Quarter of peace

I have a feeling we are not in Beijing anymore.

Beautiful isn't it? It sure doesn't look like the Chinese capital. Clear blue skies, beautiful Spring sunshine and the lovely scent of manicured lawn. A jazz band playing to a tiny crowd. Kids running around, their parents' SUVs parked neatly by Western colonial buildings. It could have been a scene from any university towns in the US. But it is Beijing. In fact, it is right next to the heart of the city - the Tiananmen Square.

Named the Legation Quarter, this place can be best described to Singaporeans as Beijing's Chijmes. But it is far quieter, more exclusive and with a richer history. So named because it used to house embassies of Western powers in the last days of the Qing Dynasty, much of it was destroyed and vandalised because of the Cultural Revolution and Beijing's development. What's left is the former premises of the American Embassy and it now hosts restaurants and bars.


The top draw among the restaurants is Maison Boulud (10-6559-9200) - a Michelin-rated French restaurant by celebrity Manhattan chef Daniel Boulud. Located in a two-story European building with high ceilings and a grand double staircase, it screams high end from top to bottom. And since the closest I had been to a Michelin was when watching F1, it seemed about time for me to embrace the culinary tyre man.


I chose Sunday brunch. Because it was cheap. It was 98 yuan for a course, 158 for two and 208 for three. If you order four, it would be 238, but no one should be eating that much so don't be a greedy bastard and go for four courses. Anyway, it's a reasonable rate for a chef who once served President Barack Obama. Yes, as you can tell, I am so bragging. Have you had what Obama had? No? So there. Shuddup. It is not "Yes We Can". It is "Yes I Can".


The brunch got off to a good start with a lovely selection of pastries and danish, delightfully laid out on the table with flowers, slabs of butter and apple sauce among others.


The Fettucini Carbonara with poached yolk and black pepper pork belly was not too creamy, and with the yolk mixing in the pasta, it had a nice eggy stickiness.


But the real winner is the signature DB (named after the chef, not Donkey Balls) burger, which came with a thick layer of patty complete with pieces of foie gras. The accompanying fries were heavenly. I also had a bite of the Lamb on Ciabatta, with mayonnaise and some brown special sauce over the thin and soft slices of lamb.


Tribute must also be given to the service staff. Attentive, but not obsequious. Poised, but not arrogant. They earned every cent of the service charge. They go perfectly with Maison Boulud's classic early 20th century design.


But for Legation Quarter, the events of early 20th century have evidently still not passed it by. When I was leaving the compound, I noticed that the name "Legation Quarter" has been scratched out, leaving only "Qianmen 23" (its new name). After some research, I found out that the management has done away with the historic name - likely as a result of pressure from the government. The original Legation Quarter has remained a sore place for some Chinese, who see it as a sign of foreign aggression. The Western powers established the quarter after hammering the Qing government and they enjoyed extra-territorial rights in the complex. It is still regarded as a humiliating episode for many Chinese today.


It's yet another disappointing instance of unnecessary and overbearing Chinese nationalism. Shanghai's French Concession is still called the French Concession. I certainly don't see the Shanghainese moping around feeling humiliated. Isn't it a stronger nationalist statement that these places which once banned the natives are now still bearing the same name, but owned and patronised by Chinese?