Our Happy Place: Maison Boulud a Pekin (布鲁宫法餐厅)

Maison Boulud a Pekin is a happy place in Beijing.  Located in the former Legation Quarter at Qianmen, the renovated interior is gorgeous, chock full of delectably tatty antique rugs, hand painted canvas murals, and enviable moderne bulb-shaped white ceramic lamps.  At lunch on weekdays there is a very good deal at RMB 188 for a three course prix fixe meal.  On the weekends there’s brunch, with a huge selection (perhaps overly broad for perfect quality control) to pick from.  If I remember correctly, two courses run RMB 168 and three courses, RMB 238.  The service is almost perfect (with the exception of one dirty martini made in a shaker that had been used for a lychee cocktail).   The food is good and mostly delectable, if uneven.  But there are very few places in Beijing where there is such elegance to set the scene for the pleasant murmur of conversation and clink of silverware and, also, fresh-baked madeleines to finish.

There’s something a little wrong about having such a meal right next to Mao Zedong’s mausoleum, but it’s hard to care when the place is just so… happy.

Maison Boulud (布鲁宫法餐厅): Qianmen 23, Dongcheng District 东城区前门东大街23号