Both restaurants are not only famed in Beijing for serving quality cuisine and having exceptionally beautiful design, both establishments are regularly praised for having the highest standards of service and most capable waitstaff in town. Until recently, I have had nothing but good things to say about the food, atmosphere and service at both restaurant venues.
Last weekend, two big groups gathered for Sunday Brunch – one at Maison Boulud and one at Capital M and both groups left feeling both dissatisfied and cheated.
The brunch at Maison Boulud started out very promising. As soon as people arrived, staff started serving champagne and the executive chef even came out to introduce himself and a special tasting brunch menu provided especially for our group. The appetizers were all very tasty, but the portions were small to share between so many people and the mains included a lot of omelette and pasta dishes, which was not exactly up to par with what I would expect Maison Boulud to showcase. But overall, the food was the least of our complaints.
Maison Boulud charged RMB 140 per glass of champagne – the same champagne that they readily brought out and refilled throughout brunch, so no one knew how much they each had consumed. And even those who weren’t drinking at brunch, still paid a hefty price for non-alcoholic drinks. Each orange juice was RMB 55 and a pot of tea came out to be RMB 400 (they charge per cup instead of per pot).
I understand that Maison Boulud is a high-end establishment, but in the case that drink prices add up to more than the price for the meal, either the group was dying of thirst that day or more likely, they were overcharged. That’s fine if they want to charge RMB 140 per glass of champagne, but then they should not bring it out without anyone first ordering it and refilling without asking. And if you charge RMB 400 for a pot of tea, then you should first explain the charge rather than leave it all a surprise in the end.
No one had asked for bottled water or refills, but Capital M’s staff continued to refill all glasses throughout the brunch and in the end, they charged a pretty penny leaving each person to throw down another RMB 80 just for water consumption alone.
Beware of unexpected drink charges the next time you are dining out. Unless the restaurant specifically tells you it’s complimentary, chances are anything you are served (even if it was never ordered to begin with) will most likely be tacked on to your bill.
“There’ll be an array of dark delights for your entertainment including howlingly good happy hour drinks (until 10.30pm), freakishly tasty finger food, eccentric entertainment and a ghostly gallery of raffle prizes…and be sure to wear your freakiest Halloween costume as there’ll be a prize for the best dressed guest.“
“Veil it, paint it, or mask it; just come as anything else but yourself.”
“From the sexy to the scary, freaks of all varieties get down and dirty at the 706 Factory with the Yen party crew, where “skin is in” and your lustful longings can come out to play.”
To order, e-mail: cupcakes@lollipopbakery.cn
“Meet top level fashion professionals from Italy, France, USA who gather together with the China Fashion Industry to discuss how East and West come together, push forward, and develop their international brand images.” – 360Fashion
This confernece is limited in space, so REGISTER online. Registered guests of 360Fashion attend for FREE.
While they’ve been open to the public for about a month now, this event marked their official opening.
Serving champagne and sample trays with a range of mini cupcakes and other desserts, Colibri’s manager Kelly Wang introduced Colibri’s concept, vision, background about their head chef Kim and of course her delightful cupcakes and concluded with a video showcasing film clips of cupcake shots in everything from Sex & the City to Devil Wears Prada.
Click here for previous review of Colibri Cafe.
One of the strongest charity events of the year, Chi Fan for Charity has gathered 33 of the city’s top restaurants to simultaneously host a table of ten people for a minimum three course meal and wine. The restaurants are donating the food and drink for free, so your payment for the meal goes direct to three, genuinely great local charities (Prevention Through Education (HIV/AIDS Awareness), Dandelion School and Rural Women’s Charity, a practical skills training School for Migrant Women). This event is perfect for people who want to enjoy an exceptional meal while contributing to worthwhile causes by “eating for charity”.
Participating restaurants include everyone from Maison Boulud, Capital M, the entire Hatsune Restaurant Group (Hatsune, Kagen, Kagen Teppanyaki and Karaiya Spice House), Bei & Sureno in the Opposite House, Modo, Red Capital Club, The Courtyard, and many many more. Tickets are available from the website but better hurry as many tables are already sold out and the rest are selling out fast.
Similar to the Hatsune 9 year party, there will be a Chi Fan for Charity After Party at Hatsune Sanlitun Village with free flow drinks from 10PM-1AM, DJ Patrick Yu will be spinning tunes and everyone from the various restaurants all coming together! For those who don’t have the time or the budget to commit to dinner, the after party is a great way to come out to contribute to these worthwhile causes and show your support. Tickets are RMB 150 in advance (pay here: www.chifanforcharity.org) or RMB 200 at the door. However, guests who buy a ticket to a table will gain free entry to the afterparty at Hatsune. And yes, there will be sumo suits. :)
Book your seat at a table here: www.chifanforcharity.org.
Everyone is welcome and don’t forget to dress in your university colors!
Inspired by the beauty of black & white movies, candy&caviar’s Spring ’11 collection exudes a new air of dark sophistication and bold confidence.
Simona Grey Dress/Valentina Silk Long Dress/Renee Black Romper
Ava Silk Double Layer Dress/Elsa Open-Back Taupe Dress/Daniella Grey Silk Romper
北京市朝阳区建国路 89号华贸商务楼4号楼1905室
China Central Place, Building 4, Suite 1905
Beijing, China
I encourage anyone who finds themselves with extra time to spare before or after a trip to the capital airport to stop by Langham Place and check out their gallery by Affordable Art Beijing. This particular exhibition will be on display until the end of November, after which will present a new exhibition by AAB’s top artists.
If you are interested in some of the particular art pieces in this exhibition, you can contact AAB Founder Tom Pattinson directly – tom@affordableartbeijing.com.
To check out more contemporary art, you can browse local artists on AAB’s website here.
Contestant Tony Nicholson wins Best Male and Best Overall Body Transformation
They started with over 50 contestants, which was narrowed down to 10 finalists who competed last Friday for their chance to win over 100,000rmb worth of cash and prizes. The energy in the room was high and the suspense was intense.
10 Finalists Group Pic
See here a before and after shot of Tony Nicholson, winner of both “Best Male” and “Best Overall” categories. Not only was his change the most drastic, going from 24% body fat to 8%, he displayed a home-made video of his 12-week journey winning him thousands in gift certificates and prize money.
“Best Male” & “Best Overall” winner Tony Nicholson lost 16% body fat!
“Best Female” winner, Dorothy Cronin lost 16 kilos and over 22 inches!
As one of the four judges (representing both LumDimSum and the Hatsune Restaurant Group), it was difficult to choose just one winner knowing how hard each contestant worked over the 12 weeks, each one making life-changing steps toward a healthier lifestyle. Not only was it inspirational, it really goes to show that exercise and a healthy diet really does make a world of difference.
Packed at all hours of the day until the wee hours of the night, my chuar spot is pumping pretty much 24 hours a day. They offer a wide selection with relatively fresh ingredients (for a Chinese chuar corner) with the constant flow of customers and they’ve got amazing chicken wing chuar 鸡翅串.
One of my favorite spots after a night out or even at sporadic times throughout the week, I highly recommend my chuar corner to anyone who passes by the Tuanjiehu ‘hood.
Address: Across from the Gynecology hospital just south of Chaoyang Park West Gate on Tuanjiehu Road, 北京市朝阳区团结湖路
