Merry Vibes & Mulled Wine: The Hutong’s Annual Winter Fayre

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of Year!

The Hutong’s Winter Fayre is one of their biggest community events of the year and it also happens to be where I plan to do most of my Christmas shopping every year.

While many of Beijing’s Christmas bazaars and fairs have all been taking place across the city in various embassies and hotels over the past couple weekends, The Hutong’s Winter Fayre may be one of the smaller fayres in terms of its number of vendors and sheer capacity, but it makes up for its size with its merry vibes and abundance of spiced mulled wine.

Taking place this Saturday, December 9th from 11AM-4PM, this is a great place to stock up on prezzies for the holidays and also a great place to meet and learn about some pretty crafty and talented companies who will be showcasing the best of their merchandise! 

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Kuan’s Bar & Dining: Unpretentious & Unpolished Comfort Food

**THIS VENUE IS NOW CLOSED!**

Opened opposite The Big Smoke, and one restaurant down from BBC, Kuan’s (a combination of two names – Chef Kenny and co-owner Xuan Zhang) is a promising development for a building that has changed hands multiple times recently.

I will say that this review started in the worst possible way. The front door hasn’t been constructed with opening and closing as the main priority. I tend to view this as a sign from the food gods that this place is not paying attention to the details. If you want greater insight into this, look up the story about Van Halen and brown M&Ms.

However, in this instance, the door was not an ominous portent. What awaited us was simply good comfort food!

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FU 浮: Organic Wines & Mediterranean Tapas

FU 浮 (meaning “to float” rather than “riches”) is a new tapas and wine bar that has just opened on Ju’er Hutong.

The kitchen and menu is under the management of Fabio Falanga who recently worked wonders with La Dolce Vita, I had to go try it out and see if he could pull off the same trick here!

Teaming up with owners with a background in interior design and Michael from Dada (who I’m assuming is in charge of the wine list), Fabio told us that the focus of FU is organic wines and Mediterranean small plates or tapas. He envisions it as a place to come work or have a chat with friends in a warm and intimate space. The designers have done a great job, warm is exactly the adjective I would use to describe it.

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BJ FOoDiEs Charity Dinner: Mediterranean Masterpieces at Galleria

“Galleria is a food laboratory. We specialize in food art and creative catering solutions. We collaborate with famous artists, sculptors and leading tech firms to make food experiences that spark applause and wonder at your events and ceremonies. From floating deserts to food shows – we bring excitement to catering and make sure your event is unforgettable.” – Galleria Team

Located on the 3rd Ring Road just south of the Nexus SOHO building, Galleria is on the B1 level of Jjiaming Center next to the Starbucks. A space that looks more like an art gallery than a restaurant, you’ll be amazed to discover that at Galleria, food and art is interchangeable and imagination here comes in all shapes and sizes (that’s as delicious as it gets).Not your average “restaurant”, Galleria showcases some of their impressive food/art commissions among the tables and chairs including the Italian embassy’s commission to create San Marco’s Lion out of sugar, a sculpture of Picasso out of chocolate, and David’s Head in a mint and limoncello flavored jelly.

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Haiku by Hatsune: Raising the Bar for Teppanyaki

This ain’t Tairyo (thank goodness).

Haiku by Hatsune is a teppanyaki + sushi restaurant that’s been off the radar for the past few years. It was buzz-worthy and super trendy back in 2008 when it was part of the Block 8 entertainment complex that also featured the gorgeous, sand-filled bar called “The Beach” on its rooftop. But after Block 8 closed (along with that awesome rooftop bar) in 2011, Haiku also went under major renovations to specialize in teppanyaki.  Fast forward several years later, Haiku is back under Hatsune management and has combined two wonderful worlds of sushi and teppanyaki under one glorious roof. Unlike other teppanyaki joints, Haiku is not about quantity – no  all you can drink/eat here – it is about quality.

If you are unfamiliar with the Block 8 complex 8号公馆, this is just on the west gate of Chaoyang park, a little to the north of Jenny Lou’s. As you enter the main entrance off the main Chaoyang Park West Gate road 朝阳公园西路, follow the road to the right and walk around the big block of buildings until you see the building with Haiku’s logo on the 3rd floor. Once you get to the lobby, staff will usher you into the elevator where you go up to the third floor.

Walking in, you’ll notice that the place is like a rabbit warren. Lots and lots of private rooms. Whilst they do have open tables, more intimacy is definitely the focus.

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MOKA Bros’ Danish Pop-Up: Sensational Smørrebrøds by the Georg

To turn your attention away from the nauseating election results in the US of A, I am going to tantalize your taste buds with a nordic specialty by a country that has their shit together.

“According to the World Happiness Report, the Scandinavian nation that is Denmark has been rated the happiest country, and has been in the top 3 ever since the survey began. The combination of a long and healthy life expectancy, freedom to make your own choices and a noticeably higher level of generosity and trust than other countries, makes this fact about the colourful country, Denmark unsurprising. Not sure about you, but we’re thinking of packing up our things and eloping to Denmark immediately.” – MOKA Bros Team

So as we consider turning our backs on America for obvious reasons, the talented team at both Moka Bros and the Georg have made a very smart move to join forces to host this pop-up event featuring savoury smørrebrød aka Scandinavian open-faced sandwiches that taste as amazing as they look.

On a little side rant, I have never understood the point of having another piece of bread other than the fact that it makes a sandwich more take-away friendly. But that’s the point of an open-faced sandwich. Danes know how to enjoy their food and calling this a “type of sandwich” is already very misleading. A smørrebrød is not something you want to grab on the run. Trust me, this is worth sitting down and savoring.

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Tour of CHAO Hotel 巢: Living Room’s Global Offerings

CHAO Hotel in Sanlitun

There was a lot of talk about The Den closing. This is partly due in part to the fact that they kept “almost” closing and then re-opening between the end of 2015 and mid-2016. But main reason for all the coverage is because, whether you want to admit it or deny it, we have ALL been to The Den. Even if you regret everything you’ve ever done or witnessed at the Den, you have to admit that their Eggs Benedict at 5AM really hits the spot.

A Beijing expat black hole that was always in its prime between the wee hours of 3am-7am, this was the official home of the Beijing Devils Rugby team and many of their infamous parties, and most importantly, this was probably the only establishment in Beijing that was NEVER closed. You heard me correctly –  The Den was open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to cater to the great demand Beijingers continued to ask of it. That says a lot considering the Den has been open since 1997, which also happens to make this one of the longest lasting venues in Beijing.

So what happened to The Den and why did it close this year?

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Raise a Glass to Sulyi’s Gangnam Tapas & Exclusive Soju Selection

The Topwin Center continues its opening spree. Next up on the menu is Sulyi, a Korean tapas restaurant with the former chef for the Korean embassy at the helm. Sulyi means “cheers” in Korean and with what promises to be a very nice balcony area, this restaurant could become a great destination for a fun soju-fuelled night before the cold sets in.

A project that started in 2014, Sulyi sets itself apart from other Korean restaurants in Beijing by focusing on Gangnam, Korean style tapas dishes. You may have heard of Gangnam thanks to PSY’s catchy tune and even catchier dance moves, which refers to a trendy and hip district in Seoul where fashion and style is top notch. According to Sulyi’s owners, they aim to bring “Gangnam” to Beijing’s hip hood Sanlitun through Gangnam tapas and home-made ‘Makguli’ Korean rice wine in fruity flavors at 4% and a special selection of Soju sold exclusively at Sulyi.

Sulyi is located on the 3rd floor of the food-crazed Topwin Center, next to Beyond Yakitori and opposite Cou Cou, the much talked about high end hotpot offering from Xiabu Xiabu.

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