From Foie Gras to Fondant: BJ FOoDiEs Charity Dinner at Bistro 108

Having generated a lot of interest, my previous review of Bistro 108 features a new restaurant gem. While there are certain restaurants that appear that everyone knows about as soon as they open, there are others that seem to fly under the radar but that you get told about by the fans. This is a prime example of a recommended restaurant by fellow FOoDiEs who really know their food.

Tucked away in a strange complex just opposite the US Embassy, Bistro 108 is hospitable and cozy and the French dishes were all spot on and very reasonably priced.

Bringing together foodies from across the city, this Sunday, June 11th, the BJ FOoDiEs team is hosting their monthly charity dinner at Bistro 108 with a fantastic 3-course menu featuring their signature menu dishes.

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Nooxo: Nourishing Soups, Smoothies & Grain Bowls

Slurp It Up: Smoothie Bowls at Nooxo

Comparisons between Nooxo and Moka Bro’s are inevitable. The healthy bowls, the smoothies, there are vegan and vegetarian friendly options, there are a lot of similarities between the two. But Beijing is a big city and we could all use some more options for our “healthy options” dining list. Oh, did I mention that all of Nooxo’s dishes are also dairy free?

Nooxo does however stand on its own merits and is worth a visit.

“Nooxo started with a really simple idea: to create a lifestyle brand that focuses on building a healthy and active community with our signature smoothies and Nooxo bowls.”  – Nooxo

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小SUSU Hosts BJ FOoDiEs Charity Feast

One of my all-time favorite spots to impress out-of-town guests – the stunning hutong courtyard restaurant serving vibrant and flavorful Vietnamese cuisine Susu has just opened a second branch in the new China World Mall (north zone) called 小SUSU.

Working with the same team who created the original Susu, a dreamy courtyard tucked in an old Beijing hutong south of 美术馆, designers Rania Ho and Wang Wei of Kupa Studios have once again done their magic with 小SUSU. Incorporating Susu’s signature cement blocks into the new venue’s design retains a level of familiarity with the original space while adapting to its new modern surroundings alongside Beijing’s growing skyline of iconic architecture.

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Home Grounds: Comfort Aussie Cuisine

Don’t Let the Gym Upstairs Fool You, Home Grounds is Not Only Healthy Food

International Wonderland has always puzzled me. While the location is prime with its close proximity to Sanlitun’s plethora of restaurants and bars and there are plenty of foreigners who live in the apartments above, you’d think it there would be a lot more happening in the 1st floor retail outlets. But the shops below have always seemed random and empty. Seemingly the only business with any ambition was Parlor. But things are changing quickly with the arrival of Base Fit fitness center (2nd floor) and Home Grounds restaurant (first floor).

While Base Fit and Home Grounds are new in Beijing, this is the same team behind Living Bigg, which was a gym just next to original Hatchery location by Tuanjiehu subway exit B. Since the demise of The Hatchery last year, the Hatchery moved to a new location just south of Zhangzizhonglu subway station on Dongsi Jiutiao 东四九条 in the dynamic co-working space called 5LMeet. Living Bigg has also expanded to a second platform and moved most classes to Base Fit, from Tuanjiehu to Sanlitun’s International Wonderland. Although they are no longer associated with the Hatchery, they have opened up their own restaurant called Home Grounds, located just below Base Fit.

With its association and close proximity to a gym, you might expect that Home Grounds would be focused on healthy salads and juices. In fact, the menu does have a handful of salads and they do serve juices, but that is not at all their focus or what they’re about. Their menu is designed for taste and comfort, and anyone who is calorie counting or on any paleo or gluten-free diet will be sorely disappointed. #sorrynotsorry #yourdietyourchoice

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Bistro 108: Brilliant French Brasserie

There are certain restaurants that appear that everyone knows about as soon as they open. Then there are others that seem to fly under the radar but that you get told about by the fans. Bistro 108 has been on my radar as a recommended restaurant from a few different foodies but we still weren’t quite sure what to expect.

Tucked away in a strange complex just opposite the US Embassy, Bistro 108 is one of a series of restaurants that have opened with little to no fanfare. The complex itself is called CaoChang and looks like a developer built half, then ran out of money and didn’t build the other 50%. More than half of the area is simply an empty concrete square. Quite strange as a first impression and also very quiet when we went on a Friday evening.

Either way, this is all relatively unimportant because Bistro 108 completely exceeded our expectations and deserves a lot more coverage! We were the only two people in the restaurant at 20:00 on a Friday night but that didn’t matter because the service was hospitable and friendly without being awkward or over-bearing and the French dishes were all spot on and very reasonably priced. Fellow Foodies in Beijing – get excited about this new find!

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The Southern Fish 渔芙南: From Humble Boutique to Mighty Mansion

There were tears shed when the little restaurant in a narrow hutong near Dashilar called The Southern Fish 渔芙南 closed last month. This cozy, quaint little restaurant was a gem of a find back in March 2015 and although it was tricky to find, the fiery home-cooked Hunan fare made it worth the effort.

But Beijingers know far too well how quickly things change in this fickle capital, especially when it comes to the F&B scene. Lucky for us, The Southern Fish was ahead of the game. Turns out that they only closed their Dashilar branch a few weeks before they opened a bigger branch in Fuchengmen.

When fellow foodie Joel Shucat of The Orchid Hotel told me last week that Southern Fish had reopened near Fuchengmen, it was all I could think about. From their Dianping page, I could tell it was much bigger from the last one, but I still felt wholely unprepared for the grand size of the new branch.

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Weightless Wonder: AWA Health Float Therapy

Combat Beijing Pollution with Salt Therapy & Experience Sensory Deprivation with Float Therapy

I first tried floating about 3 years ago in a dingy basement in San Francisco at the insistence of a friend who swore by it. First impressions were not promising as the place we went to was not exactly where you want to be put into a tank and left in the dark. But the owner seemed to be nice enough and there was a friendly dog there, which is a good sign. #animalssenseevil  The owner was well-versed in all the benefits of sensory deprivation and was patient in walking us through the steps and process as it was my first time.

The sensation is amazing. For the first few minutes, your brain will bounce around thinking about a million different things, but eventually, you simply lose track of your body and with conscious effort, you can quiet your mind leaving you in a state of unparalleled relaxation.

The water is set to the same temperature as the average human body so you don’t need to worry about getting cold or being too warm. Done right, the goal is for you to be completely content and forget your body exists. Because you float with all the salt water in the tank, unlike lying in bed, you won’t get a dead arm/shoulder/neck cramp. There is no pressure anywhere on your body, there is no need to fidget or adjust any position in your body.

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Indulge for a Cause: BJ FOoDiEs at Haiku by Hatsune

While often used as the guinea pigs during the soft opening of new restaurants, the BJ FOoDiEs group is very much in the loop when it comes to new restaurant openings and all too familiar with the pros and cons of hitting up these new restaurants in big numbers. While they tend to have forgiving expectations when it comes to service speed and efficiency, they still expect to be fed well and leaving every event feeling like they got a great meal in taste, portions and value. It is a charity event after all!

Well, this month the BJ FOoDiEs team is giving their entourage an invite to a meal at a restaurant that’s been around for over 10 years and part of a very well-known restaurant group – the playful and popular Californian-Japanese Hatsune brand that was the first to make creative, non-traditional sushi rolls in China. While many foodies may frequent Hatsune, they may never have been to Haiku before.

With a handful of branches in Shanghai and a couple in Beijing, the Haiku brand was previously a sister restaurant of the original Hatsune group. But after a few facelifts and a change in the management team, Haiku is back under the Hatsune umbrella and has combined two wonderful worlds of sushi and teppanyaki under one glorious roof.

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