Be the First: TRB Bites Now Taking Bookings for Trial Opening Period

The much anticipated spawn of big sister Temple Restaurant Beijing (TRB), the “casual and modern” TRB Bites@The Courtyard, opened its doors just outside the eastern wall of the Forbidden City on Donghuamen Jie on Monday. With such big shoes to fill, both with its prime locale and its namesake, the restaurant is using the month of September to hash out any uncertainties in a soft opening period. As TRB Bites irons out wrinkles in their service, food, and operations, it is offering willing patrons what might be the best deal in town this month.

For its opening week until Friday, September 11, guests will receive 50 percent off on all food on the bill. Starting Tuesday, September 15 every weekday until September 30, TRB Bites offers a 25 percent discount off all food. The menu at TRB Bites is presented as a selection of dishes diners can choose for three, four, or five courses priced at RMB 158, 198, and 238, respectively. In a playful twist, guests can select any dish from the menu in any iteration, whether it be three appetizers, four meat-centric main dishes, or even five desserts.

In addition to the coursed meal, the restaurant presents, as its name implies, a parade of small bites before, during, and after dinner. On one visit these little surprises included thin chips of crisp chicken skin with candied bacon, tiny flash fried spiced shrimp, dime-sized goat cheese biscuits, the cutest little smoked quail eggs, pillowy macarons, and more. Let us be the first to warn – very happily – that the kitchen is generous, and a four course dinner can quickly becomes a feast of bites fit for a king … or, perhaps more appropriately, fit for an emperor.

Reservations required. Contact reservationist via phone or WeChat at 6401 6676, or email bites@trb-cn.com.

TRB Bites@The Courtyard
September soft opening: open for dinner Mon-Fri, 6pm-close. 95 Donghuamen Dajie, Dongcheng District
北京市东城区东华门大街95号

Photos: Jessie Bryson