From Hong Kong with love: Queen’s Russian restaurant opens in Sanlitun Village

August 12th, 2010 | Category: Queen's Konditorei

When I went to Queen’s Cafe to meet owner Susanna Tang for lunch today, I didn’t realize this place had finally opened for business on the third floor of Sanlitun Village. But it has and the lunch special ranks among the better values in this part of town. It includes a choice of borscht or mushroom soup, potato or green salad, a plate with lamb, pork, beef, or fish “shashlik” (think meat off the kebab), rice, and veggie, dessert, and coffee or tea. Price: RMB70.

I tried the lamb (see photo below), which was tasty with the dipping sauce, and the fish, one of those “melt in your mouth” experiences made even better by the caramelized onion. The borscht is a bit rich, while the potato salad is an interesting combination that includes egg, carrot, peas, and cucumbers. The panna cotta surrounded by fruit morsels (see photo below) made and the coffee, made from “Queen’s beans” and tried with one of the place’s homemade chocolate candies, made for a nice finish.

While Queen’s is positioned as a Russian restaurant, Tang notes there is some localization of the recipes, the result of her family’s nearly seven decades in the restaurant business in Hong Kong. (Queen’s Cafe was first opened there in 1952 by Tang’s grandfather, who was a chef in a Russian restaurant, she explained.)

Queen’s is huge, with seating for more than 200 people on two floors, and includes a bar, a cafe (to open in a few months), several private rooms, including one with a lounge area and decorated with armor worn by Leslie Chang and Maggie Q in a movie in which Tang was involved, and a long narrow deck on the second floor.

The a la carte menu includes all manner of meat, rice, spaghetti, and omelet dishes, with numerous set menus from RMB120, and I will visit again to check out the drinks and wine menu, but for now, that lunch special looks like the main attraction.

See also: Queen’s in Sanlitun Village