Reunion

My Precious Second-Cousin Catherine

Living half way around the world, it’s crazy how fast times fly and just heartbreaking to watch your extended family grow up through annual Christmas cards.

So to me, family reunions are especially precious.

With my grandparents all having 6-8 siblings with families all over California, it’s incredible to see everyone from San Diego to Fresno, from LA to the bay all come together.  I was thrilled to be reunited with so many relatives and finally meet my three second-cousins – three of the cutest, most endearing, and well-behaved kids I have ever met.

Absolutely adorable little munchkins.

A Dedication

In Loving Memory of My Grandfather,

I would like to dedicate this poem to him:

As we look back over time.

As we look back over time
We find ourselves wondering …..

Did we remember to thank you enough
For all you have done for us?
For all the times you were by our sides
To help and support us …..

To celebrate our successes
To understand our problems
And accept our defeats?
Or for teaching us by your example,
The value of hard work, good judgment,
Courage and integrity?

We wonder if we ever thanked you
For the sacrifices you made.
To let us have the very best?
And for the simple things
Like laughter, smiles and times we shared?

If we have forgotten to show our
Gratitude enough for all the things you did,
We’re thanking you now.
And we are hoping you knew all along,
How much you meant to us.

I will always cherish my memories of you with smiles, laughter and love.

UCCA: From Beijing to New York

“Navigate the space between these two cities in the halls of UCCA.  The Artists here invent a new kind of gathering, one that transcends borders, countries and cities.  In this Roundtrip we see the exquisite craft of artists, using an ardent curiosity to reach beyond the formal bounds of defined media.  They explore the creativity at the ends of imagination in a survey of youth culture, young art and international climate.” – UCCA

This Sunday, May 30th, UCCA will be hosting an exhibition of 9 artists (5 from Beijing and 4 from New York) and don’t miss a live performance by Cai Fei from 4-5PM and New York artist, Terence Koh from 5-6PM.

The 9 participating artists are: Terence Koh, Matthew Day Jackson, Ryan McGinley, Barnaby Furnas, Li Songsong, Liu Wei, Li Hui, Yang Fudong and CaoFei.

Xiu Turns One

XIU Celebrates It’s First Birthday with a Magic Circus Party This Saturday, May 29!

“You will be transported to the XIU MAGIC CIRCUS, a journey into a carnival land of fun and entertainment, a circus, at night, in XIU, with special decoration, performances and atmosphere to make the night one to remember!“

– Riviera Events

Event Details:

• Location: XIU at Park Hyatt Beijing

• Date: Saturday, May 29
• Time: From 8pm on
• Invitations only – open to the public from midnight onwards
• Table booking: please write to contact@rivieraevents.com

ROOMbeijing Opens with Bob Sinclair

Brian McKenna’s new restaurant, bar and lounge, ROOMbeijing officially opens its doors tonight!

Special guest performance by Bob Sinclair ~

(previous soft opening details here)

Check Out Time Out’s Interview with Legendary French DJ, Bob Sinclair himself.

• Location: Above Giorgio Armani, Level 3, PARK LIFE, Beijing Yintai Centre, 2 Jianguomenwai Avenue 银泰中心
• Reservations: (+86 10) 8517 2033

Celebrate Enoteca’s 3rd Vintage!

Happy Birthday Enoteca!

Join their 3rd Vintage Celebration with some Vintage Wine, Tapas & Live Jams.

À Votre Santé!

Sushi Samurais Unite!

Wait in anticipation no longer.

Alan Wong will host a Sushi Making Class on Wednesday, June 9th at the original Hatsune restaurant in Guanghua Lu.

Learn the secrets behind the legendary Hatsune sushi rolls, eat your own creations and you even get to take home your very own Sushi-Samurai Kit to start making your own sushi at home!

Seating is limited; RSVP required by Monday, June 7th.

Event Details:

Held Exclusively at the Original Hatsune (Guanghua Lu)

Savor Every Second of Summer with Capital M

Hallelujah for M’s Sensational Summer Menu!

It’s green, it’s light and best of all, even its ingredients are seasonal.

Enjoy a refreshing, new menu from the Marvelous, Magnificent Capital M. (click link here for previous dining experience/review of Capital M).

From their entirely renovated menu, I recommend the fresh Green Risotto with lots of summer greens (RMB 98), Gazpacho in two styles (RMB 78), Truffle-Scented White Asparagus (RMB 112) or the Light Scallop Broth flavored with ginger, lime and chilli (RMB 92).

The delightful menu even showcases some hard to find ingredients like white asparagus, a rare delicacy.

For your summer indulgence, I recommend the delectable and flavorful Vegetarian Platter of Lebanese Meze (RMB 112) & the colorful Walnut and Gorgonzola Crostini topped with warm figs and a salad of summer leaves (RMB 88) – pictured above.  The Meze pictured here includes a colorful assortment of fresh hummus, tzatziki, sun-dried tomato spread, soft pita, falafel, dolmathakia (rice-stuffed grape leaves), and fresh veggies.

Next, we couldn’t decide amongst the mains and ended up with three to share between two.

My first pick: Zarzuela – a Rich Catalan Seafood Stew of fishes, mussels, clams, scallops, prawns, and squid (RMB 268). And the dish did not skimp.  The portions were more than generous, the seafood was incredibly fresh, and the spices and flavor of the stew was on-point.

Sophia’s pick: Char-grilled Fillet of Beef with Roasted Bone Marrow, Yunan’s best Chanterelles & char-grilled artichokes (RMB 268).  The fillet’s thick juicy-goodness was perfectly grilled, the sides were a great complement to the fillet and the bone-marrow was a unique touch.

And to share, we ordered – M’s La Salade de Tante Annabelle – a warm salad of sauteed chicken livers, confit’d duck gizzards, soft quail eggs, salade frisee, lardons & crunchy croutons (RMB 188).  This is a great option for those who want a lighter, healthy dish, but who still appreciate savory meat and bacon flavor.

At first you may have guessed that it was just greedy for us to order so much, but then we realized the mistake was not in over-ordering, but in over-eating.

And as stuffed as we were, we could not deny M’s Truly Grand Dessert Platter (RMB 108 per person) – a 2-tier tower of sweets including a freshly-baked mini apricot souffle, a Mango pastry, tangy lemon tart, assortment of ice creams, Mille Feville, Croccanta Cioccolata, Summer Trifle, and topped with M’s legendary Pavlova.  While the assortment of mini tarts and crepes and cakes were delicious, the pavlova really takes the cake – it’s incredible how the combination of meringue, cream, passionfruit puree and fresh fruit just melts in your mouth and truly is the best pavlova I’ve ever tried.

And when I thought that the dessert platter couldn’t impress me more, I tried it paired with a glass of 2008 Coteaux de Layon dessert wine (RMB 75/glass, 195/carafe, 435/bottle).  Perfect to drink either alone after your meal or paired with dessert. It is not too sweet or too strong, just right.  It was the perfect ending to the perfect meal.

Once again, two thumbs up!

Review of Capital M: 3/F, No.2 Qianmen Pedestrian Street (just south of Tian’anmen Square)  前门步行街2号3层 邮编 100051, Tel: 6702-2727

Best Part:

• Expect Excellence – this restaurant continues to raise the standards of dining in Beijing and exceeds my expectations every time.
• It’s rare to find a restaurant whose service and customer satisfaction meet the restaurant’s impeccable design and location.
• It’s the perfect restaurant for a special occassion – whether you want to impress a date or celebrate a birthday or anniversary, Capital M is easily a top pick for a swanky celebration.
• A great restaurant to impress groups of out-of-town visitors, or tourists checking out the Tian An Men Area.
• M’s famous Pavlova really earns its reputation as the best Pavlova to ever come out of Australia and possibly in Australia as well.
• The dishes are innovative and it’s wonderful to see them switch it up between seasons.
• Restaurant manager, Fabian Ernst is not only professional, but also a gracious host.
• They have a great brunch deal/afternoon tea available on weekends/Sundays.

Comments:

• While you can get away with casual in most Beijing establishments (except for those who impose dress codes *ahem* Suzie Wongs), you will not want to be caught in Capital M with flip flops or shorts.
• This may not be an “every day” kind of restaurant (mostly because of the high price range), but it continues to be fully booked, which is impressive considering the large dining space – which includes multiple rooms, plus a massive outdoor terrace.
• While everything from the decor to service to location screams high-end, be warnedthe portions are still massive (not teeny-tiny like most fancy shmancy restaurants).
• While the service is exceptional, I still gotta give the best service to Maison Boulud. But Capital M is not far behind.

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

• Food: 9
• Atmosphere: 10
• Service: 9
• Overall Experience: 9

#1 Most Popular Restaurant Goes to…

LocalNoodles deduces Beijing’s top restaurants by finding out what were the hottest searches over the past twelve months.

Top 10 Searched Restaurants for 2009-2010

#1. Hatsune Congratulations to this Sushi standard for commanding top spot in our hearts, minds, and stomachs.

Readers SAID: “The best in Beijing” “great food, ambience and service” “favorites are the pimp my roll, 119 roll and motorola” “a sweet deal”

#2. Maison Boulud Beijing’s only Michelin star Chef has more than French food lovers seeking his restaurant.

Readers SAID: “Excelling in quality, service, location and understated elegance” “Best experience in China.” “Beijing has changed because of this restaurant.”

#3. The Saddle Cantina It’s no surprise that Beijing’s most talked about Mexican Restaurant landed the #3 spot.

Readers SAID: “best place to hang out in San Li Tun” “my go to bar for late evening” “most memorable evenings in Beijing”

#4. Element Fresh One of the most popular restaurants in Sanlitun, it hasn’t slowed since its opening two years ago.

Readers SAID: “Element Fresh has it all” “Their food is really good” “WOW!”

#5. Chuan Ban Visiting the “Chuan Ban” is much more than a rite of passage, it makes you more of a Beijinger.

Readers SAID: “Chuan ban still has what it takes” “nicest Sichuan food you’ll find anywhere” “food is really spicy”

#6. Duck de Chine – 1949 Duck de Chine and the compound it inhabits continue to be Beijing’s best kept secret. Perhaps that’s why everyone is searching for it.

Readers SAID: “1949 offers excellent Beijing Duck” “most expensive ducks in Beijing” “whole complex and experience is a pleasure”

#7. SALT One of Beijing’s defining restaurants stays in the minds of Beijinger’s by constantly revamping their menu.

Readers SAID: “SALT is an excellent restaurant with exemplary staff, service and cuisine” “Magnifique!” ” their praises are sung by many a Beijing Foodie”

#8. Ganges A Beijing standard, Ganges immediately comes to mind when thinking of Indian fare.

Readers SAID: “my new constant diner spot” “best Indian I’ve had in Beijing, and possibly ever” “Where do you go from here? India?”

#9. Luga’s With five different businesses, no other restaurateur owns so much of Sanlitun’s dining landscape.

Readers SAID: “Wow, people love this place” “quite packed late on the weekend” “Luga knows customer service”

#10. Din Tai Feng Rated as one of the top 10 gourmet restaurants in the world, its the standard for Taiwanese food in Beijing.

Readers SAID: “an impressive place to bring visiting friends” “best dumplings in town HANDS DOWN” “I don’t know what took me so long to eat here”

LumDimSaying: From ‘Angel Fingerprints’

“Grant that our hearts

May always be young

And our dreams may last forever.”

-  by Sharon Warren

in Angel Fingerprints

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

Couturier Designer Kathrin von Rechenberg

“Sublety and understatement are the hallmarks of Kathrin von Rechenberg’s style, combined with the technical excellence and meticulous attention to detail that are evident in every shaped, supple garment produced in her Beijing atelier.”

Originally from Munich, Kathrin von Rechenberg was trained under top Paris couturiers such as Jean-Louis Scherrer, Emanuelle Khan, Christian Dior, Christian Lacroix, and Chanel.

The timeless elegance in her own designs is evident from every aspect of her creations from the use of precious fabrics to every single piece handmade with traditional handiwork.

Her label’s signature fabric is tea silk, a rare and unique fabric tradition dating back to the Ming dynasty. The creation process alone is a 30-40 step process used with organic plant ingredients and uses nature’s very own water, sun, and sand to create it’s natural luster, that only becomes more beautiful with time.

Having her own label in Beijing for nearly a decade, Kathrin von Rechenberg most recently released her Spring/Summer 2010 Collection at The Opposite House at Sanlitun, Beijing this past April.

[For LumDimSum's Behind-the-Scenes Interview with Couturier Designer Kathrin von Rechenberg, click here.]

Visions of Modernity & Sound Kapital

A good friend of mine and very talented photographer, Matthew Niederhauser will be speaking at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in 798, showcasing his photo-documentary projects on urban development, consumerism and underground music in Beijing. Spotlighting his new book – Sound Kapital, Matthew reveals its sociological side and its relevance to “modern and cultured” living in Beijing.

“Should be a barrel full of monkeys.” – Matthew Niederhauser

Event Details:

• UCCA “China Stories” Series 8 :Matthew Niederhauser: Visions of Modernity & Sound Kapital
• Location: Ullens Center for Contemporary Art Auditorium
• Date:  Saturday, May 22, 2010
• Time: 16:00 – 17:30
• English with Chinese Translation
• Free Entry

INTRO=Ideas Need To Reach Out

INTRO 2010:

As the motto says --“Ideas Need To Reach Out” — INTRO is designed as a platform to express the belief in music as a vital element of connecting people; to showcase and support innovation in electronic music and digital art. It is run by people who love life, music, freedom, art and alternative culture for people who share that same love.”

- Miao Wong, Acupuncture Records

3 Stages

+

40 Top-Notch DJs & VJs
+
10,000 people
+
46,000 m² open-air plaza

= China’s Biggest Outdoor Electronic Music Festival

Hosted by Acupuncture Records, the second edition of Beijing’s international electronic dance music festival, INTRO, will be held this Saturday, May 22 @ D-Park.  1PM-10PM for an All Day Music Extravaganza.

Performing Artists:

• Robag Wruhme (Germany) -  a heavyweight historical figure in Germany’s electronic scene
• dOp (France)- a three-member new concept, live multi-style DJ/band
• Takkyu Ishino (Japan) - Godfather of Japan’s dance scene and head honcho of Japan’s biggest techno rave “WIRE”

“The electronic beats will ignite 10,000 hearts and souls while sending twice as many arms and legs into a dancing frenzy.”

Tickets:

///On-site tickets 200rmb:///Available at door upon arrival, cash only

///Pre-sale tickets (4,000 limited)///150rmb until May 20^th (while stock lasts)

Branch Out to the New Middle 8

My favorite restaurant for Yunan fare, Middle 8 not only opened up a new branch in The Place, but it also has a slightly different menu with plenty of veggie dishes and a range of seafood.  The Sauteed Bamboo Shoots (RMB 28), Grilled Tilapia with Red Bean Curd Sauce (RMB 49) and Wild Matsutake Mushroom (RMB 126) dishes were highlights of the meal, and if you’ve ever had the urge to try a Papaya Vegetable Salad (RMB 36) with pop rocks in the dressing, then Middle 8 is your calling.

Some of the dishes may have been a bit stranger than others, but overall, everything that we ordered was delicious and fell in the same reasonably priced range as the original restaurant within the walls of a sleek, contemporary setting.

Review of Middle 8: L404A, South Tower, The Place, No. 9 Guanghua Lu, CBD/Guomao  光华路9号, 世贸天阶南楼L404A, Tel: 6587-1431

Best Part:

• Quality dishes with fresh ingredients & delicious recipes. Some of the best vegetarian dishes in town.
• Everything is new and design is sleek & modern
• Prices are very reasonable – at about RMB 60-100 per person
• A great restaurant to introduce to groups of out-of-town visitors who would like to taste Yunan cuisine

Comments:

• While most of the dishes were totally on point, I must say that the papaya salad with pop rocks that sizzled in your mouth was quite unique and unexpected.
• Service seemed a bit inexperienced, but that is sure to improve in due time.
• As the Middle 8 in Sanlitun is constantly packed with a waiting list, this new branch in The Place is a great alternative.

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

• Food: 8
• Atmosphere: 7
• Service: 6
• Overall Experience: 7
  

Glitterati: Alfa’s Opening Party

If you were there to witness the mad house of Alfa’s soft opening party, then you won’t want to miss the Official Re-Launch of Alfa this Friday, May 21, featuring guest DJs VERTIGO & SEAN C. as they lead the Glitterati Entourage for a Night of Elite House.