A number of new restaurants and cafes have popped up at Pinnacle Plaza, including the very good Loft Eatalicious, Palatable bakery, and Blue Elephant Thai restaurant. A new tapas restaurant is set to open at the end of the month, which I hope to try before the summer break. In the last few weeks, two businesses owned by the same company have also opened: Galati Luxury Italian Food and Galati Italian Restaurant.
Galati Luxury Italian Food
This store does indeed specialize in in luxury foods, including a range of artisan pastas, sauces, oils, and wines. Tartufissima pastas, flavored with squid ink or sundried tomato, can be yours for RMB 158, or perhaps the Le Gemme del Vesuvio range of pastas priced at RMB 29-32 per 500g box. A delightful selection of breadsticks and Italian snacks sit alongside boxes of risotto rice (RMB 68) and amaretto biscuits (RMB 23-72). If you’re an Italian coffee lover, the shop stocks a range of coffees for cafetieres, filters, and machines.
As well as parma ham joints and Italian sausage, there’s a lovely selection of beautifully-packaged foods that would make for wonderful gifts: flavored sea salts, olive oil, truffle sauces and balsamic vinegars. Staff will happily put together a gift basket with products of your choice in a wicker basket or a leather hamper. The shop has a good range of Italian wines, with reds ranging from RMB 238-988 and Prosecco ranging from RMB 128-225. They are open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am-1pm.
Galati Italian Restaurant
If all that browsing leaves you salivating, take a stroll across the plaza to Galati Italian Restaurant. The eatery is done out very nicely with comfy bucket chairs in warm hues, beautiful orchids, and walls filled with pictures and mirrors. The six staff members on hand during lunch were attentive, friendly, and well-versed in the menu. Several of the restaurants at Pinnacle Plaza do not have their own toilets, and the public bathroom has disappeared since the Beijing United Clinic expansion. Luckily, Galati has its own bathroom – and a very good one too. If you’re dining with little ones, there are a number of highchairs available.
Whilst you wait, you are presented with a basket of crispy breads and wonderfully salty pesto, with a real tang of parmesan. The starter of mushroom soup was thick, complex, perfectly seasoned, and topped with a swirl of cream and croutons. My lunch date chose the minestrone soup, which was al dente and full of flavor.
For my main, I ordered the grilled chicken breast and rucola salad. The meat was succulent, topped with shaved parmesan, and served alongside grilled peppers, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and braised red cabbage with pine nuts. My date ordered the prosciutto e funghi pizza, an authentic Italian thin crust pizza topped with tomato, mozzarella, sliced ham, and mushroom.
Meat and fish dishes include beef tenderloin, osso bucco, salmon steak, and fresh tuna (RMB 98-178). Pastas (RMB 58-88) include lasagna, bolognese, taglioni with truffles, arrabiatta, and beef ravioli. There are a number of pizzas with flavors like margherita, prosciutto crudo, diavola, vegetarian, and tuna (RMB 58-78). Galati also serves bianca pizzas, which have a focaccia bread base.
We were too full for dessert, but you can choose from a light chocolate mousse, mascarpone cream, tiramisu, or asemifreddo al panettone (semi-frozen cake) for RMB 40-45.
To drink, there’s a selection of aperitifs, liqueurs, wines, beers, and juices. A number of their wines are available by the glass, but if you fancy a bottle you can get a decent Pinot Grigio for RMB 188, Prosecco for RMB 250, or just go crazy and order a Barolo for RMB 968.
For a while, my family and I have been heading away from Shunyi towards Indigo Mall and Wangjing for decent kid-friendly restaurants. It’s great to now have a very good restaurant right on our doorstep.
beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent Sally Wilson moved to Beijing in 2010 from the UK with her husband and son. Her daughter was born here in 2011 and both her kids keep her happily busy. In her spare time, Sally loves to stroll through Beijing’s hutongs and parks. She is a (most of the time) keen runner and loves reading: books, magazines, news, and celeb websites – anything really. Sally is also a bit of a foodie and loves trying out new restaurants.
Photos by Sally Wilson