Beefing it up

Restaurant Char in Beijing serves the seafood combo called "Char indulgence"-fillet of Blackmore Wagyu with grilled lobster, foie gras and truffle mash potato. [Photo by Mike Peters/CHINA DAILY]

A Beijing steak emporium makes the most of Australia's top steaks, Mike Peters reports.

A famous TV ad for hamburgers once challenged viewers by asking: "Where's the beef?'

If that's a question you find yourself asking in Beijing, maybe you should stop by Char.

The restaurant had a splashy opening this summer in Beijing's Lido area, and recently launched a sibling in Topwin Center.

What we have here is a celebration of great beef. At the top of the line, that's David Blackmore Wagyu, a star of Australia's cattle industry with its long bloodlines and sustainable ranching practices. Several Beijing restaurants offer the pricey Blackmore Wagyu at wine dinners and special events; Char serves it up every day.

The restaurant space is comfortably open but the coloring has the warmth of a snug pub. Red brick, red leather and red lighting complements rich woods that highlight the decor. The background music can be a little too laid-back (think Kenny G), but before that wears too thin the soundtrack shifts to smoky. Is that Edith Piaf we hear? If not, the voice is seductively similar.