Going Dutch: Cafe Sambal

Last Wednesday I discovered that a few of my Dutch compatriots were scanning the pages of "That's Beijing" for a good restaurant. Never one to skip out on a good meal, I decided to tag along.

Walking up Guloudajie (鼓楼大街) from Hutong school, you can find Cafe Sambal by turning down a small hutong and entering the first door on your left. From the outside, the restaurant is as unassuming as any of the other small houses and public bathrooms in the neighborhood. You have to climb a couple of antique stone steps to get in the door, but once inside, you realize that this restaurant is not your typical hole-in-the-wall Chinese cookery.

Sambal is owned by the same group as Paper and Bed. It is located right around the corner from Bed, and the decor is similar: Basic wall decorations and low tables. Although we weren't sitting on an actual bed, our private room featured a raised seating platform with cushions for seats and low tables. There was ample room to spread out, and the music that drifted in from the main hall was pleasant and understated. The private room definitely proved to be a more comfortable option with better light and more atmosphere than the main area.

The fare is high quality Southeast Asian, and the menu provides ample selection. There are plenty of seafood options that go far above and beyond Beijing's typical fish offerings. Prawns seem to be a specialty, and could be ordered in a number of different dishes. For those of us who prefer to eat the fruits of the earth, there is no lack of meat and vegetable dishes. Dishes averaged around 30-45 RMB. However, the portions were pretty small: four of us ordered 3 appetizers and 3 main dishes altogether. Although we were not left hungry, we did end up eating all of our rice and considered ordering more.

Our waiters were attentive and helpful. They didn't speak very much English, but they knew enough that the Dutch could get by without using Chinese. The head waiter even made good suggestions based on what we said we wanted to eat. My only complaint with the staff is that they brought us expensive mineral water that we didn't ask for, and that choice inflated our bill beyond our expectations.

The food was delicious. Everything was cooked expertly. The vegetables were crisp and flavorful, and the meat was tender. All of the sauces were good enough to eat on their own (or with rice). Unfortunately, with the small portions, such good cooking left us wanting more than we had ordered. We made quick work of the curry, and ended up using the sauce to enhance our rice.

To our surprise, the bill came out to be much higher than expected. It was around 500 RMB, which is about 2.5 times what we expected to pay. For the quality of the food, we expected to pay more than normal, but for the amount of food we ate it was disappointing to spend 125 each. My caveat is to specifically request cheap water.

Overall, The restaurant was quite nice. On the scoring system that I have just invented, I give it a 4 for atmosphere, a 5 for quality, a 4.5 for service and a 3 for price: overall, 4.125 out of 5. I would go there again, but I think that it is more suitable for two or three people than for a larger group.