Stripped Back Fare - Cantina Sadler Opens in Ch’ien Men 23

I like to imagine Claudio Sadler on the phone to his man in Beijing.
“Let’s call the new concept … Sadler Cantina!”
“Er, sir, there’s already this Mexican place …”

So Cantina Sadler it is, a restaurant within a ristorante, billed as a more informal counterpoint to the fine dining upstairs.

A smart bar serves aperitifs and olives to set you up for a stripped-back menu of rustic pizza, pasta and salads. The Giuseppe Verdi pizza (RMB 90), blanketed in Parma ham, crisp rocket and tangy Parmesan, was a showcase of quality ingredients, though undermined by a doughy base.

The aglio e olio (RMB 40) is one of the best pasta dishes I’ve eaten in Beijing – unfussy, perfectly al dente, with just the right hit of chilli. The service could do with a bit more zip, but all told, a welcome expansion.

Cantina Sadler
Daily 11.30am-2pm, 6-10.30pm. Inside Ristorante Sadler, Ch’ien Men 23, 23 Qianmen Dongdajie, Dongcheng District (6559 1399)
东城区前门东大街23号

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