Despite its name’s racetrack connotations, Greyhound Café is a restaurant with a fashion pedigree. The bistro is part of a nearly 20-year-old chain that originally started in Bangkok as an offshoot of the hip Greyhound clothing boutique. The sartorially savvy restauranteurs built up enough of a buzz with their quasi-Thai concoctions to spread first to Hong Kong, and now to a chic loft space in Sanlitun Village. The brand standard is visually bold in a corporate-approved way: a black-and-white bistro down to the chalkboard specials on the walls, melded with exposed concrete pillars and bare light bulbs. Helpful servers wear thick-rimmed glasses and skinny ties. A chandelier that appears to be made from construction leftovers hangs above the dining area, and the back wall prominently features a cartoon waiter riding a rocket; you get the idea. It’s arty.

Greyhound defines itself as ‘Thai with a twist’, a roundabout way of saying ‘fusion restaurant’. And here fusion means throwing in a Western touch or two, as well as nudging the decimal point eastwards on the price. There are no red or green curries on the menu, and the pad Thai (98RMB) uses corkscrew fusilli pasta instead of the regular rice noodles – though admittedly a more traditional variation is available. But there is a palpable Thai influence on many of the dishes from start to finish. This is especially true in the delicious tom yum broth (88RMB)， which delivers a rich contrast of spicy and sour notes, and comes with half of a very fresh prawn that’s so big it wouldn’t look out of place in a Japanese monster movie. The ‘complicated noodle’ (78RMB) is perfect if you ever spent your childhood being told not to play with food: this DIY spring roll requires diners to ladle a muted pork stew onto glutinous noodle sheets that are enlivened by a generous smear of chilli.

The continent-hopping menu might require a guide, with both East and West featuring prominently on the 90-odd-strong list. Chicken wings (58RMB) split down the middle into single-bone segments and fried with fish sauce; they have crispy exteriors and perfectly tender meat, but precious little flavour. The menu describes them as ‘famous’; whether they become that here remains to be seen. Better chances lie with a dish of fried tiger prawns (138RMB)， as ocean-breezy as they would be at a proper seafood restaurant – and also as expensive. Topped with garlic and pepper that linger pleasantly, the prawns’ only downfall is their bed of boring, dry rice – disappointing, given that Thailand is renowned for its aromatic Jasmine variety. It is paired with a mild, clear soup and jazzed up with prik nam pla, a Thai condiment made from anchovies and sliced bird’s-eye chilli that has an enjoyably complex hot flavour.

We’re not going to ask why anyone in a Thai restaurant would order a burger and fries, but if you’re so inclined you can sink your teeth into a number of Western options – plenty of pastas and paninis are on offer. A serving of three burger sliders (108RMB)， each patty the size of a baby’s fist, comes with creative toppings, including sweet strawberry – conflicting flavours that somehow still work in harmony rather than creating a squawking distraction.

So the food is pretty decent, but beware that title: Greyhound Café doesn’t live up to that second word. Sure, there is a selection of tantalising desserts: the indulgent coconut crêpe cake (78RMB)， featuring a colossal slice of Thai coconut meat and positively swimming in cream, is delicious. In the back, there’s a parlour serving up a selection of ice cream parfaits (68RMB) stuffed with brownies or fruit – ideal for relieving the acrid Beijing heat. But the drinks, such as the forgettable milk-tea-esque Thai ice coffee (36RMB) and a massive stein of fruit juices and canned pineapple called ‘the innocent voyage’ (42RMB)， should be passed over. These, combined with seats designed for dining, not lounging, a limited number of plug sockets, and prices that push Greyhound almost over the fine-dining threshold, mean that it’s hard to see anyone sitting around with a computer here – fashionable or not.

Sean Silbert

Details

Open

11am-11pm

Telephone 6416 3439

English address Third Floor, 19 Sanlitun Lu, Building 1, Sanlitun Village South, Chaoyang district

Chinese address 朝阳区三里屯VILLAGE南区1号楼3层