Juicy Skewers and Fantastically Fluffy Fish 'N' Chips On Offer at Lido Newbie Mr. Charcoal

Not to be confused with the recently troubled Charcoal bar and grill in Shunyi, new Lido venue Mr. Charcoal is readying its own range of protein rife fare.

We expect this bar and restaurant will stay open much longer than its similarly named Shunyi counterpart, considering the tasty, East-meets-West pub grub on its menu. Highlights include the RMB 15 corn niblet skewers which were a big hit at our recent Pizza Festival. These flame kissed bits of crisp vegetable are gently dusted with chili powder, resulting in a spicy sweet flavor that goes well with its lightly crisp texture.

Those corn kebabs are an ideal appetizer, especially when compared to the restaurant's buffalo chicken wings (RMB 40), which are blandly dry. It's evident that the restaurant's true focus is on its bigger main dishes, the best of which are fish n' chips (RMB 48) and hearty Australian beef skewers (RMB 18). The former is a true standout because of the subtle layering of batter on the fluffy sole fish fillet, making it satisfyingly light, rather than the bready, brick heavy alternatives served at far too many lesser fish 'n' chip joints.

That brings us to Mr. Charcoal's best menu item of all: its juicy, tender beef skewers. It features three kebabs loaded up with enough beef to fill be a meal on their own (think of the generously sized chuan'r served at Xinjiang restaurants, rather than the measly little meat sticks on hand at your neighborhood hole-in-the-wall barbecue joint).

These menu items will likely make Mr. Charcoal a hit with both Chinese and Western patrons who are looking for a new haunt to add to their local rotation.

Mr. Charcoal
Daily 11am-2am. 1/F, Bldg 2, Shangye Jie, Jiangtai Lu, Chaoyang District (Opposite Beijing United Family Hospital) (159 1079 9746)
朝阳区将台路商业街2号楼1楼 (和睦家医院对面) 

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Photos: Kyle Mullin