Lunching Out of the Box: Obentos Now Open
Obentos, Central Park's newest dining spot, looks almost certain to become a favorite lunchtime destination for people who spend their days hunched over computers in CBD office blocks. As long as you don't balk at spending RMB 50 or more on your lunch, you'll find this a good spot. There's no reason why you wouldn't go back for dinner, but given the perky style of the place and focus on lighter options like bento boxes, salads and sushi, I think you'll see more of a rush at lunch. If you're based in Central Park, you can also take advantage of Obentos' delivery service, which launches today (September 19). A broader delivery service covering (north to south) Chaoyangmenwai Dajie to Jianguo Lu and (west to east) Dongdaqiao Lu to the East Third Ring Road will come into play from October.
The "classic" bento box selection (RMB 46-56) includes teriyaki chicken, spicy tofu sukiyaki, steamed chicken and more as the "main" dishes. Sides include ohitashi and egg, mixed vegetables and (best of all) wasabi mashed potato, along with the requisite bowl of rice. I tried the teriyaki chicken option: the chicken was soft, the sauce appropriately sweet, the portion size about right. The egg and wasabi mash were good extras, though I feel adding some kind of dressing (even just a dish of soy sauce as a dip) would help liven up the mixed vegetable side.
The "gourmet" bento range (RMB 60-78) features a few sides not available with the classic selections, and offers main dishes like salt grilled salmon, eel kabayaki and seared beef tenderloin. The salads follow the same classic/gourmet formula, with options like "Zen Chicken," "Firecracker Beef" and seared sashimi tuna nicoise. At lunchtime, all bento boxes and large salads ordered are served with either a soft drink or miso soup (served in a mug - nice, but tricky to pluck out the mushroom and tofu using your chopsticks). The menu is rounded out by a small selection of maki rolls (RMB 18-40), and a few dishes not yet available at the time of my visit: onigiri rice balls (RMB 15-18), stir-fried noodles (RMB 25-30) and desserts including green tea panna cotta and "chocolate tofu." Call to confirm availability of these dishes before going along and risking disappointment.
Obentos is small (seating around 30), bright and stylish, with a similar city-center cafe feel to places like Refresh. The staff are friendly and seem pretty knowledgeable about what's on the menu, justifying the "Bento Pusher" slogan on their T-shirts. As mentioned above, deliveries are available as of today, though limited to Central Park for the moment.
It's obvious why so many restaurants open in Central Park. The area's affluent residents, proximity to hundreds of CBD offices and already-established status as a solid destination for eating out all make this one of Beijing's most attractive locations for entrepreneurs. What surprises me is how the places that open in Central Park are also of a consistently strong quality. In the last few months both Lime Cafe and Pizza by LMPlus have impressed us, and that's in addition to longer-term favorites like the original LMPlus and the ceaselessly amazing Pekotan. Obentos looks likely to join that club. Life in Central Park just keeps getting better.
Obentos. Mon-Fri 11am-10pm, Sat-Sun 10am-10pm. Unit 106-107, Bldg 9, Central Park, 6 Chaoyangmenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District (6597 0085, 6597 0223) 本之味，朝阳区朝阳门外大街新城国际9号楼106-107室
Photos: Iain Shaw
