A hidden pub bistro

Through a Wechat group I learned about Bloomberg Caution in Sanlitun and I went to check it out.
It is a bit hidden but it is actually easy to find if you know it is through the East gate of Zhaolong Hotel.
The place is a bit unusual and pretty large. It has a large outside terrace, two separate inside seating areas; on the other side of the alley there is a large covered bar area and a kind of ball room area, all actually in the back of Zhaolong Hotel.

It is open for dinner only and it seems most customers tend to come in the late evening. Also a favored place of one of the major motorbike groups.

Many connections with friends

Talking with the friendly owner Jason, a Beijinger with fluent English, I learned he is close friend of Kent and his sons. Several paintings of Kent are displayed. Kent’s sons also are regulars, as well as Dieter, one other of our Old China Hands. Small world!
See: Old China Hands 7 May lunch https://www.beijing1980.com/2021/05/16/old-china-hands-7-may-lunch/
Several of the friends had parties there, for birthdays of playing music. Jason showed the picture of Kent making one of his tasty dishes.

Food and drinks

Extensive menu, many different dishes. I tried the beef salad and fried tongue. Being on an alcohol-free week I could not try the beers. Other friends find their beer prices a bit high

Been there more than once!

I had several visits to Chez Soi Bistro in Beijing, see also earlier post: “Discovered Chez Soi“. That was in August 2020. Since then the bistro has tried its best to improve the food, organize events and have more staff.

See some pictures from my visits on 2 July, and in May on 12th, 16th, 17th, 24th and 29th.
On 29 May Chez Soi celebrated its anniversary with a free buffet and drinks. It was a pleasant evening.

New menu

I tried the couscous, it’s tasty but not the real stuff. The have specials every day, they organize a number of activities and also have life music every Wednesday. Caroline is trying her best!
Sometimes the dishes take a “creative” turn away from the official recipe (e.g. the Niçoise Salad) but it is all enjoyable. Some of the pizzas are tasty. The Basque Chicken got also better.

In front of the Brazilian embassy

I finally made it to La Maison Lyonnaise in Beijing, located in the building that has seen so many eateries and more come and go, Hopefully this French restaurant will stay for a longer time. I think they changed little of what previously “Caravan”. Caravan has ceased operations as of February 14, 2020 after 5 years of operation. It served Moroccan and Cajun food. The 2nd floor is now basically vacant, where we previously had a book shop and a (great) Brazilian restaurant. About Caravan, see here earlier post with the details:
“Reality started to sink in” https://www.beijing1980.com/2020/02/28/reality-started-to-sink-in/

I asked the French owner for the special Lyon dishes, and see what he recommended and we ordered. The bread is nice and special. Then Lyon Quenelle, Saucisson de Lyon, strawberry cake. And a Belgian beer. See details about the dishes.
When I was often visiting Paris (for work) I always tried the regional restaurants. Sadly many have closed to make room for something like “Western International Restaurants”… So, good to have this in Beijing.
The service was nice, the food interesting. Not a cheap place. All customers were Chinese… (except me)

Lyon Quenelle de Brochet

See: https://www.regions-of-france.com/regions/rhone_alpes/food-gastronomy/lyon-quenelle#

The quenelles de brochet indeed represent the authentic Lyonnais cooking, made out with really local ingredients amongst which pike, usually fished in Rhône-Alpes streams, and free-range eggs from the neighboring French region of Bresse renowned for its quality poultry.
The well-known quenelles from Lyon are famous for their delicate mousse consistency and subtle taste of fish. The word “quenelle” is believed to originate from the German “knödel” meaning dumpling, but the Lyon recette has actually no equivalent in other countries – and even in French gastronomy.

or in French:
See: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quenelle

La quenelle est une pâte moelleuse de forme cylindrique pochée dans l’eau bouillante. Elle est confectionnée à partir soit de farine, de mie de pain, de semoule ou de pâte à choux, mêlées de viande et pochées à l’eau ou dans un bouillon. Elles sont typiques dans la cuisine traditionnelle de plusieurs régions de l’Est de la France — en particulier les cuisines lyonnaise ou alsacienne. Elles peuvent se préparer en incorporant divers ingrédients, généralement des poissons (notamment le brochet), des viandes blanches (veau ou volaille), ou parfois de la moelle ou, en Alsace-Lorraine, du foie.

Saucisson de Lyon

Saucisson de Lyon is a large cured pork sausage in Lyonnaise cuisine. It sometimes includes some beef or a liqueur. It is similar to other large French cured sausages such as those of Arles, Lorraine, and Burgundy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saucisson_de_Lyon

and

Véritable Saucisson de Lyon
https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/lyon-saucisson/
Originally, the Lyon saucisson was a sausage made of a blend of meats: donkey or horse at the beginning, today beef, to which a mixture of lean pork is added (ham, shoulder, etc.). Its uniform, dark red filling, renowned for its delicacy, allows the cubes of lard to remain visible. It’s a lean sausage (only 10 to 12% fat), only consisting of lean trimmings, with the fat provided by the diced lard.