Slow Boat SLT Revamps Menu With Focus on Healthy Sides

Ever since Slow Boat Brewpub released its new brunch menu last November, Chef Clement Rol has kept himself busy with a whole bunch of new dishes, most recently playing with flavors and combinations that lean towards the healthy side of the spectrum in preparation for the arrival of spring. Who says you can’t enjoy a well-rounded meal at a brewpub?

The first dish to arrive was the buffalo cauliflower (RMB 45), a vegetarian take on buffalo chicken wings, the cauliflower florets doused in buffalo sauce and paired with blue cheese sauce. The upside to this dish is that it's both healthy and spicy, keeping guilt levels down but perfect for a beer-side snack. Compared to the version served at other favorite homely drinking establishment nearby, The Local, Slow Boat's buffalo cauliflower don't come coated in a corn crust, which makes them less messy to eat but arguably not quite as satisfying.

Our new favorite on the menu however are this bowl of Crack-Lings (RMB 25), a hearty portion of deep-fried chicken skin served in a bucket alongside a parmesan and paprika basil sauce for an extra spicy kick. If you're a fan of the deep-fried pork skin at Andy’s Sausages, believe me, you will certainly like this upgraded fowl version. The chicken cracklings also pair excellently with Slow Boat's new Dragon Bay Agave Wheat, which is brewed using Mexican agave nectar for deep floral aromas and a punchy body.

The Pengyou Platter (RMB 128) is made to share between three to four people and comes loaded with rosemary pitted olives, marinated sweet red pepper staves (recipe from Rol’s mom), a basket of fresh vegetables, side salad, and pita chips. There are also three ample dips – roasted and smoked eggplant, olive and anchovy tapenade (our favorite), and creamy hummus. If you're really counting calories this would be the way to go.

And how could we not round off the meal without something sweet? This comforting white chocolate crème brulee (RMB 35) joins the dessert list, its silky white chocolate pudding topped with a thin layer of hard caramel. The cracking of the caramel did not disappoint, with plenty of bite to melt and mingle with the soft pudding underneath.

All the new dishes are available only at their Sanlitun location. And of course, if you're visiting to eat one of the best burgers in town, the kitchen's meat-between-buns selection is unchanged.

More stories by this author here.

Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
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Photos courtesy of Slow Boat Brewery