Café de la Poste Revamps Menu, Keeps Same Old Messy Charm
Truth be told, I haven't been to Café de la Poste (CDLP) since my more untoward, fresh-little-face-in-Dongcheng days – times when my body could run on nothing more than two baozi and 10 glasses of Beijing draft beer (the fact that they were 5 kuai a pop didn't hurt). So you can imagine my surprise that the little French bistro looks exactly how I had left it all those years ago; slightly rough around the edges, still dim even with the lights on, and the rickety bathroom door, but at that the same time comforting for the familial aura, everyone united in many a shirtless night circa 4am. Yes, the messiness remains but the kitchen has been given a coffee-shot-like jolt.
In an attempt to reinvigorate the food portion of their enterprise, the CDLP team have reworked the old dishes and expanded them to include a decent amount of veggie-friendly alternatives. Meat eaters need not worry though as a fair number of the beef-heavy dishes have survived, which makes sense when you remember who exactly owns the place. There's now also a set menu for both carnivores (RMB 228) and herbivores (RMB 148) so as to best explore the new options.
Following a stomach-lining cheeseboard (RMB 72/RMB 142) loaded with brie, blue cheese, Emmental, and buche de chèvre, the tartine de champignons and tartine d'aubergine (RMB 28) – open baguettes spread with tomato sauce, your topping of choice, and a liberal sprinkling of cheese before being grilled – will make for a crispy and gooey snack that should go some way to soaking up the bottle of wine that's disappeared before the mains have even arrived.
Speaking of which, the La Byzantine quiche (RMB 82) is brimming with goats cheese and vegetables, the outer shell giving enough bite without being dry. The grilled mushrooms filled with cheese are a nice touch but feel like too much of an afterthought to add considerable depth to the dish.
A meatier option is the emincé de bœuf (RMB 68-75), fine slices of succulent steak meat covered in your choice of pepper, mustard, mushrooms, or blue cheese. As good as the meat is, it's almost shameful to say that the accompanying potato cubes, fried to crispy perfection, are something else. The table next to us ordered an entire plate's worth, which will make sense to anyone whose lips they have parsed. If you're in an extravagant mood, opt for the le trio de tartare (RMB 138, pictured at top) and feast on three mounds of moreishly smooth steak meat, perfectly seasoned and with a little crunch from the diced shallots.
The gratine de penne (RMB 82) proved to be the only let down of the bunch. Though sporting a beautifully browned and cheesy top, the lower layers were underseasoned, bland, too oily, and not representative of its steep price tag (for a pasta dish).
That disappointment was short-lived, however, once the desserts started rolling in. The des soeurs Tatin (RMB 48), or Tatin's sister's apple pie, has had its place on CDLP's menu since the beginning, and here it reaffirms its continued place on the new menu. Huge slices of apple, first soaked and then baked, sit atop a soft pastry base for a creamy fix that almost renders the side of cream obsolete. The even more indulgent fondant au chocolate (RMB 58) is everything it should be: gooey in the center with a light outer crust and teeth-lickingly rich. Finally, the banana flambée (RMB 48) may be a simple dessert though not at the expense of its sumptuous mix of brown sugar, rum, and baked banana. Sadly, it doesn't photograph well so you'll have to go check out the fireworks for yourself.
If you've never partaken in the disheveled charm that CDLP has to offer, this new veggie-friendly menu shakeup may just offer the best time to acquaint yourself with this old Beijing mainstay (thankfully, the management are adamant that the bricking further up the road won't affect them for the foreseeable future). Even if you don't make it over at a civilized hour, their new night menu, available between 11pm and 3am, means that snacks like tartine, burgers, croque-monsieur, and sandwiches are on tap to keep you fueled until you stumble into the sunlight, a bar-full of new friends in tow.
Photos: Tom Arnstein
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