This particular trip to Beijing in July was a rather fruitful one as far as managing to get out and trying different places was concerned. There were the occasional official meals, but I somehow managed to dodge a couple and venture out on foodie expeditions to places that had been highly recommended by friends. One of these was Maison Boulud, and the other was Made in China in Hyatt Beijing near Wangfujing. These 2 places came highly recommended by the same friend whom I regard very respectfully and highly as a food guru (who specialises in buffets). She claimed that the Peking Duck at Made in China was the best in Beijing, even better than Da Dong. Now, I happen to be a real BIG fan of Da Dong, having gone there probably around 5 to 6 times this year - not all were documented since 2 or 3 of them were business meals and it would have been rather inappropriate to photograph the food with the people I was eating with. But the food has always been excellent. So I knew I had to try Made In China urgently since the clock on my then-job was running down rather quickly.
Made in China at the Hyatt Beijing is easily accessible via the Subway Line 1. We were staying at China World Hotel at Guomao, and simply hopped on the train and got off at Wangfujing Station. After a five minute walk through the Oriental Plaza Shopping Mall, we found ourselves seated at a small table near the entrance. My gut feel was that we weren't taken very seriously as customers, since such tables are usually occupied by the drivers of the diners, who are normally seated in private rooms. But it really didn't matter to us Singaporeans who were just after a good meal. 
I felt that the prices at Made in China were rather high. The entrees were priced between RMB 45 to 55 (items like cold braised beef slices and pickled jellyfish), the vegetable dishes between RMB 58 to 88 (normal stir fried veggies were RMB 68), fish starting from RMB 150 and poultry around RMB 100. These were easily about double or a third more expensive than other decent restaurants in Beijing. Fried rice and noodle dishes were RMB 68 on average. 
The appetisers were pretty standard, but of quite good quality. The peanuts were crunchy and nicely salted.
Twice-cooked crispy pork ribs with garlic (RMB 98). This was very yummy and was really good with steamed rice. The pork ribs were very tender, and the garlic was crispy too.
The ma po tofu (RMB 58) arrived shortly after that. Here's what it looked like to us....
The restaurant is located at the far end, housed in a building with an old facade but completely new interiors. 
We were seated in the far end of the restaurant, and because it was relatively empty at 12 noon, I was quite surprised. After a while, I realised we were right next to the serving station, and the clatter of cutlery, opening and closing of drawers and conversation between serving staff got a bit too much. So I asked for a seat change. Points deducted here.
I suppose it's also the norm to be asked whether still, sparking or mineral water is preferred - and this being China, tap was definitely not an option. So we went for still - at RMB 90 (S$16), Evian certainly didn't come cheap. More points deducted.
The amuse bouche consisted of jellied ham with gherkin in a shot glass, and salmon and cucumber topped with dill. Nothing terribly exciting here.
My friend and I had the summer lunch menu for RMB188 (S$38) per person - apparently they change the menu every 2 weeks. I had the cuttlefish and chick pea salad with basil and lemon with a yogurt and cumin dressing. The cuttlefish was battered and lightly fried, and was very tender, while the cumin, basil and chickpeas were a pretty good combination.
My friend had the DB (I suppose it stands for Daniel Boulud) Caesar Salad with romaine lettuce, anchovies, avocado topped with Parmesan and croutons. Ordinary but enjoyable. 
For her main course, my friend had the bread-crusted snapper with a sauce consisting of stewed mussels, tomato and fennel. The fish was very nicely done - crusty on the outside, soft and firm on the inside. Unfortunately the sauce turned out to be something that we could have had at Pasta Mania, and it left us wondering what the chef was trying to do. 
I had the DB Burger, which consisted of minced sirloin with braised short ribs and foie gras served with fries. This came with a RMB35 (S$7) supplement. 
This was an EXCELLENT burger, and done to perfection. 
The meat mix of minced sirloin and braised short rib added texture and flavour to the patty
Fries with parsely, spring onions and garlic, which were very nicely done - crispy on the outside, hot and fluffy on the inside. Top marks! 
There were 2 dessert choices: My friend had the black forest consisting of brandied cherry biscuit, chocolate shavings and cherry sorbet. The cherry sorbet was slightly tangy, and went quite well with the cherry biscuit (which was more like a cake). This was quite pleasant. 
I had the Raspberry and Lychee, which was raspberry chiboust(??), caramelised puff pastry and lychee sorbet.
This was also quite pleasant, but I thought the pastry could have been served a bit warmer, since it was quite dry and flaky. 
Maison Boulud is meant to be fine French dining in China at what I suppose must be its best, but there were so many silly serving flaws - the waitress banging into the bottle of Evian, seating us (initially) at a terrible table, and not being attentive enough to the needs of the diners. It was also sad that tea and coffee were not part of the lunch set - these cost us RMB50 (S$10) and 45 (S$9) respectively.
