2010 Jan 25 Classic Italian: Scott’s Family Italian Cuisine and Bar
Many ingredients of the classic neighborhood Italian restaurant
are to be found at Scott’s: cheerful staff offering complimentary nibbles, reasonable prices, an eclectic decor featuring chairs in at least four ornate styles, delivery within 5km and a menu of Beijing-Italo standards like minestrone, spaghetti bolognese (RMB 28-38) and saltimbocca.
A wood-fired oven turns out thin-crust pizzas (RMB 28-68) that are generously topped, though we found the simpler margherita more delectable than the rucola, which left a puzzling aftertaste.
Set against Scott’s strengths are its low-visibility location on a back alley that doesn’t appear on most maps, and competition from more established Italians in the area like O Sole Mio, Abella and Panino Giusto.
Daily 10.30am-11pm. 41 Xingfu Lu (250m south of Dongzhimenwai in the alley west of Paddy O’Shea’s), Chaoyang District. (6416 0600) 朝阳区幸福41路号
Have something to say about this or any other Beijing restaurants? Share your opinions with the rest of Beijing by adding a user review of any of the venues in our online directory.
You might also be interested in :
Smart-Casual Italian in the CBD: LMPLUS
Five years ago, the newly built Central Park complex was billed as “cosmopolitan living at its best.” Really?
On a smoggy day, a visit to the concrete huddle of towers would eat at my soul (yes, I live in a hutong), to the point where jumping from one seemed the only escape.
Then, with a waft of freshly baked bread and great lunch specials, Pekotan could talk me off that ledge. Other nice restaurants followed, the latest being LMPLUS, a smart little Italian restaurant anyone would welcome on their doorstep.
High-end Cuisine: Italian Classics at River Club
Never underestimate the importance of a breadbasket. The savory onion focaccia at River Club was so scrumptious I scarfed down countless slices, heedless of the many courses to come. This Italian restaurant offers high-end cuisine and a fantastic Italian wine selection in a highly stylized, flawlessly white interior. Even the open kitchen is high-class, imported piece-by-piece from Italy. The focaccia and designer space both set a high bar for the meal, which River Club reaches to some extent.
Upper Crust: La Pizza Opens in Sanlitun
The original La Pizza in Solana was sold on the authenticity of Chef Giuseppe, a Neapolitan of timeless stereotypical appeal – traditional toque hat, thick black moustache and a belly like a Chinese province.
Abella Italian Restaurant Returns!
To the delight of its fans, this Italian restaurant, formerly of the now destroyed Super Bar Street, has reopened on Dongzhimenwai, across from the Australian Embassy. With the same management team in place, service remains attentive, but now that it occupies a two-story space, Abella is able to offer both smoking and non-smoking dining environments.
Rest In Piazza? Big Scandal in Little Italy
CBD-based Piazza Italia has closed leaving debts in excess of RMB 500,000, according to a report in the Global Times yesterday. The three-floor Italian culinary centre, housing a deli and café, cooking school, grocery and utensil store, wine enoteca and upscale restaurant, is well and truly boarded-up, with angry suppliers threatening to sue over unpaid bills.
