Petrus at Legendale Hotel, Beijing

Inside the Legendale Hotel Beijing on the second floor is the Petrus restaurant, serving French cuisine. When we walked in, the room was an extreme extension of the hotel - dripping in gold trim and velvet curtain opulence.

Luxurious sterling silver Christofle 'Galea' flatware from Paris... Fancy, fancy.

Amuse bouche - herbed butternut squash and crispy sage.  Dense and delicious with pinchy paprika kick. Nice start.

Homemade Pate 'Country Style' with Sweet Bread, Apple Chutney with Calvados.  Pate was spectacular with each bite of grannysmith and balsamic. Chutney was some of the best ever.

Braised Turbot Fillet in White Wine, Baked Potato Puree with Bearnaise Sauce, Crawfish Butter.  Of course hubby got the sauce on the side. Fabulous plating and the fish was delicious.

Lacquered Duck Breast with Spice Honey 'Apicius' Stuffed with Foie Gras, Fresh Apple and Pear Cooked in Cassis.  Incredible flavors and textures. Duck was moist and tasty with a flavorful crispy skin. Sauce was dense yet light. Love. Beautiful piece of meat.

Braised Eggplant and Lamb.  Unusual plating and...?

Dessert of Raspberry Sorbet, Chocolate Mousse, Crispy Cookie.  To die for.

After our extra fancy lunch, we rushed to our next venue, The Great Hall of the People. So grand and magnificent!

After The Great Hall, we walked down to the theater building for the Chinese Opera. Oh boy did we walk!

The security officers at the theater threatened to confiscate my camera if I took anymore pictures. :'(  So cameraless, we attended and hobnobbed at a swanky cocktail party featuring a lavish 'western' spread and proceeded to an opera performance where we did not understand a word of Chinese. It was an elegant crowd and I couldn't help but notice families of three everywhere: mother, father and only one child. I missed my kids terribly.