Grand Opening of Tuscan Gourmet Restaurant, Café & Lounge 'INVITO' Beside Beijing's Chaoyang Park Lake (China)
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Grand Opening of Tuscan Gourmet Restaurant, Café & Lounge 'INVITO' Beside Beijing's Chaoyang Park Lake (China)
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Category: Asia Pacific - China - Industry economy
- Gourmet restaurants
- Hotel opening - Gourmet restaurants
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2009-06-19
Fine Tuscan dining, casual Italian outdoor cafe and chic lounge bar at Solana
Invito, a new Italian restaurant concept twinning Tuscan fine dining with a stylish outdoor café and trendy lounge bar, will celebrate the grand opening on 20 June, beside Chaoyang Park Lake in Beijing.
Named after the Italian word for “invitation”, the concept is headlined by a villa-style gourmet restaurant distinguished by exceptional personal service and its signature specialties – truffle dishes and legendary Florentine steaks.
A trattoria-style lakeside café serving authentic Italian snacks is destined to become renowned for its daily ‘aperitivo hour’ with open buffet and cocktails, served outdoors from 5-8pm in summer.
The Lounge Bar serves the city’s preeminent selection of signature cocktails and can only be exclusively booked for private dinners, parties and events.
Invito is being positioned both as the premier dining and socialising venue at China’s first lifestyle centre, Solana, and as one of Beijing's finest Italian restaurants -- specialising in authentic Tuscan cuisine that harmonize with great wines.
It is distinguished from the crowd by exceptional personalised service, talented chefs and finest seasonal ingredients.
Inspired by rare and delicate white and black truffles, the menu will "constantly evolve to show off each season’s finest ingredients".
The intoxicating delicacies are on signature dishes at Invito Fine Dining Ristorante and can also be ordered in miniature shavings on pizzas at Invito Café.
Invito’s black truffles from Perigord in France are in season from November-March and white truffles from Alba in Italy from October-December. Fetching US$2,000 a pound and more at local market auctions, they are among the most expensive foods in the world. Outside the European truffle season, the venerable tubors are sourced from Tasmania.
Truffles are sourced from the world’s oldest, most respected and trusted dealers in Italy, France and Tasmania, ensuring a year-round supply.
Beyond signature truffle dishes, meats on the menu are from animals that are grass-fed and free of hormones and antibiotics.
The most unique offering on the menu is the Wagyu Beef Florentine steak priced at RMB 888. Revered throughout history and so tender it cuts with a spoon, it comes from huge white Chianina oxen, reputedly the oldest breed of cattle in the world.
In a similar commitment to exceptionally fresh local produce, premium seafood on the menu is served within 24 hours of being caught, while fruit and vegetables are predominantly organic.
Invito offers one of Beijing's most extensive wine lists features little known gems and rare boutique wines as well as famous labels from the world’s major grape growing regions. Also on offer is vintage wines that can be tasted by the glass.
Invito is committed to delivering the “very best produce of the earth to the table”, with a network of local farmers and purveyors supplying some of the finest foods in the world, said Executive Chef Innocenti Federico.
Invito Fine Dining Ristorante seats 40 indoors and 16 on a stunning lakeside terrace. Inspired by an elegant Tuscan villa, it serves daily ‘specials’ and a 3-course set business lunch, priced at RMB 168, plus a choice of 4-course gourmet dinners, priced from RMB 388-988.
Invito Café is casual and stylish, serving signature pizzas and paninis, pastas, salads, hearty soups and traditional Italian desserts and gelati ice cream at affordable prices. The daily ‘aperitivo hour’ from 5-8pm features an open buffet plus one cocktail at RMB 88, with meals for less than RMB80.
Invito’s lounge bar is a sophisticated and chic gathering place for the fabulously fashionable where evening cocktails, elegant company and soft, intimate lighting is enhanced by a rich color scheme. The bar offers the city's preeminent selection of stylish cocktails and premium labels of cognacs, liquors, whiskies, cordials, champagne and an impressive wine list.
Spread over three floors, Invito's overall European design features and striking décor are an eclectic combination of colour, texture and oversized bespoke elements creating a "marriage between the original and the modern" and a "true sense of place” away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
The warm and cosy fine dining ristorante is simple and uncluttered with white marbled floors and a soothing combination of colour and textures. The lakeside cafe is "natural and poetic" with wooden floors, deep, rounded window recesses and earthy materials such as oak and leather. The lounge bar is elegant, reminiscent of a Tuscan gentlemen’s club with chocolate coloured walls, horizontal mirrors, rich leather furnishings and soft intimate lighting.
For private dining, two venues are also available for private receptions, social events, birthdays, company parties, corporate gatherings and wine-tastings.
One adjoins the fine dining ristorante which intimately seats 12 and includes a 52-inch flat screen television and wireless internet access. The other is the lounge bar, seating up to 150 with a built-in wall projector, wireless internet and a private sound system ideal for parties and karaoke evenings.
Chef Federico Innocenti, heads the culinary brigade of Invito and joins from the acclaimed Cecco restaurant in Pescia, Italy. He trained at a number of 4-star restaurants in Italy, and was formerly sous chef at Senso Italian restaurant in Singapore.
The visionary behind the concept of Invito is Operations Director Lorenzo Maraviglia formerly F&B manager at The Ritz-Carlton Beijing, Financial Street, heading award-winning Italian restaurant Cepe.
"Invito’s aim is to present the true essence of contemporary Tuscan cuisine brought to the table with a fresh, light and aromatic cooking style rooted in authentic Italian flavours,” said Mr Maraviglia.
“But ultimately, our dedicated staff are the foundation of Invito, making every guest's dining experience an extraordinary one."
Invito is operated by the Beverly Group, an international trading company based in Beijing planning to open Invito concept restaurants, cafes and bars throughout China.
Address: Solana Shopping Center
15-2, 15-3 Solana, 6 Chaoyang Park Road Chaoyang District, 100026
Beijing, PRC
Opening hours:
Invito Café: 11am – 11pm
Invito Main Restaurant: Lunch 11.30am –2.30pm (last order), Dinner 6–10.30pm (last order)
Invito Lounge Bar is only open for private events.
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