Where True ‘Beijingers’ Grocery Shop: Sanyuanli Market

Tianyu Market is my main market now to do the majority of my grocery shopping- it’s in my hood so it’s conveniently located where I live (Tuanjiehu) and it covers most of my basic needs (fruits, veggies, spices, grains, stationary, household goods, electronics, etc.). And while they also have a separate building selling seafood and meats, truth be told, I’m too scared to step foot inside with all the fish guts all over the floor and some funky-looking specimens inside. *I know, I’m a pansy.*

So knowing my own limitations, I was thrilled to be introduced to Sanyuanli Market. This is my kind of place – the stalls and its products are clean, organized, and actually presentable. And the best part is that you don’t need to deal with the hassle of bargaining.  Prices are what they are – low and a great bargain.

This is THE market to get quality, fresh live seafood – everything from giant chunks of salmon to live trout and lobster.

In the fresh meat section, you can find everything from pig’s feet, chicken feet, and a giant lamb carcass to boneless, skinless chicken breast – I recommend paying a visit to the chicken lady (photo below).  All meat is presented in silver trays and cut on wood blocks and weighed all in front of you.

Sanyuanli's Chicken Lady

You may think that fruit and veggies are the same everywhere with little difference in price, and for the most part, this is generally true, but Sanyuanli carries some hard-to-find items like passionfruit and fresh mint, thyme, and basil. The more exotic fruits and vegetables are sold at an especially low price, considering most of them are imported.  A pack of 10 passionfruits is approx. RMB 25, box of fresh blueberries is RMB 18 (sold for RMB 23 at Tianyu market and RMB 25 at Jenny Lou’s). For veggies, I recommend the tomato lady and stall #91 (both photos below).

As someone who is rarely home and always on the go, I’m a big fan of products that either expire very slowly or not at all. For me, the dried fruit & nuts section is reason alone for me to make regular trips out to Sanyuanli. I recommend the lady at stall #15. I’m a big fan of her dried banana chips (no sugar added), almonds, walnuts, dried cranberries, goji berries, pine nuts, apricots, etc. With the exception of walnuts and more expensive nuts, most individual bags of fruits and nuts run between RMB 10-20 each and sampling is encouraged. 

Another highlight of Sanyuanli market is the imported goods shop, stall #31 which sells blocks of cheese, cereals, baked goods packets, freshly sliced prosciutto ham, cold cuts, canned goods, olive oil, sauces like BBQ sauce! and mustard, etc. I stocked up on Betty Crocker cookie mix packets for only RMB 18 each.  Needless to say, everything you find here will be cheaper than Jenny Lou’s and April Gourmet.

Happy shopping!

LumDimSaying: by Leo F. Buscaglia

“Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow,

it only saps today of its joy.”

-Leo F. Buscaglia

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

LumDimSum Discovery: Scarlett Lunch

With an extensive selection of wine and tapas, great weeknight promotions (like all-you-can-eat tapas for RMB 88 on their ‘Bodega Fever’ Thursdays) and the best valued cheese & cold cuts platters in town (see here for previous article on Scarlett’s cheese selection), Scarlett Wine Bar & Restaurant is a pretty popping destination for dinner and post-dinner drinks.

While Scarlett’s busiest hours are after sunset, Scarlett also offers an awesome Set Lunch Menu (RMB 88 for 2 courses, RMB 98 for 3 courses). If you ever find yourself in the Gongti hood during daytime, the set lunch is not only a great meal, it’s also great value.  And another bonus – Scarlett recently opened their outdoor terrace for seating if you prefer dining outdoors.

They have a selection for four different appetizers, but I recommend ordering one of their salads to start.  I got to try both the Mixed Greens with Crispy Bacon & Poached Egg and the Endives & Blue Cheese salads to start:

The highlight of the menu were the entrees – I ordered both the Spare Ribs and Broccoli & Parmesan Risotto.  *Note: I asked for smaller portions so that I could try more of a variety.  The regular portion of the spare ribs is normally double the size of what is pictured here.

Their Chocolate Fondant (RMB 48)- a warm, gooey chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream was not an included dessert on the set lunch menu, but a must-have treat for all chocolate lovers.

Review of Scarlett at Hotel G: Hotel G, No. A7 Gongti Xilu, 工体西路甲7, Tel: 6552-2880

Best Part:

• Scarlett’s glorious cheese counter with the best valued cheese & cold cuts combo platters – RMB 128 for a large plate of 5 cheeses & 3 cold cuts
• High Quality European cuisine- everything from the ingredients, taste and presentation
• Trendy, stylish interior design within one of Beijing’s best boutique hotels, Hotel G
• Very professional and personable management and service

Comments:

• On Saturday, July 31st, Scarlett will host a ‘Wine & Cheese Buffet’ with free flow of selected wines and Scarlett’s famous cheese selection and cold cuts for only RMB 288! From 8pm to 10pm.
• Other great weeknight promotions:
  • Tuesdays:‘Mussels and Wine Flight’. 4 different flavors of mussels with 3 selected wines for only RMB98
  • “Cote de boeuf Wednesdays”. Enjoy prime single bone rib eye steak for two and 1 bottle of Burgundy wine for RMB 538
  • ‘Bodega Fever’ Thursdays : all you can eat tapas for only RMB 88! Plus glass of sangria at only RMB 38.
  • ‘Thank God it’s Friday’ all standard drinks for RMB 25. TGIF Coupons are on sale. Buy 5 coupons and get the 6th drink for free!
  • ‘Sunday Roasts’ for RMB 138, experience 3 special roasts along with semi buffet of salads, cheeses, cold cuts and desserts and free flow Bloody Marys! Freshly brewed coffee or a selection of tea included
  • ‘Half Price Sundays’ 50% off your total food bill!

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

• Food: 8
• Atmosphere: 8
• Service: 9
• Overall Experience: 8

LumDimSum Discovery: Vineyard’s English Breakfast

Vineyard's Full English Breakfast (RMB 68)

The Vineyard Cafe’s Full English Breakfast has long been reason alone to make the trip there. For only RMB 68, you get the following (photo above):

2 Pork Sausages

Sautéed Potatoes

2 Rashers of Bacon

Grilled Tomato

Button Mushrooms

Baked Beans

Toast & Butter

Egg (however you like it)

Your choice of coffee or tea

In addition to their popular Full English Breakfast, they have most recently updated their Brunch Menu to add a Vegetarian Brunch Set Menu (RMB 63) along with the option to customize your own breakfast plate.

I opted for a combination of the Classic English Breakfast and the Vegetarian Meal Deal -

2 Rashers of Bacon

2 Sausages

Button Mushrooms

2 Vegetarian Patties

Over-easy Egg

Whole Meal Toast

Total: RMB 53

Another great brunch menu item is their Eggs-Benedict (RMB 26):

The Vineyard’s New Brunch Menu:

Review of Vineyard Cafe: 31 Wudaoying Hutong,Yonghegong - west of Yonghegong; 五道营胡同31号  雍和宫桥南; Tel: 6402-7961

Best Part:

• Great value for a hearty brunch meal – Full English Breakfast is a great deal
• Venue has a nice outdoor dining space and I personally love the use of the hutong style space.
• Conveniently located by the Yonghegong subway stop, just across from the Lama Temple
• Giant glass of fresh squeezed juices and smoothies only RMB 25.
• Consistent, quality food every time.

Comments:

• Their Full English Breakfast used to come with fresh squeezed apple juice, which was a highlight. Now you can choose between coffee and tea and they were inflexible when asked if that could be substituted (even for drink items at a lower cost than coffee/tea).
• Service is a bit slow and staff did not speak very good English.
• They book up, so I recommend making a reservation in advance.
• Best to check map to make sure you don’t get lost:

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

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

Summer Shape Up: 12-Week Body Challenge

A haven for health fanatics, the World Health Store is equipped to provide you with health living solutions with over 50 years of experience in health & wellness, fitness and natural home living.

They host regular cooking classes including Jennifer McClelland’s Raw Foods Classes (offered once a month) and their stores sell everything from vitamins & minerals, organic & natural packaged foods, sports supplements & proteins, natural beauty & body care and eco-friendly household goods.

This summer, the World Health Store and Zeta Bar Hilton Beijing are co-organizing a 12-weeks body transformation challenge to motivate Beijingers to transform their bodies in 12 weeks. At the end of the 12 weeks, there will be a final party at Zeta bar with a panel of judges to decide the winners and contestants enter various competitions on the night with generous prizes to be won.

Challenge Details:

Transform Your Body & Life!

WIN Up To RMB100,000 In Cash & Prizes

A – The Best Male “Before” and “After” Transformation
B – The Best Female “Before” and “After” Transformation
C – The Best Overall ( Male vs. Female)

Step 1. Take a “Before” picture. This must be done between July 1, 2010 –July 14, 2010. In the photo, you must hold a recent magazine front cover of Time Out, The Beijinger or Agenda as proof of date. You can download a contestant form and find more information at: www.whs-12weekchallenge.com. Or visit one of the World Health Store locations to pick-up a hard copy. Please send all applications with photos to competitor@whs-12weekchallange.com or drop hard copies off at one of the stores. The deadline date is July 15, 2010 for all submissions. No applications and photos are accepted after this date.

Step 2. Eat Healthy & Exercise for 12-weeks. Take the best “After” picture after completing the 12-week program. You will also be required to take photos every two weeks during the challenge for progress proof. Finalists will also be judged by their inspirational stories – not just photos. Only fair play and natural results will be accepted. Cheaters are disqualified.

Step 3. All competitors must have their final photos submitted before September 10th. In the photo, you must hold a recent magazine front cover of Time Out, The Beijinger or Agenda as proof of date. In addition to the photo, please write a 500-word essay sharing how the past 12 weeks changed a/ your appearance b/ your life attitude.

Step 4. Finalist and winners will be presented with grand prizes on Thursday October 14th 2010 at the Hilton Beijing at “The World Health Store Fitness Expo Night.” At the Fitness Expo – there will be a men’s bodybuilding, men’s fitness, women’s bikini/fitness competition along with further cash and prizes. There will be many door prizes, proteins and energy cocktails for all! The World Health Store’s Fitness Expo Night Kicks Off at 7pm! Tickets can be purchased beforehand for savings! Tickets available at the World Health Stores, The Hilton & participating partners.

Contact:
For more information, please visit: www.whs-12weekchallenge.com. Email info@whs-12weekchallenge.com. Or visit World Health Store’s two locations: *Note; include the addresses

LumDimSaying: by Muhammad Ali

“Champions aren’t made in the gyms.

Champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision.”

-Muhammad Ali

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

LumDimSummary: BLING’s Go-Go Girls

Introducing BLING’s LA Ladies:

Candace Pittman

Doannie Nguyen

Jacquelyn

& Lisa Kaye

For one weekend only, these four GO-GO Girls will be shaking their booties at BLING. Don’t miss their finale performance this Saturday!

Here’s a recap of the first night:

LumDimSum Discovery: Lollipop Bakery’s Cupcakes

I consider these mouth-watering cupcakes as my ‘precious’ little treasures. It’s hard to be in a room with them and not turn into Gullum from Lord of the Rings and claim all the cupcakes as “My Precious”.

These cupcakes are sensational and they taste even better than they look.

I’ve had the fortune of sampling a variety of their flavors from vanilla, chocolate, red velvet, and carrot, which has been my personal favorite thus far.  It’s got the perfect balance of cinnamon and sweetness.

The latest addition to Lollipop Bakery’s Gourmet cupcake flavors is the Spiced Carrot Cupcake, which has wonderful hints of cinnamon and ginger complementing the moist carrot cake, and is perfect with a tall glass of iced coffee. 220RMB/dozen

Freshly baked to order using quality imported ingredients, each individual cupcake is finished by hand with a soft buttercreme frosting, and beautifully packaged.

*Note: Order 24 hours in advance, minimum order is 1 dozen cupcakes (Free delivery with minimum order of 2 dozen cupcakes)

LumDimSum Discovery Explanation: Whenever I try a dish worth sharing, I will post this find as a LumDimSum Discovery.  Just click tagged LumDimSum Discovery articles for more recommendations.

Third Time’s a Charm: ChinaDoll Re-Opens Once Again

Since they first opened in 2008 just before the Olympic Games, ChinaDoll 3.3 has undergone renovations and adjustments quite a few times.

Their third Re-Opening party, tonight ChinaDoll hosted a soft-opening party for their Sky Bar.

Other than The Beach (Block8) & Kokomo, Sky Bar is one of the few rooftop bars in Beijing that boasts such a big space and in my opinion, very closely resembles The Beach’s style, but instead of sand, they feature a shallow water tank.

Scoping out the crowd, spotting the model crew and checking out the VIP section with their plush sofa chairs, I conclude that Sky Bar’s scene is very much a mash-up of Suzie Wong’s and Xiu (Park Hyatt).

Sponsored by Cointreau, the event featured Lady Gaga impersonator performances (which included 2 Lady Gagas & 1 Man Gaga) and girls dancing in water tanks (another idea “borrowed” from Block 8).

A spacious, outdoor rooftop venue with a long, fully-stocked bar, DJ and dance floor, along with lounge couches, sofas and round tables surrounding a water tank in the center of the space and a mermaid on the side with a big screen showing the World Cup in the back, this outdoor venue is about to give The Beach at Block 8 a run for their money.

LumDimSum Photo Gallery of ChinaDoll’s Sky Bar Soft-Opening Party:

Beijing Sunset: A Sight for Sore Eyes

Beijing Sunset above Jianwai SOHO

As I was speed racing on my bike across the city yesterday in a rush to another meeting, I did something I rarely do.  I stopped and for good reason. Not for traffic.

I stopped on Chang An Jie to take out my camera and take a snapshot of the sunset spread across Beijing’s skyline.

Such a shame that it is such a rare sight to see blue skies and white clouds through Beijing’s constant muggy overcast sky, much less sunsets. So you can imagine my immense happiness to witness such a sight for sore eyes.

Last time I saw blue skies and clouds, I went a little bonkers.  Click here to see some proof that blue skies, clouds and clean air can exist on occasion in Beijing.

Flipping through old photos the other day, I was overwhelmed with nostalgia when I saw some snapshots of some stunning sunsets in Santa Barbara, California.  These photos were all taken from my apartment’s balcony, which overlooked the ocean.

A glimpse of the beauty that is Santa Barbara:

Playboy Go-Go Girls @ BLING

Go BLING Go

LA’s top GO-GO dancers pay a visit to Beijing’s Hottest Hip-Hop Club.

Out of 10 GO-GO girls, you chose which four you think can shake the most booty at BLING and they are now ready to take Beijing by storm. Click here for the 10 girls that you voted for on Clubzone.

The girls who made the cut:

• Candace

• Lisa Kaye

• Doannie

• Jacquelyn

Straight from LA, four vixons will be letting loose. Exclusively @ BLING.

• Date: Friday & Saturday, June 25 & 26
• Time: 9pm-late
• Cover: RMB 80
• Reservations for table bookings are highly recommended: Hill: 138 1085 8776

Beijinger Spotlight Interview: Candy Lin

Founder of candy&caviar, Candy Lin is spotlighted in the most recent Agenda Magazine with a 2-page spread featuring an in-depth interview about how she created her fashion label and the instantaneous success she received with celebs like Will.i.am and Jay Chou proudly sporting her designs.

“Beijing could use candy & caviar. Maybe that’s why I chose Beijing – the people here are very open-minded about up-and-coming fashion, which is why it’s great to be here.” – Candy Lin on Beijing’s Fashion Scene

From candy&caviar’s beginnings and philosophy to her charity program Project 141, Candy is well on her way to making big waves in the fashion world.

*To read the full theBeijinger article, click here.

candy&caviar Showroom Address:

China Central Place, Building 16, Room 921

www.candyandcaviar.com

ChinaDoll Relaunch: Sky Bar Soft-Opening Party

Once again, ChinaDoll 3.3 is back.

This Wednesday, June 23, ChinaDoll will be hosting a Sky Bar Soft-Opening Party by Cointreau.

Open to the Public after 9PM.

RSVP: 13601382267/13811081896 or Email: chinadollevents@gmail.com

Official relaunch is scheduled for Friday, July 16.

Global Times Goes to Sushi School

Global Times reporter, Michael Gold takes on Hatsune’s Sushi Samurai Challenge, a chance to learn sushi making trade secrets by Alan Wong himself.

In this article here, Michael recaps his experience “getting his hands dirty” in the 2 1/2 hour sushi making class and interviews Alan on what sets Hatsune apart from the rest.

“If you’re not from California, you just don’t have what it takes to make real California-style sushi,” Alan said. “Hatsune is the first one to do this, and we’re still the best.”

*Meet Hatsune’s Sushi Samurais here – A LumDimSummary of the Hatsune Sushi-Making Class earlier this month.

Second Bite: Lei Garden

My second trip to Lei Garden, I left quite disappointed. I admit their dim sum is delicious, but it’s too expensive, the portions are way too small, and if you go for a late lunch, then half the menu is sold out and no longer available.  But I really should not complain because at the end of the day, it was yummy dim sum and good dim sum is rare to come by in Beijing.

Highlights of my meal were the Mushroom & Veggie Baozi, Shao Mai, Beef Tripe and BBQ PorkRice Noodle:

Since half of the dim sum menu was sold out, the other dishes we ordered were a bit off the wall especially since the entire menu was only in Chinese and decided to just randomly order off the menu:

It’s such a shame that quality dim sum is not prevalent AT ALL in Beijing.  If you want good dim sum, you need to pay a pretty penny and the better dim sum is always in some sort of office building or hotel.

Where oh where are the little carts filled with steam baskets with Cha Xiu Bao (叉烧包) and Siu Mai (燒賣)??

Review of Lei Garden: 3/F, Jinbao Tower, 89 Jinbao Jie, Wangfujing – beside The Regent Hotel 金宝街89号金宝大厦3层 丽金酒店东侧, Tel: 8522-1212

Best Part:

• A popular dimsum destination, Lei Garden is always full (reservations are recommended)
• Quality dim sum in terms of quality ingredients, taste and presentation
• Clean, hygienic environment

Comments:

• Get there early or you run the risk of having all your dim sum favorites already sold out after the brunch rush.
• Portions and size of dim sum is miniature. They say good things come in small packages, but I prefer good value.
• Dim Sum Menu is all in Chinese and no photos making it quite difficult to order.  Come prepared with your dim sum vocabulary.
• Venue design is generic and staff and service is quite stiff and formal making the experience feel like you’re dining in a hotel.  Dim Sum should be a casual, comfortable affair.

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

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