Beijing Flag Football League Launch Party

Beijing Flag Football League’s season begins Saturday, August 14.

What better way to commence the start of a great season than with a proper launch party!

Hosted at All-Star Sports Bar & Grill on Friday, August 13, we welcome the Beijing Flag Football League (BFFL) and all of their friends, fans, and cheerleaders!

Come any time after 8PM and enjoy 2-for-1 drink specials and a KILLER Meal Deal – All-Star Burger + Draft Beer = RMB 50!

A Beer Pong Tournament will also be taking place with pitchers of beer for only RMB 50 (good for one game of beer pong).

Whether you’re participating in this year’s Beijing Flag Football League, coming to show support or you just want a great burger, come out to All-Star and join the fun!

Event Details:

• Date: Friday, August 13
• Time: 8PM-Midnight
• Location: All-Star Sports Bar & Grill
• Address: Bldg. 5-1, Solana, 6 Chaoyang Park Rd., 朝阳区朝阳公园路6号Solana蓝色港湾国际商区 5-1

LumDimSum Discovery: Banh Mi Now!’s Bun

As much as I LOVE Vietnamese pho, it’s just too scorching hot in Beijing to be in the mood for hot noodle soup.  Which is how I’ve discovered my new favorite thing to order at Banh Mi Now! (see here article on their Banh Mi sandwiches) – their Bún aka Vietnamese cold noodles.

For only RMB 22, you get served a massive bowl of cold noodles with veggies filled to the brim including shredded lettuce, pickled carrots and daikons, scallion oil, cucumber, mint, basil and topped with your choice of meats.

I opted for a side of Ga Nuong – Grilled lemongrass marinated chicken (RMB 7) and Dau Phu Nuong – Chilli and honey marinated grilled tofu (RMB 8). I highly recommend the marinated chicken, which had a delicious marinade and was grilled perfectly. (both sides are pictured in photo above)

Other side options include Bo Nuong – Grilled lemongrass marinated beef (RMB 9), Thit Nuong – Grilled lemongrass marinated pork (RMB 7), Tom Nuong – Grilled caramel marinated shrimp (RMB 12), and Cha Nuong – Grilled pork meat balls & pork belly slices/Charcoal grilled pork meatballs with carrots in a sweet and tangy fish sauce (RMB 18).

Photo of Bun all mixed together:

*Banh Mi Now! is part of the Luga Empire, located above Little Luga’s in Tongli Studio.  They specialize in quick & casual Vietnamese fare from spring rolls to pho & now these authentic Vietnamese Banh Mi Sandwiches & Summer Shakes!  41 Sanlitun Beijie, 三里屯北街41号. Tel: 135-2013-7915

Nathan’s Famous: A Taste of New York

One of New York’s treasured traditions, Nathan’s Famous is one of those rare brands able to claim immeasurable brand equity. The name has always been synonymous with the highest quality, 100% beef hot dogs and unique, golden crinkle-cut French fries.

New Yorkers, you know what I’m talking about.

From a single restaurant in Coney Island, Brooklyn in 1916, Nathan’s has grown to become an international corporation and is officially making its grand debut in China, starting right here in Beijing this September 2010.

Currently in a soft-opening stage, the first Nathan’s Famous China store is located in B1 of Wukesong’s Le Mall Shopping Center (home of the Jackie Chan Movie Theatre Complex, China’s largest movie theatre). Rest assured East-siders, they plan to open a flagship store in the CBD before the end of 2010 and will quickly expand to have 80+ stores throughout China over the next 10 years.

Luckily, I had the privilege of being among the very FIRST to dine at Nathan’s first store in China. To say that I “went to town on the menu” is an understatement.

We tried everything from the legendary hot dogs (RMB 12), chili cheese crinkle cut fries (RMB 18), onion rings (RMB 12), lobster roll (RMB 25), Arthur Treacher’s shrimp platter (RMB 28), philly cheese steak (RMB 18), chicken tenders (RMB 16 for five pieces), spicy chicken wings (RMB 16 for four pieces),  5-ounce super cheeseburger (RMB 28), lemonade (RMB 8 ) and ice cream sundae (RMB 5).

A Sneak Peak of the first Nathan’s Famous restaurant to open in China:

LumDimSum Hook-Up: Bling’s 2 Year Birthday Bash

The First 10 LumDimSum Friends to contact me will win FREE entrance to Bling’s 2 Year Anniversary Party on Friday, August 6th.

What can you expect?

A celebration of the Best Hip-Hop, bottles of Goose, beautiful people, OPEN BAR (until midnight), dancing divas and mad skillz on the DJ decks with Bling’s ‘Double Trouble’ resident DJs – The Tiger Twins.

RSVP: Contact me before Monday, August 2nd at 5PM with your contact information (name, e-mail, telephone and Chinese mailing address) and Club Bling will send you a VIP pass. (Regular Entrance ticket is RMB 200 per person)

Cherie Blair @ The Bookworm

Recently, there have been some incredibly big British celebrities speaking at little venues around Beijing.

I was absolutely dumbfounded when I found out that Patrick Stewart (aka Jean-Luc Picard of the Star Trek Enterprise & Professor Charles Xavier of X-Men) spoke at The Central Academy of Drama in Nanluoguxiang last Thursday night.  Click here for my favorite video of Patrick Stewart EVER. Even if you’re not a Trekkie or X-Men fan, this brilliant video is reason enough to have gone to see this man speak.

…and this week, Cherie Blair, wife of former Prime Minister Tony Blair will be at The Bookworm this Wednesday, July 28 to speak on her memoir “Speaking for Myself”.

“Mrs. Blair is a leading barrister specializing in public law, human rights, employment and European Community law. As well as fighting for human rights in her professional career, Mrs. Blair is an active campaigner on equality and human rights issues. She has spoken across the world on both issues and also on the need for improved work/life balance for both women and men.”

Beijingers, take advantage of these surprisingly golden opportunities while you can.  (I think we can all agree that this would never be so accessible in the US or Europe.)

Event Details:

• Date: Wednesday, July 28
• Time: 7:30-8:30PM
• Location: The Bookworm
• Tickets: RMB 100 (RMB 80 for Bookworm Members)
• Address: Sanlitun Nanjie, 三里屯南街4号楼; Tel: 6586-9507

theBeijinger.com: iPhone 3GS Giveaway Challenge

Now here’s some encouragement to take a few minutes out of your day and post some reviews on theBeijinger.com – a super easy way to win an iPhone 3GS or a pair of quality Chilean El Toqui wines.

Instructions to Participate in theBeijinger.com Reviewer Challenge:

• Click here for theBeijinger.com online directory
• Search for venues or organizations you’ve recently visited and have something of substance to write about
• Click the “Add a Review” link on the right-hand side of each venue listing
• The more you write, the more you increase your chances of winning.  Every 5 reviews get you 1 ticket, limit is 4 tickets in the draw to win(20 reviews).
• Deadline: Midday, Tuesday, July 20, 2010
• Full list of house rules here, but the regulations boil down to this: only reviews submitted from now to July 20 are eligible for the draw, you can review any venue or organization listed in our directory, and only serious reviews will be counted (refrain from writing jibberish, people).

Prize:

• iPhone 3GS

• Chilean El Toqui wines (Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, both 2007)

Beijing’s First Ethical Trade Fair by brandnü

What you can expect to see at Beijing’s first ethical trade fair: Local Goodies on sale along with live music, Greek snacks and iced drinks on the rooftop patio of Argo Greek Restaurant overlooking Wudaoying Hutong.

Highlights: The best of China’s artisans and a talk by China’s most prominent women’s rights advocate, Wu Qing.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER: From 1969-2000, Wu Qing was an esteemed professor of English at Beijing Foreign Studies University. She has served since 1984 as a Deputy to the Beijing Haidan District People’s Congress, focusing on the rule of law and transparency in government. Professor Wu Qing is a well-known advocate for women’s rights in China and the 2001 recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service, also known as “Asia’s Nobel Prize.” She was nominated by the Schwab Foundation Network as one of the World’s Outstanding Social Entrepreneurs of 2003.

Local Beijing Goodies: Organic honey and coffee, contemporary clothing designs, and hand-crafted silver jewelry.

Event Host: brandnü, a Beijing-based store and artisan network that connects the energy of young urban designers with the age-old traditions of Chinese craftsmanship.

Event Details:

• Date: Saturday, July 10
• Time: 1:00-5:00PM (3PM talk by Wu Qing)
• Location: Argo Greek Restaurant (Rooftop Terrace) 59 Wudaoying Hutong (down the street from Vineyard Cafe & Saffron)
• Contact: Nathan Zhang，Email brandnuproject@gmail.com，Tel: +86 15011153421

For more information, check out: www.brandnuproject.com

Enoteca: Summer Terrace Party

Ladies & Brunchers -  Enjoy FREE Mimosas this Saturday, June 3rd to celebrate Enoteca’s first Mimosa Party!

Event Details Below:

From BBQ’s to Parties: Independence Day Weekend

There are so many reasons to love the Fourth of July, even if you’re not American.  Admittedly, I am American and I love the Fourth of July for all reasons unrelated to national pride. Scratch that, I shouldn’t have said that.  I am proud to be an American, but that’s honestly not why I love the Fourth of July.

Fourth of July is a day to BBQ, have a picnic, play in a park, chill out, have water balloon fights, more BBQ and fireworks. I’m sure people of other nationalities would find this combination of activities just as exciting…no?

Anyway, I’m happy to find that Beijing has a lot going on in terms of things to do and ways to celebrate this holiday and not just the Fourth of July, but ALL weekend!

For those who aren’t going all the way out to the Great Wall Beach Party, there’s plenty of parties to hit up right in town – like BLING’s Independence Day Party this Saturday, July 3rd to warm everyone up for Sunday!

Anyone wearing red, white and blue will be rewarded with ‘All-American’ shooters and beer/drink specials all night.

On the actual day of, there will be BBQ’s all over the city.

Breakdown of Fourth of July Festivities:

• AmCham will be celebrating at Ch’ien Men 23 – a day of family-friendly festivities. Tickets available at the AmCham website.
• All-Star Sports Bar & Grill will be hosting a BBQ Cook-out with an all-you-can-eat-BBQ including a salad bar, a variety of cold cuts, our famous baby back ribs, barbequed chicken, beef short ribs, steak kebabs, chicken kebabs, hot dogs and much more for only RMB 138!  12pm- 3pm, 6pm-11pm
• Special Set Menu at Nola: For RMB 135 per person you get: three kabobs (choose from pepper marinated pork with peach and shallot, ribeye steak with potato and mushrooms, shrimp with lime and corn, and/or chicken with tomato, olive, and panzanella), three sides (baked beans, coleslaw, red beans, sweet potato salad, green bean salad, cucumber and tomato salad, green bean casserole, and/or corn maque choux) and dessert (red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, German chocolate cake, lemon poppy cake, or cupcakes).
• The Apartment’s BBQ & Drinks: 4-10PM. Friends & Flatmates Welcome!
• 2 Kolegas’ Funky Reggae BBQ Party: Serving Funk, Soul, Reggae tunes along with Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Salad, Tamales (by Texas Tamale Junkies), Cupcakes (by Lollipop Bakery) and Pies (by Pie House).  Starts 3PM, RMB 30 at the door.

• China Doll’s Independence Day Rooftop Party: Live music, Jell-O shots & BBQ. Dress in red, white and blue and get a free drink.

And if you don’t feel up for parties and socializing at all this weekend, then at least indulge yourself in Lollipop Bakery’s absolutely adorable Fourth of July cupcakes -

Lollipop Bakery’s Red Velvet Cupcakes capped with patriotic red, blue and white frosting – sure to add fireworks to any holiday BBQ! 220RMB per dozen

Where True ‘Beijingers’ Grocery Shop: Sanyuanli Market

Tianyu Market is my main market now to do the majority of my grocery shopping- it’s in my hood so it’s conveniently located where I live (Tuanjiehu) and it covers most of my basic needs (fruits, veggies, spices, grains, stationary, household goods, electronics, etc.). And while they also have a separate building selling seafood and meats, truth be told, I’m too scared to step foot inside with all the fish guts all over the floor and some funky-looking specimens inside. *I know, I’m a pansy.*

So knowing my own limitations, I was thrilled to be introduced to Sanyuanli Market. This is my kind of place – the stalls and its products are clean, organized, and actually presentable. And the best part is that you don’t need to deal with the hassle of bargaining.  Prices are what they are – low and a great bargain.

This is THE market to get quality, fresh live seafood – everything from giant chunks of salmon to live trout and lobster.

In the fresh meat section, you can find everything from pig’s feet, chicken feet, and a giant lamb carcass to boneless, skinless chicken breast – I recommend paying a visit to the chicken lady (photo below).  All meat is presented in silver trays and cut on wood blocks and weighed all in front of you.

Sanyuanli's Chicken Lady

You may think that fruit and veggies are the same everywhere with little difference in price, and for the most part, this is generally true, but Sanyuanli carries some hard-to-find items like passionfruit and fresh mint, thyme, and basil. The more exotic fruits and vegetables are sold at an especially low price, considering most of them are imported.  A pack of 10 passionfruits is approx. RMB 25, box of fresh blueberries is RMB 18 (sold for RMB 23 at Tianyu market and RMB 25 at Jenny Lou’s). For veggies, I recommend the tomato lady and stall #91 (both photos below).

As someone who is rarely home and always on the go, I’m a big fan of products that either expire very slowly or not at all. For me, the dried fruit & nuts section is reason alone for me to make regular trips out to Sanyuanli. I recommend the lady at stall #15. I’m a big fan of her dried banana chips (no sugar added), almonds, walnuts, dried cranberries, goji berries, pine nuts, apricots, etc. With the exception of walnuts and more expensive nuts, most individual bags of fruits and nuts run between RMB 10-20 each and sampling is encouraged. 

Another highlight of Sanyuanli market is the imported goods shop, stall #31 which sells blocks of cheese, cereals, baked goods packets, freshly sliced prosciutto ham, cold cuts, canned goods, olive oil, sauces like BBQ sauce! and mustard, etc. I stocked up on Betty Crocker cookie mix packets for only RMB 18 each.  Needless to say, everything you find here will be cheaper than Jenny Lou’s and April Gourmet.

Happy shopping!