Hello

We decided to go to that special Chinese experience at Yutuclub as a couple only, and for the large family dinner party we decided instead that a nice western restaurant would be a more interesting experience for them.

We went first to check out the Sheraton (a couple blocks away from Yutuclub along the riverfront). This hotel is fairly new, but (as most observers have noted) the style is over-the-top gold plated. Not surprisingly, occupancy is reportedly currently running around 25%.

The Italian restaurant at Sheraton apparently has only about 5 guests per day and was closed for lunch, so we were unable to try the food. Anyway, after we learned that the chef is a local Chinese, we felt this was not going to be the best choice.

We then had a good walk over to the brand new Kempinski where we had afternoon tea in the lobby. Not fabulous value, but the Thai restaurant upstairs where we had a bite for dinner was quite reasonable.

The German restaurant and brewery (Paulaner Brauhaus) on the main floor is run by a European and he kindly offered us some snacks and tastes of the various home-made beers while we discussed a party menu. The place was not packed but had a reasonable number of guests, both foreign and local, with good vibe.

The manager followed up by email the next morning, offering a 20% discount for the party of 14.

We have decided to go with that and look forward to bratwurst and beer this weekend.