Mason Kalei Turns 1

Ladies, eat your heart out.

Baby Mason no longer, this little man is growing up at lightning speed.

By the age of 1, Mason is already more accomplished and definitely way cooler than many of us:

• So stylish, he’s already a candy&caviar sponsored model (check out that hair and how good he looks in candy&caviar’s Elliot Tie?)
• He’s traveled all over China, made trips to the US of A and even made time for a vacay in Thailand
• He spent most of his birthday grooving to his very own private concert, music courtesy of Uncle Eli.
• Has women fighting over him – I for one am madly in love with this little monster.
• He has everyone who lays their eyes on him instantly wrapped around his little finger.

This future rock star is already making waves and well on his way to taking the world by storm.

From July 23, 2009 – July 23, 2010, here is a LumDimSum Photo Gallery of Mason Kalei aka the Cutest Baby in the Whole Wide World:

LumDimSummary of Keza’s ‘BLING’ Birthday Bash

With guest DJ’s from Paris – DJ KAYZ and MC KRYMO and Beijing’s own DJ NoName, Djack, Maxwell and the Twins, Keza’s ‘BLING’ Birthday Bash tore up the dance floor!

A big birthday celebration for a superstar DJ!

LumDimSum Photo Gallery of DJ Keza’s ‘BLING’ Birthday Bash:

Got BLING? Get it at Keza’s Birthday Bash Tonight!

Celebrate DJ KEZA’s ‘BLING’ Birthday Bash Tonight!

You have danced to his profound taste in music. You have partied hard wherever he plays. You have seen the French Sensation that is DJ KEZA. Now we invite you to celebrate his birthday with the superstar himself!

For this special event, Nightlabs™ & BLING welcome France’s finest duo : DJ KAYZ, hosted by the heavyweight champion MC KRYMO, coming straight from PARIS to fire up BLING’s dancefloor.
Featuring the hottest DJ’s in town for an unbeatable hip-hop and house set – including DJ NoName, Djack, Maxwell and the Twins, come and celebrate DJ Keza’s “BLING” Birthday Bash!
Don’t miss out on what will be one of the most talked about parties of the year!

Date: Saturday, March 27th

Time/时间: 10pm-late

Reservations for table bookings highly recommended. Contact LumDimSum directly.

SALT Turns Two

Tonight, SALT celebrated its Second Year Anniversary with champagne, fresh fruit daiquiris, food so good it was ambushed as soon as it stepped outside the kitchen, and a sophisticated crowd of foodies with an appreciation and loyalty to this contemporary and personable restaurant, a place that continuously receives recognition for its service, food quality, innovative young chef & Fashionista Ana Esteves, and good value.

Highlights of the evening: fresh strawberry daiquiris, tender lamb chops, mini cups of soup, smoked salmon ceviche, skewers of meat…along with pretty much every item that was all on point.

I highly recommend SALT’s winter lunch set menu with 2 courses at RMB 88 and 3 courses at RMB 98.

For the more adventurous foodies, try SALTASTATION, the popular degustation concept from SALT. A pairing menu with five innovative tasting courses paired carefully with personally selected new and old world wines. 488rmb all inclusive, 288rmb food only.

Congratulations to SALT on a very successful celebration and to many more anniversaries to come!

Happy Birthday to…Everybody!

There’s something about August.  The past two weeks have been filled with birthday parties for everyone and their mother.

First, it was All-Star’s 1 Year Birthday on August 5th and then Bling’s 1 Year Birthday Weekend on August 7 & 8th.

Yesterday, August 15th, it was not only Hatsune‘s 8 Year Birthday Celebration at both branches, it was also Block 8‘s GM, Xixi Cheng’s birthday (a surprise party at Karaiya followed by a party at the Beach), and All-Star/Bling‘s owner, Ken Li’s birthday party at Bling, obviously.

Yesterday’s parties were off the hook, and today we celebrated Ken’s actual birthday.  Ken hosted his dinner party at Todai, which was fitting since his friends are all giants who can really make the most of this gargantuan buffet.  Todai was perfect for everyone to get together and gorge on a buffet that has something for everyone…and then some.

I was grateful to be a included in Ken’s birthday celebrations as he is someone I have always respected and looked up to (both figuratively and literally, he’s super tall). HAPPY BIRTHDAY to KENDOGG!!  Just Like That.

Julia, Ken & I at Todai

Ken with his Mama & 4 Birthday Cakes

*On the topic of Birthdays, it will be my 25th Birthday on September 8!  Stay posted on my birthday plans, and save the date for Saturday, September 12th for my birthday shenanigans and debauchery. Details TBA.

Review of Todai: Described as “the mother of all seafood buffets”, Todai is one of the largest buffets I’ve encountered featuring everything from salad and appetizers, pasta, pizza, sushi and seafood, teppanyaki grill, HK BBQ, dim sum, noodles, shark fin soup section, Indian & Tandoori section, and a massive dessert selection including crepes, outstanding fresh juice joint, wine section, and much, much more. RMB 198 per person for weekday lunch, RMB 258 per person for dinner.

Best Part:

• The HUGE Snow Crab Legs were the main attraction (don’t forget to ask for melted butter to dip)
• The Teppanyaki Grill selection serves up great filets and foie gras
• The Creme Brulees are shockingly well-done
• The crepes and souffles for dessert are amazing with the rich chocholate from the chocolate fondue!

Comments:

• Not impressed by the quality or taste of the sashimi or sushi rolls (I’m too spoiled by Hatsune)
• A place for people interested in quantity over quality – there was very little that was worth even trying
• If you want a solid buffet that serves everything your palate desires, then I recommend the Senses in the Westin, Financial Street.  You can also find here a list of the Top Weekend Brunch Buffets in Town.

Solana, No. 6 Chaoyang Park Road, Chaoyang Park – Northwest gate, next to Starbucks Coffee
朝阳公园路6号蓝色港湾商业区亮马食街

5905-6888

The Best of the Nightlife Worlds

Tonight Hatsune celebrated its 8 Year Anniversary, and what a celebration it was! 

The evening started off with a kick-ass dinner party at the original Hatsune – all you can eat and drink sake for only 200rmb, (which booked out within 3 hours of me sending out the notification! – Definitely a record for the quickest sold-out event.)

Afterwards, the celebration continued with the official party at Hatsune in Sanlitun Village, with all-you-can-drink cocktails and sake plus more sushi for 100rmb. Let’s not forget the acrobat performances, which were jaw-dropping.  Unreal.  I wish I had photos to post, but must’ve skipped my mind in my state of shock.

The breakdown: About 70 (out of the 150) dinner guests came for more of the Hatsune goodness along with another 250 Hatsune Sushi Samurais.

Packed Out

The result: A stunning fusion of beautiful people letting loose and getting crunk. With the massive sake wells, flowing cocktails, sushi samplers, acrobat amusement, and all the old school hits, this was something exceptional. It felt like a combination of the best vibes and crowds from Punk, Block 8, and Bling – all together at the same time.

Break it down Ella

Alan Wong, the Master Sushi Samurai

My favorite photo of the night

Kelly Olver, My fav Aussie chick

Jen's got the magnum and I've got cheese

Today was a reason to celebrate. Since 2001 when the original Hatsune on Guanghua Lu first opened to the 5 additional restaurants Alan has opened, things have come a long way.

On behalf of Alan and the Hatsune Team, I sincerely thank you for your continued support and for making Hatsune a Beijing legend.

Thanks to everyone for the great turn-out and for making this such a memorable event!

*Note to self: After the opening party and this 8 year anniversary, Hatsune should seriously consider doing this regularly.

A Tour of the Hatsune Empire

For the past two summers, Alan will take on 3 interns from UNC (University of North Carolina), who will spend two months in an entrepreneurship program to learn about start-up companies and the F&B industry in China.  Through this program, the interns get an inside scoop “behind the scenes” of Alan’s restaurants, from spending time in the kitchen, behind the bar, greeting customers at the reception, and eventually serving tables.  And once a week, we all get together to attend Alan’s lectures to raise discussions pertaining to the F&B industry, doing business in China, and also to learn from him and his successful business models and effective management style.

Each of the three interns were posted in different venues, and with each venue, the interns made a strong effort to invest themselves and make the most of this unique opportunity- proactive, motivated, and helpful.

As this was their last week in China, we inadvertently found ourselves on a tour of the Hatsune Empire.

Monday: We started off the week with dinner at Hatsune (Sanlitun Village) and ordered all of our favorites: the G-Roll (a pimped out Moto-roll-ah available on Alan’s secret menu), Steak Rossini, Sake Gohan (Salmon Fried Rice), Dynamite Roll, Hatsune Salad, Spicy Tuna Hand Rolls, and the Rina Roll.

Hatsune's Famous Sushi Rolls

Tuesday: Karaiya Spice House. Conveniently located across from Hatsune in the Village, the interns wanted to try everything else on the menu they didn’t get to try the first time around.  I highly recommend the Signature Fish, Signature Ribs, Bullfrog in a flaming mini wok, Spicy Pepper Diced Rib-eye, and Foie Gras Fried Rice.

Karaiya's Signature Ribs

Spicy Pepper Diced Rib-eye

Wednesday: Haiku by Hatsune‘s “Become a Sake Samurai” Sake Tasting Dinner Party. Their last day working, Alan invited them to join his sake tasting dinner party of 45 people including a 7 course Haiku tasting menu and an introduction to 4 different sake from Alan’s personal collection.

The Dinner Menu:

1. Assorted Japanese Tapas

Haiku Sushi Bar

2. Tuna Tataki Salad

3. Yakitori Moriawase: roasted chicken wing, yakitori skewer, beef & zucchini, miso pork

4. Tempura with Prawn and Vegetables with Nori sea salt dip

5. Mini Oden: fish cakes, daikon radish and quail egg broiled in a traditional dashi soup

6. Assorted Haiku Sushi Rolls: a sample of 3 of Haiku’s best selling rolls

7. Ice Cream & Fruit Dessert

Sake Tasting List:

1. Shiro Yuki- This was the “normal” sake that we had.  We sell it as a hot sake in Haiku.  Of all the normal, or futsuu, sakes, this one proved to be very smooth and light.

2. Komeshizuku Junmai- This sake has a strong flavor on the palate, and is considered by me a banana and pear fruit bomb.  Each rice grain is polished down to 60% of the original size, which almost qualifies it as a Junmai Ginjo.

3. Kakurei Junmai Ginjo- This sake is from Niigata, a region well known for sake production because of the superior water quality.  It is milled down to 55% of the original rice grain, and has strong fruit and a hint of mint character on the palate.

4. Shotoku Junmai Daiginjo- This sake is milled to 45%, yields strong pear and yogurt flavors, and is the smoothest and thickest in viscosity.

“Keep in mind that some of these sakes are not available in the restaurants, but the main idea is to grasp the difference between the various qualities of taste and production.  Hatsune and Haiku have an extensive sake list so I encourage you to try some out and compare, looking for the taste qualities that you have experienced at the sake course.” – Alan Wong

Thursday: The Interns’ last night on the job, I organized a dinner for them at my personal favorite: Kagen Teppanyaki. A place they had only observed and always wanted to sample, this was the perfect place for their last night. My personal favorite: The Surf N Turf & The UpperEast Side Set Dinner (includes appetizer sampler, sashimi sampler, salad or soup, hibachi shrimp, teppanyaki fried rice, vegetables and fresh fruit with carmelized bananas.)   In the biggest private room, Alan and Hannah brought baby Mason to join the party!

Kagen Teppanyaki

Still to come for me:

Friday: 2nd Round of Haiku’s “Become a Sake Samurai” Sake Tasting with 2nd group of 50 pax.

Saturday: Hatsune’s 8 Year Anniversary Party with private dinner party in the Original Hatsune (Guanghua Lu) and Official 8 Year Party at the new Hatsune (Sanlitun Village) for an all-you-can-drink plus sushi samplers and appetizers for 100rmb. Party kicks off at 10pm.

Recap:

The Moto-Roll-ah at Hatsune = 75rmb. Karaiya’s Signature Ribs = 95rmb. Haiku’s 7-course Sake Tasting Dinner Party = 200rmb. Kagen Teppanyaki’s UpperEast Side = 230rmb. Hatsune’s 8-Year Anniversary Party all-you-can-drink deal = 100rmb.

A Week Tour of the Hatsune Empire: Priceless