Tiandi Yijia

Tiandi Yijia Restaurant Review:

An ideal conclusion to an afternoon at the Forbidden City is dinner at Tiandi Yijia, a renovated mansion just next door. Staff glide around in elegant black, the décor is slate grey and deep brown with bursts of imperial yellow in the dozens of parasols suspended from the giant skylight and the golden carp in the central koi pond. The one downside is that most guests seem to opt for the private dining rooms, leaving the main dining area a little bleak and empty. The menu offers authentic northern fare, including delicate and vinegary stir-fried prawns Beijing-style that arrive in a sweet sauce. The crispy Beijing roast duck is tossed with tea leaves; it’s better without the sweet-corn cakes that accompany it. Vegetables, fresh and braised, are paired with glazed nuts or warming mashed taro. The wine list ranges the world, and includes a good number from New Zealand vineyards and even Chinese wines.