Recipe for Success

The Opposite House’s stylish venues have bagged quite a few gongs throughout the listings magazine awards season. Not that we were surprised to see Sureño among the winners – its Mediterranean fare and fantastic wine list have been winning plaudits almost from the day the restaurant opened last fall.

At some venues, complacency could become an issue, but that doesn’t seem likely at Sureño: They have recently introduced a freshened-up summer menu and opened the “Sunken Garden” terrace. We sat down recently with two of the people behind this Mediterranean hit; general manager, Roberto Pettinau and chef de cuisine, Marino D’Antonio.

What brought you to Beijing?

Roberto Pettinau: When I first came to China, I was working in Shanghai for a company based in Abu Dhabi. They asked me to move to Beijing to open another restaurant in November 2007. I came to Sureño in February 2009.
Marino d’Antonio: I was working on an international cruise line, where I opened an Italian restaurant on the ship. In September 2006, I came to Beijing to open another Italian restaurant. After a little time here, I moved to Guangzhou. I was called back in August 2008 to open Sureño.

How did you get started in the restaurant business?

RP: When I was young, I worked in Sardinia, Italy, during the summer season. After I finished studying, I was working a part-time job at the seaside. Eventually, it became more of a professional career.
MD: My father had a restaurant, and my brother also had one near Rome. When I was young, I started working in the restaurants. Eventually, I went to hotel school.

What are your favorite places in the city to eat and drink?

RP: I like Maison Boulud, Hatsune, and Agua. We try to go everywhere.
MD: I enjoy Aperitivo for a drink and The Meat & Wine Co. for dinner. I also like Hatsune.

What is the concept behind Sureño?

RP: We want to have a really cozy and friendly Mediterranean restaurant. It’s not formal – we like our guests to be relaxed and have fun. Sureño is a warm place to come to enjoy simple and delicious Mediterranean food. It’s an exciting time for us right now, because we have just opened our “Sunken Garden.” Our customers can enjoy live Latin music with our new summer menu or the chef’s tasting menu or any of our dishes with white and red Sangria. We have a huge wine selection here at Sureño as well, and it’s not expensive, which is one of our good points. Sureño is always exciting!

What characterizes good Mediterranean food? What are the most commonly used ingredients?

MD: For food to be simple and good, you must have very good ingredients. For a Mediterranean kitchen, good olive oil is key. The fish must be good and fresh. You need good flour and good mozzarella cheese. "

Where do you get your ingredients?

MD: We fly in a lot of stuff from Italy, France, Spain, Greece and other places. We use imported Italian pasta, Spanish rice for paella and Australian meat. We buy locally for vegetables and live fish. We have a very good supplier who brings us some of the best fish in town.

Marino, what is your signature dish here at Sureño?

MD: You have to try our wide selection of tapas and our ravioli.

How does the Chinese palate differ from what you’re used to?

MD: Chinese guests like their pasta a bit more cooked. We like it Mediterranean-style, al dente.

How did you recruit your staff?

RP: We have two operational managers with five-star hotel experience. Our staff is very young; we train them here. They grow up with that Sureño feeling.

How was training the staff on service? What did you have to focus on?

RP: It was a bit different because a Chinese restaurant is very different from a Mediterranean one. Since they are very young and fresh out of school, we have the opportunity to train them from the ground up. They really are so friendly, talking with the guests; they’re doing what we like to see.

What is the ideal meal at Sureño?

MD: We suggest sharing a selection of tapas and pastas. We’ve [also recently] launched our summer menu, with new dishes such as the Catalan Lobster Salad. Our bartenders have designed several new drinks for the menu. You must end your meal with the tiramisu.

Roberto, how is it managing a restaurant in China? What sort of particular characteristics or customs do you have to pay attention to?

RP: There are definite differences [between Western and] Chinese culture, and we pay attention to this at Sureño. At the end of the day, managing a restaurant here is just like anywhere else in the world. You have to spend time with the customer and talk to them.

How is it working inside The Opposite House alongside the other restaurants and bars?

RP: Very cool. After work, we go for a drink in Punk or Mesh. From our general manager to our restaurant staff to our bar director, everyone is very cool. It’s not that formal; we like to have fun.

What are the plans for the northern part of The Village at Sanlitun, currently still under construction?

RP: It’s owned by the same management group [as The Opposite House], Swire, from Hong Kong. The plans are for a high-end shopping mall with shops like Versace. We think it will open at the end of 2009.

And what are your future plans?

RP: When we are satisfied with working, we’d like to retire to the beaches of Thailand or Bali with a little grill. Open a little kiosk. That’ll be the life.

Maison Boulud à Pékin
Daily noon-2pm, 6-10pm. Ch'ien Men 23, 23 Qianmen Dongdajie, Dongcheng District. (6559 9200)
布鲁宫法餐厅, 东城区前门东大街23号

Hatsune
1) Daily 11.30am-2pm, 5.30-10pm. S8-30 (Opposite Element Fresh), Bldg 8, The Village at Sanlitun, 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District. (6415 3939); 2) Daily 11.30am-1.45pm, 5.30-9.45pm. 2/F, Heqiao Bldg C, 8A Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District. (6581 3939)
隐泉日本料理, 1) 朝阳区三里屯路19号The Village南区8号楼S8-30; 2) 朝阳区光华路甲8号和乔大厦C座2层

Agua
Daily noon-2pm, 6.30-10.30pm. Ch'ien Men 23, 23 Qianmen Dongdajie, Dongcheng District. (6559 6266)
东城区前门东大街23号

Aperitivo
Daily 10am-late. 43 Sanlitun Houjie (next to Tongli Studio), Chaoyang District. (6417 7793)
意式餐吧, 朝阳区三里屯后街43号同里旁边

The Meat & Wine Co.
Restaurant: Daily 11am-3pm (lunch), 6pm-close (dinner, last orders 10pm). Bar: Daily 11am-3pm, 5.30pm-late. Ch’ien Men 23, 23 Qianmen Dongdajie, Dongcheng District. (6512 1761, beijing@themeatandwineco.com) www.themeatandwineco.com
东城区前门东大街23号

Sureño
Daily noon-11.30pm. B1/F, The Opposite House, The Village at Sanlitun, 11 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District. (6410 5240) www.surenorestaurant.com
朝阳区三里屯路11号三里屯Village瑜舍地下1层

Interview by Jennifer Ying Lan

Taken from the June 18th - July 1st edition of agenda, out around town now. To find out where to grab a copy, send an email to distribution@agendabeijing.com