef."

Guests can expect to experience Chef Tabernero's passion for food through his sumptuous specialty dishes at Char.