candy&caviar’s Spring 2011 Sneak Peak

candy&caviar’s Spring/Summer 2011 Collection can be described as dark, edgy, bold and mysterious.

Inspired by the beauty of black & white movies, this new collection is quite different from their previous collections.

In contrast to candy&caviar’s previous F/W 2010 Collection (click here for fashion show review) featuring bright colors and a lot of silk fabrics for a vibrant, glamorous touch, this new collection goes back to the basics of black and grey with hints of khaki and white.

Exuding a new air of dark sophistication and bold confidence, here is just a taste of candy&caviar’s S/S 2011 Collection.

Stay tuned for more to come!

Meet the Official All-Star Beach Volleyball Team

The first official league for beach volleyball to be established in Beijing, The All-Star Sports Bar & Grill Beach Volleyball Team has rounded up around 15 solid, committed players who come out to Chaoyang Park every Saturday afternoon.

If you are interested in participating or more information, please contact Kristine Eng directly: kristine.eng@gmail.com

LumDimSum Hook-Up: Bling’s 2 Year Birthday Bash

The First 10 LumDimSum Friends to contact me will win FREE entrance to Bling’s 2 Year Anniversary Party on Friday, August 6th.

What can you expect?

A celebration of the Best Hip-Hop, bottles of Goose, beautiful people, OPEN BAR (until midnight), dancing divas and mad skillz on the DJ decks with Bling’s ‘Double Trouble’ resident DJs – The Tiger Twins.

RSVP: Contact me before Monday, August 2nd at 5PM with your contact information (name, e-mail, telephone and Chinese mailing address) and Club Bling will send you a VIP pass. (Regular Entrance ticket is RMB 200 per person)

Park Side Bar & Grill Launches their Brunch

While I’m always multi-tasking different projects simultaneously and stuck permanently with an irregular schedule, Sunday brunch is one of the few consistent things in my life that I look forward to on a weekly basis.  It’s no secret I’m always on the prawl for new brunch spots and Park Side Bar & Grill is one of the best brunches I’ve had in quite some time.

Only about seven weeks old (opened on May 28, 2010), Park Side is already a popular sports bar and hang out (packed throughout the World Cup) in the Lido neighborhood and word on the street is that they’ve got the best lasagna in town. Lasagna aside, Park Side serves a solid a la carte menu with a wide selection of cocktails, smoothies, appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts, Park Side has most recently launched a new brunch menu and will soon start offering a set lunch menu (RMB 78/98 for 2/3 courses + drink).

Their brunch menu is served on weekends from 11:00-16:00 and offers a Build-Your-Own 3-egg omelet option (RMB 48 for 3 sides) and an assortment of eggs benedict varieties (RMB 68) and other classic breakfast staples (English breakfast, Yankee Breakfast, pancakes, crepes, etc. for RMB 48-68).

To start, I ordered the Yogi Brrr smoothie - tropical combination of mango, pineapple, banana, kiwi and yoghurt (RMB 38/48 for 245ml/400ml).

We then ordered a few salads – the Chili Mango Shrimp Salad (large size) with pan-seared shrimp & chili mango salsa and the Summer Strawberry (small size) with fresh strawberries and chunks of blue cheese topped with crisp leaves and balsamic dressing. Both salads were great starters and perfect for a hot summer day. All salads are RMB 48/68 depending if you prefer your salad portion as a starter or a main course. See here the portions for a large salad vs. a small salad.

For mains, we ordered the Build-Your-Own Omelet and chose smoked salmon, shredded Swiss cheese and spinach. Other omelet add-in options include diced ham, diced sausage, diced bacon, tomato, shredded cheddar cheese, mushrooms and onions. Portions were generous and for RMB 48, this is a great deal, but the omelet was a little dry.

On the other hand, my friend Andreas ordered the Mediterranean Benedict (RMB 68) which was the BEST eggs benedict in Beijing. Instead of an English muffin, they use homemade foccacia bread which is topped with rich tomato ratatouille, thinly sliced Parma ham, 2 poached eggs topped with white wine tomato butter sauce.  To me, this was the holy grail of eggs benedicts – it was that good.

Review of Park Side Bar & Grill: 6-9 Jiangtai Xilu (facing Rosedale Hotel), 将台西路9-6号, Tel: 6444-6555

Best Part:

• Casual, comfortable Western-style restaurant in the Lido area
• Versatile environment that is suitable for anything from a casual lunch to late night drinks.
• Mediterranean Benedict is the best benedict I’ve tried in Beijing – you gotta try it to believe it.
• Long smoothie selection with variety of fresh fruit juice available
• Refreshing summer salads (Chili Mango Shrimp & Strawberry Blue Cheese were great combos)
• Super friendly service, manager Robbie was a great host
• Prices are absolutely reasonable considering the portions are generous and the chef’s creations are innovative and definitely worth coming back for.

Comments:

• I hear from several sources that the lasagna is the best in town, but I yet to try it for myself.
• Park Side serves great food, but it still feels more like a bar than a restaurant even during the day.  When we went for brunch, there were a few other tables of people, but it was pretty quiet for a Sunday afternoon. While I prefer the environment/decor of Element Fresh, Park Side’s food, service and value is MUCH better. Considering they are newly opened, I think they have a ton of potential.
• Something to look forward to – they will soon be serving set lunch menus – RMB 78/98 for 2/3 courses + drink

Rating: (on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best)

• Food: 8
• Atmosphere: 7
• Service: 8
• Overall Experience: 8

NBA Stars @ All-Star Sports Bar & Grill

This past Saturday, Club BLING hosted the Official After-Party for Yao Ming’s charity basketball game.

I am certainly not one to be shy about taking photos, but with so many people crowding around these NBA stars, I couldn’t be bothered to squeeze past people or worse, wait in line.  So I did the next best thing – request photos from the lovely Mrs. Julia Li.

Check Out Big Ballers Steve Nash & Dwight Howard @ All-Star Sports Bar & Grill:

Pheonix Suns' Point Guard, Steve Nash

Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard in front of his Jersey at All-Star!

*Other NBA basketball stars at All-Star:

Baron Davis, Chase Budinger, Brandon Jennings, DaJuan Summers, Amir Johnson & Hasheem Thabeet

Cherie Blair @ The Bookworm

Recently, there have been some incredibly big British celebrities speaking at little venues around Beijing.

I was absolutely dumbfounded when I found out that Patrick Stewart (aka Jean-Luc Picard of the Star Trek Enterprise & Professor Charles Xavier of X-Men) spoke at The Central Academy of Drama in Nanluoguxiang last Thursday night.  Click here for my favorite video of Patrick Stewart EVER. Even if you’re not a Trekkie or X-Men fan, this brilliant video is reason enough to have gone to see this man speak.

…and this week, Cherie Blair, wife of former Prime Minister Tony Blair will be at The Bookworm this Wednesday, July 28 to speak on her memoir “Speaking for Myself”.

“Mrs. Blair is a leading barrister specializing in public law, human rights, employment and European Community law. As well as fighting for human rights in her professional career, Mrs. Blair is an active campaigner on equality and human rights issues. She has spoken across the world on both issues and also on the need for improved work/life balance for both women and men.”

Beijingers, take advantage of these surprisingly golden opportunities while you can.  (I think we can all agree that this would never be so accessible in the US or Europe.)

Event Details:

• Date: Wednesday, July 28
• Time: 7:30-8:30PM
• Location: The Bookworm
• Tickets: RMB 100 (RMB 80 for Bookworm Members)
• Address: Sanlitun Nanjie, 三里屯南街4号楼; Tel: 6586-9507

TERRA Replaces Rickshaw

By the same culinary geniuses behind SALT (and before that Alameda), TERRA is a new cevicheria and bar that has taken over what was once The Rickshaw.  Once a shabby, run-down joint is now slick and brand-spanking new.  Although TERRA has kept the building’s exterior shape intact, their team has replaced absolutely everything else inside and replaced the walls with glass (according to PR chief, Jennifer Eden).

With a menu serving Peruvian-inspired dishes with an emphasis around delicious ceviches (seafood flavored with citrus fruits), the 2-story restaurant features a ceviche bar on the first floor with the main dining restaurant and full-service bar upstairs serving “boutique” beers, healthy cocktails and an extensive selection of fine wines.

“Drawing on the ages old traditions of ceviche – fruits of the sea delicately seared in citrus and perfectly balanced with fresh herbs and flavors – TERRA presents a cevicheria with a large selection of tempting treats as well as contemporary cuisine with Peruvian inspirations.“

The decor is contemporary and fresh with black wood furniture and a high bar area with stools. While the outside is mostly sprayed with blotches of black paint, insiders will still have a nice view of Sanlitun Nanlu through the glass walls.

First Floor Ceviche Bar/Second Floor Full-Service Bar:

Opening Party Pics:

While Alameda still remains consistent with their unbeatable lunch deal (click for article), it’s great to have Gaby back in the Sanlitun hood.  In addition to serving a great lunch, I have no doubt that TERRA will quickly become known as the new “after-work drinks” destination and start to give Apothecary a run for their money.  Only time can tell…

Congratulations to Gaby Alves and her unstoppable team on a successful new restaurant opening!

TERRA:

• Hours: Open 11AM-1AM daily.
• Address: 1 Sanlitun Nanlu, 三里屯南路1号
• Tel: 6591-9148

You Look Kinda Cute…in that Polka Dot Bikini, Guuurl

As expected, Riviera’s Pool Party this weekend was insanity.

Packed with Beijing’s beautiful party animals dressed in next to nothing, IO Spa was pure debauchery from start to finish.

Check Out LumDimSum’s Photo Gallery for a PG-13 Glimpse of Riviera’s Beijing Pool Party:

…and that’s a wrap!

LumDimSummary: Telihana Launch Party

Signed with Love from candy&caviar and LumDimSum

At The Beach this Friday night, Telihana launched her brand new music video for her single All NiGHT! and performed another one of her latest songs – about her crew and giving love to all her people.

Check out Telihana’s All NiGHT! music video on youtube here.

LumDimSummary:

Telihana not only packed out The Beach with all her fans and friends (even her parents were there!), she also put on a stellar show and gave her people what they came for:  The One and Only, Telihana.

LumDimSaying: by Oscar Wilde

“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”

-Oscar Wilde

*What is a LumDimSaying? A quote I find worth noting. And sharing.