After a recent revamp of its menu and decor, CCTV Tower's rotating restaurant has enhanced its offerings to include more than 300 choices, and also greatly improved the service.

As soon as one takes a seat, the wait staff come forward to ask you to choose two cold starters - mango and seafood salad, goose liver with sake, or eel and bean curd.

There are plenty of Chinese foods - Cantonese dishes, as well Peking roast duck, and some Sichuan spicy dishes. One can also find French-style dishes, Italian noodles and pizza, and Japanese sushi and sashimi. French grill meats and Japanese teppanyaki are prepared on the spot, as are Chinese noodles, at an open kitchen. There are more than 10 cocktails available, including three alcohol-free ones. On weekend evenings, bartenders show off their cocktail-mixing skills.

The restaurant is supposed to offer the most panoramic view of the capital. The tower is 405 m high and the restaurant is located at 221 m above ground level. The lunch buffet costs 168 yuan per person and includes a stop at the 238-m sightseeing platform, and a ticket to the Beijing Aquarium. The dinner buffet goes for 298 yuan per person, and offers more food choices in food and sightseeing.

For the best views, one needs to go on a really clear day, or just after it has rained. According to the restaurant staff, one can see Yuyuantan Park's cherry blossoms to the east, as well as the Forbidden City, the Tian'anmen Rostrum, and the CBD. To the north, one can see as far as the Bird's Nest, China National Stadium, and the Asian Games Village. To the northwest, lie the Summer Palace, and the Western mountains, including Fragrant Hills. The service staff highly recommend night views during the weekend and holidays, when Beijing is lit up in neon lights. There is a big telescope at the viewing platform, as well as a small one on each table.

11am-2pm, 5-9:30pm.

11 Middle West Third Ring Road

68450715

(China Daily May 4,2008)