Tue, May 29, 2012
Seven-year-old Kiera Sutton and six-and-a-half-year-old Sachi Cunningham were shaking with excitement at our much-anticipated lunch. ‘This is where Kitty eats all the time,’ declared Sachi, as she washed her hands at the Kitty sink, before joining us in a pink booth with a windowed view over Sanlitun.
The limited menu, like everything else, is pink, with tiny a scripted font that is difficult to decipher. We opted not to have the five-course set (188RMB per person), given the odd selections that included beetroot soup and a cappuccino or tea option, none of which were likely to be a hit with the girls. Instead, they choose sweet hot chocolate (28RMB).
Sachi and Kiera agreed to share the vegetable and fruit salads (both 28RMB) and were tickled by the Kitty head-shaped garnishes, although the fruit remained untouched by Kiera, whose Chinese mother rarely feeds her raw salads. A well-made dish of linguini (38RMB) arrived with saucy tomato and eggplant. The chicken curry (42RMB) placed on the table moments later brought on gasps of joy. Kitty’s moulded rice head came complete with a red jelly bow and brown gravy border. But the excitement came to a halt after a single fiery bite. Unless your child is extremely adventurous or from Sichuan, this is a seriously child-unfriendly dish.
Dessert featured a Kitty head made of bouncy chocolate mousse (58RMB) and a strawberry cheese cake (78RMB). While the food at this restaurant seems to have been conceived with anyone but children in mind, the pink effects mean it’s still a place little girls dream of. As we left, young Sachi declared: ‘This is the best day of my life!’
