Mac and Cheese, Paninis, and Smoothies at Constellation
Homesick foreigners hankering some wholesome eats are sure to delight in the offerings at Constellation Café. The Xingfuyicun newbie boasts a selection of paninis and other sandwiches, salads, smoothies, and mac and cheese among its arsenal of comfort food. And while that simple, filling fare is sure to quell both the appetites and longings of most patrons, an even better facet of the café’s food is some of the subtly creative twists given to these classics. Think of it as your grandma’s fixings, gone gourmet.
The irresistable croq panini
Case in point: the croq panini. Priced at RMB 45, like all four of their paninis, this option is undeniably cheese thanks to its mix of cheddar, Swiss, and manchego, along with roasted red bell peppers, pickled radish and tongue tinglingly salty bacon (the latter being an extra RMB 10 addition that’s more than worth it).
Meanwhile the butcher's special panini (also RMB 45) might be even better, depending on how much of a carnivore you are. This protein packed sandwich features house roast beef, bacon pickled red onion, cheddar, and spicy aioli, that last ingredient giving the panini a zesty zip. And while I preferred the eclectic range of cheeses in the croq, this butcher’s special came in close second in my books, because its cheddar is immersively gooey and stringy throughout much of the sandwich, save for a few especially hot spots in the center that border on creamy. And then there's the meatball panini (pictured in the lead image above, RMB 60), a soon to be hit thanks to its juicy, deeply tender, hunger slaying all beef meat balls, enticingly bitter pickled Anaheim peppers, and gooey provolone and Parmesan cheese all wedged between tender yet sturdy slices of toasted bread. It would be an understatement to say this sandwich will hit the spot for hungry patrons.
The restaurants salads are also highly satisfying
We tried a few other items on the somewhat small menu, such as an RMB 45 Jamaican jerk chicken salad that was layered with flavor thanks to its succulent dressing and mix of subtle spices, all of which gave it a gradually spicy kick that's invigorating, but never overwhelmingly hot. The slices of mango nestled in the greens were freshly nourishing and made for an ample palate cooler. The salad’s chicken had a pappy consistency that gave it a stick-to-your-ribs quality which is sorely lacking in lesser, overly light chicken salads found at other restaurants. If you’d rather have more of a guilty pleasure side, then try the three cheese mac. Made with manchego, cheddar, and Swiss, these chewy noodles are a bit less healthy, but all the more satisfying, than a salad, though you need not feel too woeful, given the pumpkin seeds and granola thrown in its mix that make it far lighter than more conventional takes on this classic.
The cafe's mac n' cheese
The artisan flair that elevates what we were expecting to be generic homestyle fare comes courtesy of Kara Brouillette, an American expat who founded the Butcher Brouillette butcher shop in the past and once collaborated on the Butcher Brouillette project with Douglas Williams of BBC for Chi Fan for Charity (chifanforcharity.org), along with being a bartender at Slow Boat. She makes all of Constellation’s food from scratch, to the point of pickling some of the dishes' pickles herself, meaning the relatively short menu goes deep on quality and creativity.
Her partner at Constellation is Jo Wee, a Singaporean expat who has brought her juices and smoothies to numerous events around town under the moniker Spatula. Her drinks menu features half a dozen super blends, all priced at RMB 38 per glass, like the Happy Green Monster (loaded with kale, carrot, blueberry, and banana), the Clear Skin Detox (featuring spinach, avocado, grapes, and strawberry), Berry Slim (made with cranberry, strawberry, blueberry, and acai berry), the Go Bananas (which includes mango, strawberry, avocado and yep, surprise surprise, loads of banana). My glassful of Go Bananas was thick enough to border on gelatinous, feeling almost like a meal unto itself. Its banana flavor definitely dominated the proceedings, which suited my sweet fruit cravings more than amply (though other patrons might want to try one of the other blends for more varied flavors, depending on their preferences). There’s also fresh juices (also RMB 38), milks, yogurts, and teas, and a selection of fruity cocktails like Bloody Mary’s, margaritas, among others (ranging from RMB 38-45).
Constellation's simple and chic interior
The restaurant’s atmosphere is straightforwardly chic – a room that can seat about thirty patrons comfortably, featuring vast pictures windows on the front along with slate grey concrete walls and exposed piping, not to mention racks of wine bottles from previous owners InVino (who ceded the space for the most part to focus on their more lavish newer venue, Mojo; Constellation began as a Spatula pop up at InVino before that handover, though the InVino team still comes back to the space from 7-11pm Tue-Sun to sell wine).
All of that and more make Constellation poised for success in the relatively quiet Xingfuyicun nook, for anyone hoping to quickly duck out of the nearby Sanlitun bustle. This new café’s fresh juices and filling yet light eats are perfect for a casual weekday lunch or rejuvenating weekend brunch, while the ample creativity and friendly demeanor of its owners are also sure to help them quickly build a steady stream of regulars.
Constellation hosted a small block party yesterday with neighboring venue Purple Bar (in a prewritten statement promoting the event Brouillette explained: "Purple Bar is a new cocktail bar located inside Purple Isle, the long-established Thai restaurant formerly known as Purple Haze").
Constellation Café
Tue-Sun 11am-3pm (lunch), 6-10pm (dinner). Xianhuayuan, 103 Jia Liu Lou, Xingfuyicun Xili (136 8107 9980)
幸福一村西里甲六楼103室 鲜花园
Photos courtesy of Constellation Café
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