This quaint restaurant is endearingly kitsch—straight out of Alice in Wonderland’s doll house. Fitted with an endearing mish-mash of furnishing—clam shell lamps, three dimensional, multi-colored tile flooring and Victorian armchairs, we felt right at home. We started with the house red, a Santa Rita Gran Hacienda cabernet sauvignon (¥38/glass) and, even before we could ask, a complimentary basket of assorted fresh warm bread, a side of hummus and two glasses of water magically appeared. The following courses were timed brilliantly. The minestrone soup with pesto (¥48) was full-flavored and deeply satisfying. The delicious margherita pizza with paper-thin crust (¥58) followed soon after. The breaded lamb with herbs and porcini red wine sauce (¥98) was lightly seasoned with sea salt and herbs, showing perfect farm-to-table sensibilities. Service was excellent—our waitress knew the menu well and was attentive but discreet. Our only gripe is that it’s a little pricey for the portions.
Really, a cheesecake masquerading as a panna cotta, but it was excellent nonetheless.
La Cascina. Shop 101, Bldg 4, China Central Place, 89 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District,CBD/Guomao Beijing. 华贸公寓4号楼底商101室 Tel: 5203-6809
