Confessions of a gourmand

Braised beef cheek and prime beef tenderloin presented by Waldorf Astoria Beijing's French-style restaurant Brasserie 1893. [Photo provided to China Daily]

What do you call someone who samples four major beef courses at one meal sitting? A gourmet or a glutton? I will happily go along with the former, having relished exactly that at the Waldorf Astoria Beijing recently.

The five-star downtown hotel, known for its impeccable service and its vibrant soul, is eager for its dining experience to be seen as one that is "consummate without being extremely costly", to quote Benoit Chargy, the hotel's executive chef.

That's true, at least two days of a week. Beef Tuesday and Lobster Wednesday, a special dining program offered in parallel by the hotel's two restaurants, the Frenchstyle Brasserie 1893 and the Chinese-style Zijin Mansion, provide diners with sumptuous food at 268 yuan ($40) per person.

For sophisticated diners this is a real bargain. For unsophisticated ones with a more modest budget it is an opportunity to indulge taste buds and learn a culinary lesson or two.

For a single meal you usually have to choose between the two restaurants, but since we are there to sample the food, all four main beef courses－two from each－become inevitable.

The first one to make a grand entry, after starters including zucchini salad and beef carpaccio－yes, before beef there is beef－is braised beef cheek. (Just smile and don't think too deeply.)