Archive for the 'Cafe Bellissimo' Category
Cafe Bellissimo: A reason to go to Solana
Photos courtesy of Cafe Bellissimo
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I visited a handful of places at Solana on Wednesday, including relative newcomers Cabare and Swiss Restaurant and Bar, and will have more on them soon. For now I’ll rave a bit about Cafe Bellissimo. Opened by a group that includes two doctors from Australia, the place offers a cool environment, good coffee, and reasonable prices.
A natural and contemporary look results from the stylized cement, wood furniture, and linen-like fabric on the chairs and the sofa that extends nearly the length of the place. The attention to detail is evident from the elegant metal design that is embedded in the wall and at points crosses over a row of coffee cups set into lit spaces in the concrete (see photo above).
Solana is not a big draw for me but I could see myself occasionally heading there to visit Bellissimo, much like I’d make the trip to Shuangjing to visit Unconditional Love Coffee. Not only has this place invested in decent equipment but the prices are good: A tasty double espresso is RMB18 (a single is RMB10), with a long black or a machiatto at RMB22. Add the friendly service and generally good vibe, and the first impression is good.
This place and sibling restaurant Swiss next door–which also scores high on the cool decor scale–are apparently the only places in Beijing that sell Muller beer from Switzerland. A 400 ml mug is RMB45, while a liter is RMB98. There is also a wide selection of Flensburger beers from Germany, including a bock, a pilsener, and a dunkel, at RMB45, with Swiss beer Schutzengarten at RMB45.
I’ll return to sample more of the menu. In the meantime, here are some sample items:
- Cajun Roast Chicken panini: RMB35
- Greek salad: RMB35
- Cobb salad: RMB55
- Pasta and burgers: from RMB58
- Pizzas: from RMB55
- Beef fillet in bacon with potato and veggies: RMB145
- Desserts: from RMB20
- Sodas: RMB18
- Smoothies, fresh juices: RMB35
