Brunching on Wangfujing: Vasco's Restaurant Shines
Beijing encourages a certain expansive excess,and it is one that – while it may land you in your early thirties, continually tipsy, abroad and a bit at sea – is infinitely freeing, cultivating an arguably important permeability to possibilities. The hotel brunch is an exemplary model of such delightful excess.
The indolence of a Sunday morning pairs well with a glass of champagne, and if you haven’t thought before of tumbling from bed to the buffet table, you might do well to consider it. The Fizztastic Sunday brunch (RMB498+15%) at Vasco’s is a manageable place to start.
The fifth floor dining room swathed in crème and gold catches early afternoon Sunday sunbeams. Buffet offerings cover all the bases with a sampling of both Chinese and Western fare. Peking duck and a selection of classics such as lightly steamed fish and a stir-fried tofu represent the East, while a greater portion of the goods are of a Western bent – greens and cold cuts, smoked salmon and a smattering of cheeses, roasted ham and poached eggs. Bacon is in abundance, cooked to several different degrees. Pineapple rounds adorn the ham lending sweetness. And the baked beans? Our table devoured platters of these. If only the yolks of the poached eggs were as runny as we had been hoping for.
Naturally, where there is champagne, there is lobster. The crustacean arrives, split down the middle with artful smears of pale yellow tracing the curve of the red creature. Decadence continues at the dessert spread with its selection of small tarts, cakes, and ice cream. It’s easy to get lost in a sugar rush, and when you notice the dying light and empty bottles, you are surprised at how quickly time can pass when life seems this leisurely.
Vasco’s
Sun 11.30am-3pm (brunch). 5/F, Hilton Beijing Wangfujing, 8 Wangfujing Dongjie, Dongcheng District (5812 8888)
东城区王府井东街8号希尔顿北京王府井酒店5层
450m southwest of Dengshikou station (Line 5)
A version of this article appears in the January 2014 issue of the Beijinger
Photo: Sui
