Sofitel Wanda Beijing_GrandHotels

I had not yet visited the Sofitel Wanda Beijing, so I was happy to hear that they have a French restaurant there for me to explore. I arrived early for my dinner reservation at LE PRÉ LENÔTRE, Paris, so I took a walk around the lobby to check out the interior design. This hotel is relatively new and very modern, and the interior of the lobby is beautifully decorated with high ceilings and a variety of elegant chandeliers and wall decorations that tantalize the eyes. Someday I will go back to relax in the lobby bar and soak up this pleasant environment. Next I took the elevator to the floor where the restaurants are located, and there are a few different kinds of cuisines represented there, including Chinese and Japanese, but my focus this evening was French fine dining. I stopped in the M Bar across the hall from LE PRÉ LENÔTRE to have my martini and a good conversation with the lovely hostess there named Sun Hai Xing, alias Lola for that French touch. It was a pleasant way to start the evening. Upon finishing my drink, I bid farewell to Hai Xing and went to the French restaurant across the hall.

Walking across the black marble floor to LE PRÉ LENÔTRE, I observed the large black wooden doors of multiple repeated carved octagonal shapes with holes in the middle, contrasted on either side by ivory white, vinyl fabric wall coverings with a repeated white stitched diamond pattern. Thick, equally spaced, 18 inch long golden tassels decorate these walls giving a unique and elegant look. Two large potted plants in black ceramic vases are on each side of the thick white marble doorframe and large black wooden doors. Color contrasts here were very pleasant, and I had not even entered the restaurant yet. Passing through this impressive entrance, I stepped onto the ivory marble floor of the foyer. In some locations of this ivory colored marble floor are inlays of bright white marble in flowing patterns. It was quite a surprise to see such attention to detail in a floor. Straight ahead is the registration podium, made of a black wood frame with gold painted inserts and the LES PRE LENOTRE logo in the center. I like this logo. It is square in shape and at the top center hangs a gold chandelier with 4 bubbling flutes of Champagne as lights. Below and in the center is Les Pre in script, under that LENOTRE, and under that in small block letters, Paris. With everything centered nicely, this logo sends a message that says to me, “Elegant and very French”. This podium sits on a bright blue rectangular carpet with darker blue streaks and random white continuous squiggles like a ½ inch thick rope spread around the surface. Behind the podium is the temperature and humidity controlled wine cellar, a floor to ceiling dark mahogany framed square glass structure with latticed wood pattern on the top 1/3 and wood slanted shelves for the bottom 2/3. All of this is covered with glass so we can see the abundance of French delights within, displayed for our pleasure. There is a door on the back right side where the staff enters the cellar to retrieve the wines.

To the left of the foyer is the cigar room, which is also used as a waiting room. I entered the cigar room through a glass door through a glass wall covered on the inside with full-length black fringe from top to bottom, which allows about 60% visibility through the fringe. This has a nice effect either looking through the glass wall into the smoking room, or looking out at the foyer from within. The marble floor of the lobby continues into the smoking room with blue carpet in the center. The thick white marble entrance moldings blend with 15 inch floor moldings all over, topped with about 4 feet of mahogany and above that, black wall paper with a French pattern so intricate that I can not describe it adequately. This room is comfortably large, as would be a sitting room in an elegant large home in Paris. There are 4 framed paintings butted against each other on opposite side walls and the back wall has a traditional looking fireplace with a mantle matching the marble on the floor. （p） There is a gold-framed mirror over the mantle with a boxed bottle each of Louis XIII and Richard Hennessay cognac on either side of the white orchid centerpiece in black ceramic vase. This cognac is available to enjoy with a cigar, which can be selected from a locked humidor in the left bookshelf. Gold wall fabric inlays are on each side of the mantle over mahogany bookshelves. There are two seating areas. Two settees across from each other are in front of the fireplace, separated by a gold painted coffee table with black wood legs. Another table sits closer to the glass door accompanied by four black vinyl swivel chairs upholstered with natural white and black cowhide with hair. Matching cushions are placed all around. The ceiling is elaborate, white with a repeating pattern around a gold recess. There are four spotlights in the ceiling and a large glass hanging lamp. White covered cigar lists with pale gold twisted ropes and tassels are displayed on the tables listing cigars by Cohiba, Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, and Danneman with prices ranging from RMB 45 to 350. The only thing missing from this classical French sitting room was Frederic Chopin playing his piano while Miss Sand watched adoringly; enthralled as she smoked her cigar. While reflecting on this image, I enjoyed a glass of Moet & Chandon Champagne in my favorite flute, a Zwiesel 1872.

Down the hall on the left side of the wine cellar a mirrored wall and ivory marble floor led me into the private dining room, a stunningly decorated French marvel of a room. Sitting alone to take notes, there was so much going on in there I did not know where to begin. I imagined the fragrance of Channel No. 5, which would have gone perfectly with the scene before me in this really spectacular room. My Champagne got me past that. There is a rectangular table for 8 people, topped with all Zwiesel 1872 glassware, lots of mirrors, intricate wall paper of flat panels of soft fabric with a brown textured surface like suede, and 2 foot wide matching brass circular patterned trays on the back wall. The front wall is more wine cellar and mirrors. The carpet is blue. Chairs are tall, slender, and armless structures framed in silver painted wood and upholstered in another intricate French pattern in black and grey. There is a rustic looking light hanging from the ceiling by chains, which consists of a thick wood frame with large cylindrical ivory colored lights on top meant to look like thick column candles. A serving table sits against the back wall with 4 different wine decanters evenly spaced on top. There is really a lot to describe here. Suffice it to say, this is one of the prettiest private dining rooms I have seen in a restaurant anywhere.

To the right of the foyer is the main dining room. This is another marvel of classic French decoration, with modern accents. My table was in the back right corner of the room and I took the seat placed against the wall, a very comfortable wing chair wide enough for one and a half of me, covered in very soft, corded black velvet. Matching black velvet cushions are accompanied by others, similar to those found in the cigar room. I found this to be entirely comfortable. There are 4 such square tables for two against the far side wall, separated by a wall section jutting into the room about 3 feet. On this wall are a cluster of 19 paintings arranged salon style in all sizes and shapes with ornate frames painted in gold and black. Across from the wing chair seats against the wall, are chairs for the second person, with wooden arms, legs, and frame for the oval back, which is upholstered in black. The right sides of these chairs are painted black and the left side painted silver. Some other chairs placed randomly around the room are covered in beige velour cloth with black arms and legs. The wall covering behind the paintings is a taupe colored velvet with reversed patterns creating another intricate French design. Against the back wall are 2 rectangular tables for 4 with double bench seating against the wall and 2 chairs opposite. Above these seats the taupe colored suede like wall has 4 round convex discs about 3 feet across that are shiny like polished metal, but probably ceramic with a metal coating. The surface of each disc is uneven and has a 7 inch hole between the center and outer edge at about 10 o’clock. Additional seating around the dining room includes 1 round table for 2, 3 more square tables for 2, 2 round tables for 4, and 1 round table for 6 directly under the massive black glass chandelier in the center of the room. This unique chandelier has about 25 small black lampshades over candle style light bulbs. All other visible parts are black glass, including strings of 1 inch balls, 2 inch thick elaborately shaped arms, hanging drops with little round balls, and the center structure. This wonderful centerpiece for the room provides only a soft, romantic glow over the table for 6 below it. Other lighting in the room comes from discrete ceiling spotlights and recessed lighting in the ceiling around enlarged and 4 times repeated gold recessed panels with white patterned borders like the single gold panel found in the cigar room, and 2 tall floor lamps on either end of the back wall made of chrome and grey and black glass with black shades. The front wall has a center section like the entry doors, but the carved pattern is double the size of those in the doors. This section takes the center 40% of the wall and the carvings open to the hall on the outside of the restaurant. 30% of the walls on each side of this section are covered in thick taupe colored velvet curtains, hanging from ceiling to floor with matching large, evenly spaced velvet tassels hanging all over the surface. I have not seen anything like this before and I really like it. Wallpaper everywhere else around the room is the same black intricate French pattern as that found in the cigar room. Opposite the cluster of paintings is a matching wall segment, without the paintings, and some mirrored panels on the right near the entrance to the kitchen. White orchids are placed around the room on the side tables, one of which is a gold painted side stand with a lamp made of a silver ceramic square column with a black shade. The dining tables are covered in beautiful, shiny white linens with intricate flat patterns, over shiny top and flat bottom grey linens that hang to the blue-carpeted floor. Napkins are thick, smooth patterned linen of a contrasting color. All these linens are made in Beijing and are of the finest quality. Water glasses are by Riedel, but all wine glasses are my favorite big and sturdy, tall stem glasses by Zwiesel 1872 of Germany. Built like a Mercedes Benz, I feel as if I can’t hurt them, and they make me feel like a King whenever I have one in my hand. When the restaurant got busy, the toasts sounded like bells ringing in a bell tower, and I noticed that a lot of French was being spoken. Flatware is silver plate by Eternum from France. A small ceramic, domed candle cover has raised images of Paris that flicker and glow from the small flame within. All chinaware is fine bone china, the South Sea Pearl Collection, PEARL SYMPHONY, by NIKKO of Japan. Salt and pepper grinders are hand cranked, heavy silver plate by WMF Hotel, providing an elegant addition to the table. A square glass vase contains a dense arrangement of small pink and white fresh flowers. Finally, background music was by Stacey Kent of the UK, who is my second favorite modern jazz singer behind Diana Krall.

The Wine List: A black book, 2 inches thick with gold lettering of a bunch of grapes and the words “Carte Des Vins” on the cover, is an imposing introduction to what promises to be an interesting list of wines within. Introductory notes state “Fine bubbles of Champagne, notes light and full of flowers of a Riesling, silky of a famous Bordeaux, France gives a renowned wine diversity across the world. Effervescent, sumptuous, liqueur-like…the wealth of French wines allows a lot of weddings. By preparing our wine list, we liked to make you discover or to rediscover the big diversity which gives the French vineyard by inviting you to in a ballade fond of good food of exception.” This list begins with an assortment of before dinner cocktails. The first group is a choice of 4 Champagne cocktails, including the famous French 75 made from Champagne, Gin, triple Sec, and lemon juice. These are followed by 14 classic mixed drinks we have all heard of before. These refreshing libations are all available at RMB 168, followed by 2 soft cocktails at RMB 80. The wine list itself is a very nice selection of 296 wines, all but one from France. It begins with wines be the glass, and the first group is Champagne & Sparkling Wines. Here we have a Green Point sparkling wine from Australia at RMB 58, followed by 3 from Champagne, a nice Philipponat Reserve Rose at RMB 130, a Moet & Chandon Brut at RMB 130, and a Gosset Brut Grande Reserve at RMB 220. Next are 8 white wines from Alsace, Burgundy, Rhone Valley, and Loire Valley priced between RMB 80 for a 2005 Coteaux Du Layon from Loire Valley and RMB 270 for a 2001 Puligny Montrachet from Burgundy. Finally, there are 7 red wines from Bordeaux and the Rhone Valley priced from RMB 110 to 140. Having 19 good wines available by the glass gives the single diner enough choices that pairing the wines with food is easily accomplished. Furthermore, the single diner is not required to buy a whole bottle of wine. I found this list of wines by the glass to be excellent. The next section has 28 very nice options of Champagne to choose from ranging in price from RMB 618 for a Philipponat Brut Royale Reserve to 5,360 for a 1985 Krug. Going through this list, I feel the prices are reasonable for these good Champagne offerings, especially at such a fine French restaurant. Although the usual houses are represented, I was happy to see several less often seen choices from Gosset, Duval LeRoy, Philipponat, Perle D’Ayala, Deutz, Drappier, and Krug. The next grouping is Rose and White Wines representing Provence, Burgundy, Alsace, Bordeaux, Sauternes, Loire Valley, Rhone Valley, Cotes Du Luberon, Cotes Du Ventoux, Vin De Pays D’oc, Languedoc, and Vin Du Sud Ouest. This is a truly excellent selection of 79 fine French white wines across many varietals, regions, and price levels. This is, of course, followed by the Red Wines representing Loire Valley, all regions of Bordeaux, Beaujolais, Burgundy, Buzet, Minervois, Corbieres, Languedoc, Vin Du Sud Ouest, Cotes Du Ventoux, Cotes Du Roussillon, Rhone Valley, Coteaux Du Tricastin, and Alsace. Again, 85 excellent choices at reasonable prices from RMB 350 through the usual mid-range of prices, and topping out at RMB 49,200 for a 1988 Chateau Petrus. The most expensive wines on any good wine list are usually from Chateau Petrus. I must admit that I have never been lucky enough to taste it. I was also happy to see 2 half bottles offered from Bordeaux at RMB 350, another benefit for the single diner who prefers wines from Bordeaux, but not a full bottle. Finally, at the end of the wine list are 4 familiar after dinner cocktails. I have to say that this wine list is reason enough to come back to LE PRÉ LENÔTRE. I do look forward to exploring its offerings further.

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