A Fun Time at Afunti Cabare

How to entertain a massive group of 40+ friends for a big joint birthday party?

Afunti Cabare!

Their slogan: “We Produce Entertainment!” says it all.

Starting at 8PM, it’s non-stop action from dance and music acts to interactive audience competitions, an acrobat woman who can spin gigantic containers (with people inside!), kung-fu fighters, belly dancers, a crazy snake lady (I ran away for this part) and much more than both your ears and eyes can handle!

Although it was all way too loud and a bit cheesy for my liking, Afunti is a great place to come with a massive group of people to enjoy decent Xinjiang food and silly shows that are entertaining at best and aside from the snake lady, totally harmless and all in good fun.

Happy Birthday to both Miss Katy & Mr. Yannick!

Review of Afunti 阿凡提嘉年华: Opposite old Foreign Ministry, 188 Chaonei Dajie, Jia 2 Houguaibang Hutong , 朝内大街188号后拐棒胡同甲2号. Tel: 6527-2288

Best Part:

• Full on dining entertainment (Relieves all pressure for hosts to entertain their guests)

• It may be silly, but it is definitely a unique experience – one of those “only in China” kind-of-places
• Perfect to come with a big group to share in fun and jester
• Liang Mian was fantastic and so were majority of the dishes
• It’s been around for over 10 years, which is a rare find in this fickle and unpredictable city we call Beijing!

Comments:

• Not the best Xinjiang food, but it was decent and portions were very generous!
• Service was overbearing at times, but they were quite quick and quick to accommodate our requests and needs
• Expect a lot of confused tourists and majority local Chinese
• Entertainment is all quite cheesy and the sound was unbearably loud.  Don’t expect to carry on with any sort of conversations at your table.  Not that kind of place.
• Location is tricky to find if you haven’t been to this area before – but they have sign visible from main Chaonei Street, Opposite Old Foreign Ministry building
• All-in-all:  It’s super cheesy, loud and in-your-face, but it’s all in good fun and sometimes you just have to roll with it and enjoy it for what it is – a place that “produces entertainment!”.

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

• Food: 5
• Atmosphere: 2 or 7 (you either hate it or you love it)
• Service: 6
• Overall Experience: 5

Tune In for The Royal Wedding Live in Beijing

Witness Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the knot this afternoon with coverage starting around 3PM and the grand procession beginning around 5PM Beijing time.

Unless you are one of the few invited to the big screening at the British Embassy’s garden party or to a fellow Brit’s private viewing party, you’ll want to find a spot to watch this momentous event somewhere with screens and guaranteed coverage!  

theBeijinger’s got a great breakdown of venues around town covering the Royal Wedding  here.

Top pick for public viewing goes to The Stumble Inn with “a three-course meal fit for a king (or prince)”. RMB 198 per person gets you a free Pimm’s cocktail or a cup of tea to wash down your three courses of potted shrimp, toad in the hole with “bubble and squeak” (that’s potato and vegetables mashed together) and sherry trifle.

Event Details:

• Date: Friday, April 29, 2011
• Time: 5PM onwards
• Locations: The Stumble Inn
• Address: S3-31, 3/F, Sanlitun Village South, 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯路19号三里屯Village南区3号楼3层S3-31
• Tel: 6417 7794

Join the Effort to Save Brandnü with Gungho! Pizza

Brandnu (Wudaoying Hutong No 61 West) is a Beijing-based store and artisan network that connects the energy of young urban designers with the age-old traditions of Chinese craftsmanship. Their shop collects clothes, books, and unwanted goods to be sold, recycled and reused, with all profits directly benefiting rural women in China. They also stock handicrafts from various NGO supported projects as a means to both introduce traditional arts and to enable rural women to be economically independent.

A great store and business concept that is doing its part to make a difference, brandnü faces losing its store at Wudaoying Hutong unless it can pay up-front for 2 years rent (RMB 84,000!) by June 15, 2011.

As part of a fundraising effort to ‘save brandnü’, Gungho! Pizza will be joining them in the biggest pizza party of the season together with a special preview of their new (re)cycled, (re)designed, and (re)fashioned line: Yi+Yi.

Event details:

• Date: Sunday, May 1
• Time: Noon till pizza runs out
• Location: Brandnü Store
• Address: Wudaoying Hutong No 61 West
• Contact: Nathan Zhang，Email brandnuproject@gmail.com，Tel: +86 15011153421

Triple Threat: 3 Music Festivals for the 3-Day Weekend

This year’s 3-Day May Holiday Weekend will see 3 different music festivals – Strawberry, Midi and newcomer China Music Valley Music Festival.

While Strawberry and Midi will have a 3 day line-up for non-stop music and fun in the sun, China Music Valley (CMV) will only be on Saturday and Sunday.

Lucky for us, we have a 3 day weekend!

LumDimSum Breakdown of this Weekend’s Trio of Music Festivals:

1.  China Music Valley (CMV) Music Festival

CMV aka Pingu Music Festival will be held out by the capital airport at Yugang Ski Resort.

With some big names coming through like Avril Lavigne, Ladytron, Hot Hot Heat, KT Tunstall and Editors, be sure to allocate at least 1 day (either Saturday or Sunday) to check out this music fest.

Here’s the 2-Day Line-Up:

CMV Fest Day 1 (Saturday, April 30)

14:00-15:00 Deep Rainbow 深虹
15:00-16:00 Free the Birds 自游
16:00-17:00 Negative (Finland)
17:00－18:00 Rooney (U.S.)
18:00-19:00 F.I.R. 飞儿乐团
19:00-20:30 Juliette Lewis
20:30-22:00 Avril Lavigne
22:00－23:00 Huang Shu’ai 黄舒挨
23:00-23:30 Li Gaoyang 李高阳

CMV Fest Day 2 (Sunday, May 1)

14:00-15:00 Jiang Ting 姜听
15:00-16:00 Hot Hot Heat (U.S.)
16:00-17:00 Huang Xiaolong 黄小唬
17:00-18:00 Little Boots (U.K.)
18:00-19:30 Ladytron (U.K.)
19:30-21:00 Editors (U.K.)
21:00-22:30 KT Tunstall (U.K)
22:30-23:30 Huang Guanzhong 黄贯中

Tickets: Presale tickets from ¥200-380 via Piao.com.cn, Tel: 400-610-3721. Or, buy tickets at the door.
Getting there: CMV has outlined the transportation options to Yuyang Resort in this PDF. You can also grab a shuttle bus from Workers Stadium North Gate for ¥30 round trip, leaving every half hour from 10:30am-3pm.

2.  Midi Festival 2011

Celebrating their 12th year, Midi is the original Beijing rock & roll outdoor music festival.  This year will be moved from Haidian Park to Jinglandao Park.

Highlights: Voodoo Kungfu 零壹 & Long Shen Dao 龙神道 (Day 1, Tang stage), Mr. Big and DH, Chinese Hellcats and DJ Patrick Yu (Day 2), and Miserable Faith (Day 3).

Midi will be held 3 days with 3 stages with acts from about 1PM-10PM.  Expect solid rock and roll plus an electronic stage.

Here’s the 3-Day Line-Up:

Midi Day 1 (Saturday, April 30)

Tang Stage 唐舞台
14:30-15:00 Dahongpao 大红袍
15:20-15:50 Perdel 逃跑计划
16:10-16:40 Mr: Graceless
17:00-17:40 Gammalux (Germany)
18:00-18:40 Long Shen Dao 龙神道
19:00-19:40 Yaksa 夜叉
20:00-20:40 Subs
21:00-21:40 Voodoo Kungfu 零壹

Song Stage 宋舞台
14:00-14:30 56 Degree 56度
14:50-15:20 Exit A 出口A
15:40-16:20 The Dancers
16:50-17:30 Fall of Mirra (Singapore)
18:00-18:40 Suffocate 窒息
19:10-19:50 Fall Insects 秋天的虫子
20:20-21:00 Thin Man 瘦人

Yen Stage 焱舞台
14:00-15:00 Zhiqi
15:00-16:00 Ouyang
16:00-17:30 Donny Liu
17:30-19:00 Ben Huang
19:00-20:00 Blackie
20:00-21:30 Mickey Zhang

Midi Day 2 (Sunday, May 1)

Tang Stage 唐舞台
13:30-14:00 The Ghost Spardac
14:20-14:50 The On Fires (Australia)
15:10-15:40 Finger Family 指人儿
16:00-16:30 Namo 南无
16:50-17:30 Left Right 左右
17:50-18:30 Mongol800 (Japan)
18:50-19:30 Brain Failure 脑浊
20:00-22:00 Mr: Big (USA)

Song Stage 宋舞台
13:00-13:30 K362
13:50-14:20 Mya Audrey (Switzerland)
14:40-15:10 Misandao 蜜三刀
15:30-16:10 DH & Chinese Hellcats
16:30-17:10 Moyi 末裔
17:30-18:10 Good 4 Nothing (Japan)
18:30-19:10 SMZB 生命之饼
19:30-20:10 Tiantang 天堂

Yen Stage 焱舞台
13:00-14:00 Kora
14:00-15:00 Bobby
15:00-16:30 Jerryson
16:30-18:00 Jerry K
18:00-19:00 Patrick Yu
19:00-20:30 Dio

Midi Day 3 (Monday, May 2)

Tang Stage 唐舞台
13:30-14:00 Die From Sorrow 郁
14:20-14:50 Cafe-In 咖啡因
15:10-15:50 Velvet Highway 丝绒公路
16:20-17:00 Forty-Five 肆伍
17:30-18:10 Sand 沙子
18:40-19:20 Your Favorite Enemies (Canada)
19:50-20:30 Reflector 反光镜
21:00-21:40 Miserable Faith

Song Stage 宋舞台
13:00-13:40 Wings of Eternity 永恒之翼
14:10-14:50 The Fools 痴人
15:20-16:00 Dengel
16:30-17:10 Audio’s Pain (Spain)
17:40-18:20 Wang Bao and Zhengxu Yangguang 王宝和正午阳光
18:50-19:30 Ming’s Pretty Heroes (The Netherlands)
20:00-20:40 AK-47

Yen Stage 焱舞台 13:00-14:30 Baozi
14:30-15:30 Huang Weiwei
15:30-16:30 Donald Summer
16:30-18:00 X Lee
18:00-19:30 Eddie Lv
19:30-21:00 Yang Bing

Tickets: You can score presale tickets from ¥80-150/day viaPiao.com.cn, Tel: 400-610-3721. Or, buy tickets at the door.
Getting there: Grab a Midi Shuttle Bus from Pingguoyuan Station (Line 1) for ¥5. Or, take a taxi to Jinglangdao Park in Mentougou District (门头沟京浪岛公园).

3.  Strawberry Festival

Probably the biggest of the three, Strawberry’s 3-day line-up will feature 6 stages including the Strawberry Stage (the main stage), the Love Stage (pop/ alternative/ folk stage), the Overload Stage (metal stage), the Taiwan Stage, the electronic music stage and a stage for school bands.

Highlights:  Sound Fragment and Omnipotent Youth Society (Main Stage, Day 1), Black Head 黑撒, Miserable Faith 痛仰 and Re-Tros 重塑雕像的权利, Yang Chengang杨臣刚 (Day 2), and on the 3rd day: Bigger Bang, Queen Sea Big Shark (后海大鲨鱼), Hanggai (杭盖), and DJ Saul D.

Here’s the 3-Day Line-Up:

Day 1 (Saturday, April 30)

Strawberry Stage 草莓舞台
13:30-14:10 Nanwu 南无
14:30-15:10 Hang On The Box 挂在盒子上
15:30-16:10 Arms and Legs (US)
16:30-17:10 Brain Failure 脑浊
17:30-18:30 Sound Fragment 声音碎片
19:00-20:00 Omnipotent Youth Society 万能青年旅店
20:30-21:30 He Yong 何勇

Love Stage 爱舞台
12:30-13:00 Mix Market (JP)
13:30-14:00 Mushroom Band 蘑菇团
14:30-15:10 Candy Monster 糖果怪兽
15:50-16:30 Ding Ke 丁可
17:10-17:50 Liang Xiaoxue 梁晓雪
18:30-19:10 Maizi & Wei 麦子与微
19:50-20:30 The Cir 麦田守望者

Overload Stage 过载舞台
13:00-13:30 Velvet Road 丝绒公路
14:00-14:30 Logic Lose Control 逻辑失控
15:10-15:50 Moyi 末裔乐队
16:30-17:10 Army Of Jade Kirin 玉麟军
17:50-18:30 Four Five 肆伍
19:10-19:50 Left Right 左右
20:30-21:10 Twisted Machine 扭曲机器

Taiwan Stage 台湾舞台
14:00-14:30 SKARAOKE
15:10-15:50 Bear Baby 熊宝贝
16:30-17:10 Annie Duola 安妮朵拉
17:50-18:30 Little Nurse 小护士
19:10-19:50 女孩与机器人
20:30-21:10 林生祥

Electronic Stage 电子舞台
14:00-15:00 Terry Tu
15:00-16:00 Eric lee
16:00-17:00 QQ
17:00-18:00 Shen Yue
18:00-19:00 Zhi Qi
19:00-20:00 Weng weng
20:00-21:30 Elvis:T

School of Rock 校园舞台
12:00-12:20 Hocus
12:30-12:50 T76
13:00-13:20 赵彬
14:10-14:30 Unionbunny
15:10-15:30 太空漂移
16:10-16:30 Blue motion band
17:10-17:30 未完成
18:30-18:50 刺秦

Day 2 (Sunday, May 1)

Strawberry Stage 草莓舞台
13:30-14:10 Steely Heart 钢铁的心
14:30-15:10 Black Head 黑撒
15:30-16:10 AV Okubo AV大久保
16:30-17:10 Ye Pei 叶蓓
17:30-18:30 Hedgehog 刺猬
19:00-20:00 Miserable Faith 痛仰
20:30-21:30 Re-Tros 重塑雕像的权利

Love Stage 爱舞台
12:30-13:00 Me Guan Me (Me灌Me)
13:30-14:00 Tang Hongfei 唐荭菲
14:30-15:10 SUCCESS (France)
15:50-16:30 The Fallacy 疯医
17:10-17:50 Xu Fei & Jam 许飞及Jam乐队
18:30-19:10 Top Floor Circus 顶楼马戏团
19:50-20:30 Reflector 反光镜

Overload Stage 过载舞台
13:00-13:30 Multi-Ego
14:00-14:30 Chaine 拆呢
15:10-15:50 Institutional Crush 制度瓦解
16:30-17:10 Nuclear Fusion-G 核聚变-G
17:50-18:30 Yang Chengang杨臣刚
19:10-19:50 Minjie 冥界
20:30-21:10 Liquid Oxygen 液氧罐头

Taiwan Stage 台湾舞台
14:00-14:30 IO Band (IO乐团)
15:10-15:50 Coach (教练)
16:30-17:10 Cotton Candy (棉花糖)
17:50-18:30 Mr: Brown Chen (大囍门)
17:10-19:50 The White Eyes (白目)
20:30-21:10 Waa Wei (魏如萱)

Electronic Stage 电子舞台
14:00-15:00 Pancake Lee
15:00-16:00 Lupen
16:00-17:00 Patrick Yu
17:00-18:00 Donald Summer
18:00-19:00 Tobias Patrick
19:00-20:00 Sistema
20:00-21:30 XLF

School of Rock 校园舞台
12:00-12:20 Wet Sand
12:30-12:50 Liugenjin 六根筋
13:00-13:20 Wanju Bintuan 玩具兵团
14:10-14:30 Stupid Bird 笨鸟
15:10-15:30 Quark 夸克
16:10-16:30 Joe’s Heart
17:10-17:30 Gao Shan 高姗
18:30-18:50 Vast 茫
20:00-20:20 Po Shang Cun 坡上村

Day 3 (Monday, May 2)

Strawberry Stage 草莓舞台
13:30-14:10 Lazy Camels
14:30-15:10 Bigger Bang (大棒)
15:30-16:10 Zhou Yunpeng (周云蓬)
16:30-17:10 Life Journey (旅行团)
17:30-18:30 MONO (JP)
19:00-20:00 Queen Sea Big Shark (后海大鲨鱼)
20:30-21:30 Xie Tianxiao (谢天笑)

Love Stage 爱舞台
12:30-13:00 Haozi (浩子)
13:30-14:00 Finger Family (指人儿)
14:30-15:10 Rustic
15:50-16:30 The Ghost Spardac
17:10-17:50 Huang Yida (黄义达)
18:30-19:10 Hanggai (杭盖)
19:50-20:30 Second Hand Rose (二手玫瑰)

Overload Stage 过载舞台
13:00-13:30 641
14:00-14:30 The Falling (堕天)
15:10-15:50 Ego Fall (颠覆M)
16:30-17:10 SAW (锯)
17:50-18:30 Gear Rubber (齿轮橡皮)
17:10-19:50 Bing Yong (病蛹)
20:30-21:10 Yaksa (夜叉)

Taiwan Stage 台湾舞台
14:00-14:30 Huang Jie (黄玠)
15:10-15:50 Monkey Pilot (猴子飞行员)
16:30-17:10 Sugar Plum Ferry (甜梅号)
17:50-18:30 We Save Strawberry (草莓救星)
17:10-19:50 Luantan Ascent (乱弹阿翔)
20:30-21:10 Kimbo (胡德夫)

Electronic Stage 电子舞台
14:00-15:00 Verktget
15:00-16:00 Kimurahh
16:00-17:00 Mikey Dee
17:00-18:00 Howie Lee
18:00-19:00 Tnem
19:00-20:00 AMU
20:00-21:00 Saul D*
21:00-21:30 Harikiri

Tickets: You can score presale tickets from ¥60/day via Piao.com.cn, Tel: 400-610-3721. Or, buy tickets at the door.
Getting there: Take the Batong Subway Line to Tongzhou Beiyuan. There, you will find Modern Sky free shuttle buses, which depart every 20-30 minutes between 10am and 6pm. Return buses are available every 20 minutes from 6-10:30 pm with the last bus at 10:30pm. Alternatively, you can take a cab to Tongzhou Canal Park (通州运河公园) from the Tongzhou Beiyuan stop for about RMB30.

Whether or not you are into the local music scene, here are three good excuses to spend the weekend outdoors under the sun!

Weather should be spectacular all three days.

Happy Music Festing!

Fez Bar Re-Opening in Nali Patio

Following in the lead of Agua Spanish restaurant…half a year later, Fez Bar makes its move from Ch’ien Men 23 to Nali Patio starting this May until the end of summer.

Perched up on the 6th floor, Fez Bar will be re-opening as an ideal alfresco lounge (perfect once the weather heats up), starting this Sunday from 5PM until late.

Expect the same standards of VIP service and specialty cocktails, but it will be interesting to see how the design of their new venue will compare to their previous stunning Moroccan decor in Ch’ien Men and how Migas’ rooftop terrace will fare with neighboring competition.

Event Details:

• Date: Sunday, May 1
• Time: 5PM till late
• Location: Fez Bar
• Address: 6th floor of Nali Patio, Sanlitun North Street
• Contact: 5408 6188

LumDimSummary: SOS Charity Dinner at Karaiya

Within just about a week’s time, Time Out Magazine got just over 20 Beijing restaurants on board in a quick fundraising effort to support relief efforts in Japan with proceeds being donated to the Japanese Red Cross.

This past Sunday, both Hatsune and Karaiya Spice House in Sanlitun Village hosted tables with special set menus at RMB 300 per person with all proceeds donated directly to the cause.

Here’s a Taste of Karaiya’s SOS Charity Dinner Menu:

Trio of Chinese appetizers: Sliced Beef, Spicy Soybeans & Tofu Topped with Chili Peppers / Hand-Shredded Chicken and Onions with Crushed Ginger atop Flaming Mini Wok

Mandarin Fish with 2 Hunan Peppers / Hunan Spicy Pork Stir-fry with Pressed Tofu

Hot & Sour Soup / Spicy Pepper Diced Rib-Eye

Duo of Lightly fried Chinese Greens (Pea Sprouts and Towel Gourd)

Pork Fried Rice with Foie Gras (photo missing) / Mini Fruit Plate

Together, Hatsune & Karaiya Spice House alone raised a total of RMB 9,300.  The grand total from all restaurants will be confirmed shortly.

LumDimSum Snapshots of Karaiya’s SOS Charity Dinner:

RIDIC Kickball Tourney 2011

This past Saturday, Candice Lee aka C-DICE celebrated her birthday in style by hosting her 4th Annual Kickball Tournament.

A birthday party unlike any other in Beijing (and the majority of the world), Candice’s annual kickball tournament rounds up over 150 friends for a full-on day of friendly competition and non-stop fun.

As Candice so eloquently put it – “what better way to celebrate my birthday than being outdoors in costumes, cocktails, getting silly, kicking, and balls?”

My day started with a pre-tourney pump-up session at 9AM with jello shots and a text from my team captain Philana Woo that read,

“Dear Team: May the bloodz bleed, camp friends cry, wontons fry, cholos chafe and john k’s no name team be a no show. See you on the field!”

RIDIC Teams Breakdown:

Team Camp Friends

Co-Captains: Candice Lee & Hardy Simes

Team SABOTAGE

Captains: Philana Woo, Honora Shea & Tom Kidd

Team Cobra Kai

Co-Captains: John Korkidis & Meili Autumn

Team CBD Bloodz

Co-Captains: Yan Zhang & Jonny Haagen

Team Wonton Hitters

Captain: Jun Trinh

Team Chaoyang Cholos

Co-Captains: Matthew Niederhauser & Chace VanderWolk

With two giant buses shutting players out to the fields at 10AM, the games started after a few rounds of stretching, warm-ups and announcement of C-dice’s house kick-ball rules.

Games officially kicked off around 11am with 6 teams and games set up as run round robin with each game lasting about 40 minutes.

To sum up:

6 rounds of 40 minute games =

7 hours of heckling, beer chugging, spillage, competitive streaks, sneaky SABOTAGE and absolute kickball debauchery

LumDimSum Snapshots of RIDIC Kickball 2011:

Happy Birthday C-DICE!!!!

85 Broads: ‘The World of Fashion’ Progressive Dinner

The Beijing Chapter of 85 Broads is hosting an inspiring night of fashion within the splendid private dining residence of 92 Nanchizi this coming Tuesday, April 26 starting at 6:30PM.

85 Broads’ Progressive Dinners are ‘anchored’ by senior women who are leaders in their respective industries and have an interest in mentoring young talent.

85 Broads is an exclusive global women’s network inspiring, empowering, and connecting smart women worldwide.

This month’s progressive dinner will be giving guests a glimpse into the beautiful and fascinating world of fashion.

“It’s spring and as the seasons change, so must the world of fashion. We invite you to experience the whims and stories of our fabulous women in fashion. Inspiring us for the evening…”

Join 85 Broads for an engaging progressive dinner introducing three amazing women who ‘blaze their life adventures in style’ -

• Joanna Riley Weidenmiller — From decorated athlete to the F.B.I then marketing extraordinaire to professional model in China. Joanna blazes her way through life, finding adventure and expressing herself stylistically all the while. Featured on LadyBrilleMag, Ms. Weidenmiller is CMO and partner of 360fashion.net, a network of high-level fashion professionals using the latest web 2.0 and mobile technology to market their brands. Her focus and mission is to increase exposure, revenues and monetization for the leading brands as they go global. http://360fashion.net
• Lu Liu — Leaving home at 16 to explore the world, she gained her unique perspective growing up between an artistic family in China and a boarding school in the Leysin, Switzerland. Since fashion had always been an interest she went to Paris, France, and studied to become a fashion designer. After two years there, she went to New York, and graduated from Parsons School of Design in May 2006 with a Gold Thimble Award. She has dressed  P Diddy,  Rihanna, and graced the cover of Vogue magazine numerous times. Ms. Liu is one of the first Chinese fashion designers to open her own store with a ready-to-wear collection. http://lu1228.com/
• Elisabeth Koch — Always having been a head-wear fanatic, Elisabeth started her own vintage Collection Privée as a teenager. This led her to attend the renowned Wombourne School of Millinery in the UK. After graduation, she set up Elisabeth Koch Millinery in order to realise the hats in her sketchbooks. Ms. Koch has been featured in top fashion magus from Harper’s Bazaar to Vogue and her flair has dressed the British princess to be, Kate Middleton. http://www.elisabethkoch.net

Hosted in a beautiful courtyard on the east bank of the Forbidden Palace, enjoy a memorable private dinner within walls of splendid culture with a royal past.

“Once home home to Duoergun Regent 400 years ago, today this royal residence is a hidden gem used for private dining and exclusive events. 85 Broads Beijing Chapter members and guests will enjoy a night of inspiring style and dine next to a 500-year old Beijing city wall, upon which the courtyard was built. Please join us for this unique night in fashion and history.”

Event Details:

• Date: Tuesday, April 26, 2011
• Time: 6:30- Registration, 7:30 – Dinner
• Location: 92 Nanchizi
• Address: 92号 Nanchizi, Dongcheng,Beijing  南池子大街92号（由普渡寺前巷入)
• Tel:+86 138 0104 2177
• Cost: RMB 200 85 Broads Members / RMB 285 Non-Members  (advance purchase at Kocoon Spa or CC Sweets) Door: RMB 250 Members/RMB 335 Non-Members
• RSVP: Email: Beijing85Broads@gmail.com
• Website: 85Broads.com

85 Broads is an exclusive global women’s network inspiring, empowering, and connecting smart women worldwide.

A global network of 25,000 trailblazing women, the “founding members” of 85 Broads were women who worked for Goldman Sachs at 85 Broad Street, the investment banking firm’s former NYC headquarters. Over the past decade, 85 Broads expanded its membership to include women who are alumnae and students of the world’s leading colleges, universities, and graduate schools worldwide. Our members are located in 82 countries around the world and work for thousands of for-profit companies and not-for-profit organizations.

LumDimSaying: On Easter

“Easter tells us that

life is to be interpreted not simply in terms of things

but in terms of ideals.”

- Charles M. Crowe

Happy Easter!

x LDS

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

Interactive Yoga Charity: The Hutong and CAI

“Enjoy an Afternoon of Relaxation”

Hosted at The Hutong, Victor Chau will be giving a presentation about his month-long experience in an Indian Ashram.

Guests can enjoy Indian canapes, a brief roof-top yoga class, raffle prizes and a silent auction with items from Yoga Yard, OM42Yoga, Sassy Scrubs Body, Capital M, Kocoon Spa Lounge & Elixirs, Mughal’s and Dee Rawlins.

Proceeds from this event benefit will go to both Japanese Red Cross Society and CAI’s “Girls’ Basketball or Football for Life” project.

Event Details:

• Date: Sunday, April 24
  
• Time: 3:00PM-5:30PM
• Cost: RMB 50
• Location: The Hutong

• Address: #1 Jiu Dao Wan Zhong Xiang Hutong
• RSVP: erin@thehutong.com or janel@cai-china.org
• www.thehutong.com

Background:

• CAI (www.cai-china.org): A non-profit organization that works with the children of migrant families in both rural and urban China.
• Japanese Red Cross Society: Earthquake Donation Fund http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

The Hunt for Easter Brunch in Beijing

It’s ON – The LumDimSum Easter Hunt…for brunch!

Lucky for you, there’s plenty to choose from in Beijing from family-style brunches to free-flow champagne.

Practically every hotel is hosting their own Easter brunch, but I choose to opt away from hotel-style buffet brunches.  However, if you prefer the hotel setting, I hear the JW Marriott by the Ritz is the choice pick as they are also hosting their own Easter egg hunt.

…and if it’s really the traditional hunt for Easter eggs you’re after, then you can join Comptoirs de France in the biggest family Easter Egg hunt in Beijing.  The hunt begins at East Lake Villas starting 10AM. Prizes include giant Chocolate Eggs, Chocolate Bunnies…and apparently chocolate roosters as well!

Here are some Top-Notch Easter Brunch Deals around Town:

1. Capital M –

More than just a beautiful brunch spread, Capital M is also hosting performances by the Sunshine String Quartet (from the Beijing Sunshine Philharmonic Orchestra) starting just after brunch at about 4PM.

I can’t imagine a better way to digest brunch than listening to a program of Mozart, Handel, Pachelbel Johann and Bach.

For reservations, call: 6702-2727

2. Fennel –

Currently, my favorite brunch in Beijing – Fennel is phenomenal. See previous brunch review for Fennel here.

This Easter brunch, Fennel’s Easter Seafood Brunch (RMB 298 per person) will be adding a carving station with some easter roasts, a big cheese selection and extra desserts.

Don’t go without first making a reservation as they book out fast!  For reservations, call 6436-1818

3. Maison Boulud –

A magnificent choice for a memorable brunch, Maison Boulud is guaranteed to deliver both a quality brunch and 5-star service.

For reservations call 6559 9200

4. Sadler Ristorante –

Every Sunday, Sadler hosts a very sophisticated Italian brunch menu (see previous Sadler brunch post here), but Easter will be bringing on a special deal of just RMB 388 per person.

For reservations, call 6559 – 1399

5. SALT –

“Enjoy a relaxing Easter away from the crowds” on SALT’s open balcony terrace with a choice of 2 to 3-course brunch menu (see menu below).

For reservations, call 6437-8457

6. TERRA -

A champagne Easter brunch offering a 5-course menu, a bottle of champagne to share between two and free flow mojitos and caipirinhas (for RMB 458 each), this is quite an ambitious brunch!  Skip the free flow drinks and just enjoy the 5-course menu for RMB 288.

For reservations, call 6591-9148

Happy Easter Egg Hunting / Brunching!

Works on Paper: Mao Yan Exhibition Opening Party

This Saturday, April 23, Hadrien de Montferrand Gallery is hosting the opening party of its new exhibition, “Mao Yan: Works on Paper”.

Mao Yan has exhibited widely including at the Denmark’s Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen, the National Gallery of San Paolo, Brazil and the Minsheng Art Museum in Shanghai, China.

Event Details:

• Date: Saturday, April 23
  
• Time: 3PM-6PM
• Location: Hadrien de Montferrand Gallery

• Address: 798 Art District, No 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu
• Tel: 139 1165 1353
• www.hdemontferrand.com

Wear Your Music: Urbanista Headphone Launch Party

Local DJ stars Elvis T, DJ Saul, DJ Wordy and “grandmaster of Swedish hiphop” join forces in celebrating the release of Urbanista headphone collection and the beginning of a music blog, a platform for each artist to publish their own works together with tracks that influence them.

“Our music provides the public an alternative that the mainstream record labels can’t offer. I predict a major incline is about to happen in Chinas independent music scene very soon.” - ELVIS.T

Allowing you to “wear your music”, Urbanista fills a gap in the range of uniquely designed, fashionable headphones.

Event Details:

• Date: Saturday, April 23
  
• Time: 10:00PM
• Location: The House
  
• Address: North Gate of Worker’s Stadium, 工体北门

SOS Charity Dinners: Restaurants Rebuilding Japan

Strategically utilizing the strong network of Chi Fan for Charity‘s charitable stand-out restaurants and generous foodies around town, Time Out has quickly thrown together a quick fundraiser to support relief efforts in Japan with proceeds being donated to the Japanese Red Cross.

“By dining from the delicious SOS set menus at the participating restaurants on this very special evening, you will be supporting relief efforts in the worst hit areas of Japan.” – Time Out Beijing

This “SOS – Restaurants Rebuilding Japan” event will be hosted in over 20 fantastic restaurants all over town for one night only – this coming Sunday, April 24.

Some of the generous participating restaurants include Alameda, Carmen, Green T. House, Maison Boulud, Modo & Mosto (SOLD OUT), Hatsune & Karaiya Spice House, Nola, Terra, Samadhi Vegetarian Teahouse, Little Yunnan, etc.

Alan Wong has graciously offered to donate ALL proceeds to the cause for booked seats on this night – both Hatsune and Karaiya are RMB 300 per person for the set menu.  As seating is limited, for reservations at either Hatsune (Sanlitun Branch only) or Karaiya Spice House, please contact me directly: kristen@lumdimsum.com.

Hatsune SOS Charity Dinner

*10-course Menu*

3 types assorted Japanese appetizer

Sakekawa Salad:  Crispy salmon and snapper skin salad with light oil and vinegar dressing

Assorted Sashimi

Flory Hand Roll: Shiso mint leaf, scorched salmon and raw quail egg with black tobiko

Q Roll:
Fresh shrimp salad and deep-fried gobo age rolled and topped with fresh avocado, unagi, shredded shiso leaves, tobiko and unagi sauce

candy&caviar roll:
deep fried sweet potato, crab salad, avocado and cucumber topped with yellowtail, wasabi mayo and caviar

Steak Butteryaki: Top-grade tenderloin grilled in a light butter sauce

Clear soup with Steamed Clams

Yakiudon: Stir-fry udon with chicken and vegetables

Dessert: Cookie Spoons with Diced Mangos and Grapefruit

RMB 300 per person

Flory Hand Roll

Karaiya Spice House SOS Charity Dinner

*10 Dish Menu*

Trio of Chinese Appetizers:

Soy Marinated Sliced Beef /Tofu Topped with Chili Peppers /Spicy Soy Beans

Signature Mandarin Fish with 2 Hunan Peppers

Spicy Pepper Diced Rib-Eye

Hand-Shredded Chicken and Onions with Crushed Ginger atop Flaming Mini Wok

Hunan Spicy Pork Stir-fry with Pressed Tofu

Sizzling Rice Soup

Duo of Lightly fried Chinese Greens (Pea Sprouts and Towel Gourd)

Pork Fried Rice with Foie Gras

Fruit Platter

RMB 300 per person

Click here for full list of participating restaurants and “to whet your appetites”, you can also find links to the restaurants’ offered set menus for the night.

Event Details:

• Date: Sunday, April 24
• Location: 20+ restaurants all over Beijing (click here for full list of restaurants)
• Price: Set Menu Prices range per restaurant
• For More Info: email - hannah@timeoutcn.com
• Website: http://www.timeoutbeijing.com/features/Food__Drink/11366/SOS—Rebuilding-Restaurants-in-Japan.html

From Burberry to Hit FM: Keane Kills It in Beijing TWICE

After performing at the massively talked about, high-tech private Burberry fashion event last Wednesday night, Keane then performed for a second live music performance just a few days later at a much larger private party for Hit FM’s 8th birthday party at Tango on Saturday night.

With crazy raving reviews for shows, you can catch video clips of their star performance on both youtube and youku online.