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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White Tiger Village: Innovative, Quality Chuan’er by Beixinqiao

Not Your Average Beijing Chuan’er

I first reviewed White Tiger Village about 1.5 years ago and while I saw the potential, I also saw that it still had some kinks to iron out.

An innovative concept, White Tiger Village 白老虎屯 is an experimental Chuan’er 串儿 (obligatory pirate accent for proper Beijing pronunciation) and Dong Bei 东北 restaurant. The name comes from owner Nathan Zhang’s hometown and while the original concept was a selection of dishes that Nathan has recreated based on his mother recipes, he’s since started working with a new chef consultant named Starry, who was trained at Attica restaurant in Melbourne, Australia (ranked #33 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list).

When I recently went back for a re-visit, I was delighted to see that the kinks have been thoroughly ironed. When summer hits, this restaurant will be one of my go-to’s. The only thing it is lacking now is a balcony! That being said, they do have a few seats outside for those who don’t mind a bit of fuzz flying about. #BeijingSpringProblems

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Beyond Yakitori Launches Satisfying Lunch Sets

Beyond Yakitori Launches New Lunch Sets

Last year when the Topwin Center was just opening, Beyond Yakitori was one of my highlights. Catching up with the owner, Chris Niu, he said that he feels like the restaurant is finally hitting its stride and will be introducing some new dishes and offers over the coming months. Chief among them is expanding their opening hours to also include a weekday lunch service, which officially launches this Monday, April 10th (available Mondays through Fridays).

There are 6 lunch sets to choose from including two salads, two rice based dishes and two noodle dishes (one ramen soup and one stir-fried udon) that come as a bento style set. All 6 sets come paired with either a savoury and comforting side seasonal soup and/or a refreshing side salad. The soup we tasted was a miso cooked cauliflower puree, which Chris says will rotate between different seasonal vegetables. The side salad was exceptional – a delightful combination of charcoal-grilled cucumber and pineapple with chopped chili and coriander that supplied a pleasant pop of flavours.

Almost all the lunch sets are RMB 48 with the exception of the Beyond Salmon Salad, which is RMB 68.

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Migas’ La Feria Brunch: Feel the Andalusian Vibes

Although winter hit back with a vengance earlier this week, the gorgeous blue skies are back and Spring feels like it’s finally sprung!

Timing couldn’t be better as Migas is launching it’s new La Feria weekend brunch, designed to show off the colorful vivacity of the Andalucia region of Spain.

“Inspired by the raucous festivals in the south of Spain, Migas is pleased to bring you “La Feria” brunch! One of the most popular regional festivals in Spain is “La Feria de Abril” celebrated every April in Sevilla. This is the first and biggest feria to kick off spring every year, and afterwards, others cities and towns in the south of Spain then host their own ferias, with very characteristic elements in common: 1. To celebrate that the warm season has arrived 2. To enjoy yummy traditional snacks and drinks 3. Sing and dance in all the different “casetas” (striped tents), while dressed up in the bright and colourful traditional costumes. All the bright colours, flowers and music creates a one-of-a-kind magical Andalusian energy floating around.” – The Migas Team

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BJ FOoDiEs is Back with 京A’s Brewer’s Brunch

Try Out the New Brewer’s Brunch at Jing-A Taproom with the BJ FOoDiEs Clan!

As we welcome back warmer weather this Spring (it’s rainy and dreary now, but meant to warm straight back up in time for the weekend), it’s high time that we start getting out more during the day to soak up some much needed Vitamin D! Whether you’re nursing a hangover or not quite ready to wrap up the weekend, Sundays are always 100x more spectacular when you have a boozy brunch scheduled!

Who needs coffee when you’ve got Beergarita and Beer Belly-ni on the menu?!

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