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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Stuff Your Face with Cookies for a Great Cause: 4th Annual Cookie Monster Bake-Off

The Hutong + LDS Brings You an Event that Would Make Cookie Monster Go Bonkers

For all you Cookie Monsters in Beijing, get ready to eat your heart out!

An annual event co-hosted by The Hutong and yours truly, this is the event that gets me as giddy as Christmas does each and every year. Designed for insatiable cookie addicts who have a bottomless pit for homemade, stuff-your-face-silly cookies, we’re about to make your cookie dreams come true this Sunday, March 19th from 2PM-5PM.

Our Cookie Monster Bake-Off will feature 21 different types of creative cookies, each one made from scratch by 21 brilliant bakers based in Beijing. There will be more than your fair share of cookies to munch your way through, it really doesn’t get much better than this!

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TRB Bites: Guest Chef Damiano Nigro from Piedmont, Italy

Chef Damiano Nigro (Michelin 1 Star, Villa d’Amelia) brings Progressive Italian from the Hills of Barolo to the Kitchen at TRB Bites

When foodies look at a Michelin map, it’s clear that there is a concentration of Michelin restaurants in one little area in Italy’s northwest region called Piedmont. From Langhe to Barolo to Alba, this area is a mountainous region famous for its white truffles (considered the best in the world), fondue, Barolo wines and thin breadsticks called grissini. Piedmont is also reputed to be Italy’s most culinarily progressive region, which makes sense that they are snatching up so many Michelin stars.

Beijing now has the privilege to have a taste of Piedmont as TRB Bites welcomes their first guest chef of 2017, who also happens to be the first Italian chef that they have ever hosted. Chef Damiano Nigro is introduced as an Italian culinary force with 1 Michelin star as the executive chef of the 4 star Relais “Villa d’Amelia” in Piedmont, where he still works today. While Chef Damiano has traveled all over the world and cooked in Germany, France, England, Spain, New York and Taiwan, he’s taken the inspiration he’s received in each place and applied it to his intense focus in the kitchen.

A recommendation to TRB by a foodie who was previous based in Beijing, Chef Damiano is in Beijing for just a week, presenting a lunch menu (RMB 480 per person) and a dinner menu (RMB 680 per person) between Wednesday, March 8th-Sunday, March 12th.

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Pachakutiq: Peruvian Pop-Up’s Second Iteration

Pachakutiq is a Peruvian gastronomic bar and restaurant that I previously reviewed when they first opened as a small pop-up, taking over the evening shift of Cafe Flatwhite in the CBD Dawanglu at China Central Place.

Now, they have expanded their menu offerings and moved into a new location in Sanlitun SOHO so I was keen to get down there and see what developments have been made.

I had known that they moved from their very temporary pop-up shop to a permanent space in the B1 level of Sanlitun SOHO, which is a big step for them. But I didn’t realize that the new restaurant is still in collaboration with Cafe Flatwhite, so once again the space is a Cafe Flatwhite by day and morphs into Pachakutiq by night. The main difference is that this time the space has a better (and larger) kitchen so the menu has significantly expanded.

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Marufuku Japanese BBQ: Glorious Grilling

Marufuku 丸福日本烧肉店 is a Japanese style barbecue restaurant. One that I was recently referred to by fellow foodies, this place has been a long-time favorite of theirs, a reliable restaurant they fondly refer to as “Mother F-ing Good BBQ” (sounds just like Marfuku right?)

Images of skewers over a smoky grill may come to mind, but yakitori actually refers specifically to chicken skewers and this particular type of barbecue features a wide range of different meats that you grill yourself, which may be more similar to your Korean BBQ restaurant experiences.

Marufuku currently has three branches around Beijing (see addresses below) and we went to the one on the North side of the Liangma River – straight north on Xindong Lu from the Canadian Embassy then turn left after you cross over to the north side of the river. You will see it on your right-hand side.

The smell is the first thing that hits you when you walk in their doors. Coming inside on a windy night, it’s warm and cozy inside filled with the wonderful smell of grilled meats. There are pros and cons to this – while it immediately makes your mouth water, it is also a smell that lingers on your clothing for days after so remember to leave your coats by the door and plan to throw everything else you wear into the laundry when you get home. Either that or you can just bask in the lingering smell of grilled meats on your clothes the next time you wear them.

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UnTour Beijing Food Tours: A Tasting of Local Breakfast Bites

UnTour’s Beijing Hutong Breakfast Tour

UnTour Food Tours first started in Shanghai in 2010 and they have now branched into Beijing with two different tours – a Hutong Breakfast and Old Beijing Dinner tour with a bilingual guide.

Knowing that locals generally live a lifestyle that follows the mantra ‘Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise’, I opted to join the Hutong Breakfast tour, which also falls on the weekend.

“Join us for breakfast as we sample the most authentic and delicious snacks that are hiding in plain sight, once you get off the crowded roads and into the backstreets. Wake up early and explore the culinary scene with our trusted vendors, your bilingual guide and a small group of new foodie friends. Over the course of three hours, you’ll eat your way through China’s 5,000 years of culinary history, try new foods and gain an appreciation for the artisans making these handmade treats. We take pride in our vendor relationships, food and city history knowledge – our guides go through a rigorous training process and are active in the F&B industry. Come taste the city’s tastiest (and safe) authentic foods with a professional insider!” – UnTour Food Tours

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Triple Threat: Cinker Pictures Restaurant, Bar & Cinema

2017 Welcomes Beijing’s Trendiest New Addition: Cinker Pictures

Cinker Pictures is a brand new concept that has opened on the fourth floor of North Sanlitun Taikoo Li next to Space Cycle. Part bar, part restaurant, part cinema it is an intriguing idea that actually fills a vacuum left by the efforts to control media here in the middle kingdom.

Given the paucity of film choices – The Great Wall anyone? – Cinker are planning on showing classic films that you will relish the chance to go and see. Over the month of February 2017, you can expect to see films like “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, “Forrest Gump”, “Wall Street”, “Lolita” and “Fight Club”.

Combine the plush, wide leather chairs with some classic cocktails featured in film favorites (French 75 from Casablanca, Highball from The Great Gatsby (1974) and White Russian from The Big Lebowski) and you may well have an ideal date location. With a cinema that has 30 available seats per film showing, it’s perfect to grab a drink, see a classic film and talk it over a dinner together for an all-in-one date place that covers all the bases. While it’s normally RMB 150 for a ticket + your drink of choice, they have a soft opening promo now where each show ticket is RMB 105 (which also includes a drink).

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