A Tribute to Alan Wong

Owner of The Hatsune Restaurant Group, the genius behind Hatsune’s legendary Californian-Japanese sushi rolls, Alan Wong has a reputation that proceeds him.

Beyond the success of his restaurants, Alan is one of the kindest, most generous, caring, welcoming, friendly, personable, down-to-earth, chillest people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. His beautiful family is my family away from home and I could not be more proud and privileged to be associated with someone like Alan.  More than my boss, Alan is my friend, my big brother, my mentor and my motivation to reach for the stars.

Happy Birthday Alan!

LumDimSum Photo Gallery of Alan Wong‘s Birthday Bash @ Centro:

Authentic Aussie Astral

I’ll be honest – I can be quite biased against hotel restaurants and bars. I never doubt an international hotel’s ability to deliver quality F&B with 5-star service, but with the exception of boutique hotels like The Opposite House, the Park Hyatt, and Centro, I find that most hotel venues in Beijing to lack vibrancy, buzz, atmosphere and that extra draw to keep you coming back.

Before CW’s Gourmet Month, I had never heard of Astral Restaurant, nor had I heard of Tangla Hotel, which is located on the west side of Beijing, just a few minutes walk east of MuXiDi subway stop.

Only 6 months into opening, Astral delivered one of the most original and deliciously memorable dining experiences in Beijing.

This is precisely why I started LumDimSum – To share an incredibly unique dining experience with people who might miss out on something wonderful because it is outside of what I like to call, “The Sanlitun/CBD Bubble” (which is very easy to get trapped in considering the vast number of quality establishments readily available). With so many top-notch restaurants and bars on the east side of town, it’s easy to turn a blind eye to the west side, especially when we’re talking about going past FuXingMen.

It was quite a time-consuming journey, but the trek across the city during peak traffic time was totally worth what we had

'Irresistible' Cocktail

coming – a 4-course menu featuring exotic meats like emu, crocodile, and kangaroo, clearly a rare find in Beijing.

The only restaurant in Beijing to focus on Australian produce, Astral also has an extensive list of Australian wines and beers and refreshingly delicious cocktails with some unbeatable promotions, namely – Free flow beer for RMB 100 and 2-for-1 cocktails at RMB 68. I highly recommend the ‘Irresistible’ (a suiting name) – Grand Marnier, Fresh Strawberries & Apple Juice and the Washington Apple – Whiskey, Apple Pucker & Cranberry Juice.

Ok, foodies, let’s get to the good stuff-

*Note -  The 4-course set menu we ordered was RMB 150 + 15% service, available only as part of CW’s April 2010 Gourmet Month.

The first part of the 4-course menu was the Cream of Pumpkin with Crabmeat & Creamy Pea & Ham Soup. Both were smooth, creamy and a perfect starter complemented by an assortment of freshly baked buns. Soups on their a la carte menu are all available between RMB 68-78.

Next, the second course got interesting with Emu Fillet Carpaccio (RMB 108) and Timbale of River Trout. Both dishes were out of this world. Emu Carpaccio was perfectly paired with mustard sauce and just the thought of the flavor of the smoked trout gets me salivating all over again. A few other appetizers worth noting from their a la carte menu include Paupiette of Smoked Salmon with Asparagus & Citrus Dressing (RMB 98) and Baked Tasmanian “Casino” Oysters with Fish Roe (RMB 138).

For our main course, we ordered both the Kangaroo Loin with Carrots, Polenta, Spinach & Hollandaise sauce and the Crocodile Fillet with Roasted Veggies & Lyonnaise Potato. Trying these exotic Australian imported meats for the first time, it was so much fun going back and forth between each dish trying to analyze and find the proper words to explain the taste and texture of both kangaroo and crocodile meat. If you’re never tried it, I can best explain kangaroo meat as having a similar texture to beef, but with a smokier flavor and crocodile meat as a cross between chicken and fish with a taste of prawns but with the texture of tougher fish meat.

…I can keep going, but I think you get the picture.  If not, I took pictures for you.

While we were blown away by the meal thus far, we were not so impressed with the desserts – The Australian Lamington with coconut sauce was 3 dense cakes covered in a thin layer of chocolate and coconut sprinkles with coconut cream served on the side. And the Berry Pavlova was really just a mountain of cream topped with passion fruit sauce and some berries.  The desserts were definitely the weakest link of this meal, but it didn’t really matter considering how exquisite the first three courses were.

Overall, I highly recommend for people to make the trip out to the west side of Beijing if they ever have had an itch to try something totally different. Describing to you the taste and texture of crocodile, kangaroo, and emu can only get you so far.  You gotta bite the bullet and try for yourself.

If you are not the adventurous foodie, then there is a vast assortment of other enticing entrees available including Lobster Baked with Hollandaise – 350g (RMB 380), 200g Waygu Beef (RMB 488), 200g Australian Angus Beef Tenderloin (RMB 258), Australian Lamb Rack (RMB 318).

If you can’t decide between species from the sea and land, then Astral offers a few surf ‘n turf combo dishes – Grilled Beef Tenderloin & Ocean Prawn (RMB 288) and the Australian Lamb Rack with a Seafood Skewer (RMB 288).

Based from my dining experience tonight, I think that regardless of what you end up ordering, you won’t be going home disappointed.

Review of Astral Restaurant: Located in TANGLA Hotel, 19 Fuxingmenwai Dajie Xi Chang’an Jie, Xidan/Financial Street (Across from the Capital Museum. Subway: Line One to Muxidi Station, Exit B, and walk east for 2 minutes.)  复兴门外大街19号,北京唐拉雅秀酒店 出租车：首都博物馆正对面；乘坐地铁：一号线，木樨地站B出口，东走2分钟。Tel:  5857-6688 ext. 6611

Best Part:

• Beijing’s only establishment serving Australian-imported meat like Emu, Kangaroo, and Crocodile (not only serving as an adventurous dining experience, but a great talking point)
• Quality, taste and presentation of dishes were exceptional
• Australian manager & chef are both very knowledgeable and friendly
• Extensive Australian wine & beer selection along with fantastic cocktails like the ‘Irresistible’ with fresh strawberries
• Great Drink Promotions: Month of April-June, cocktails are 2-for-1 at RMB 68. Every Thur-Sat, pay 100rmb +15% to sample their selection of Australian beer. Special runs from 8pm till 11pm.
• CW Gourmet Month Deal is unbeatable in terms of value and overall dining experience.

Comments:

• As stated in the review above, the desserts were the weakest link of the meal. Too much cream or too much dense cake, it gave too much fluff and lacked the richness of flavor that we, sweet-tooth lovers, crave at the end of a meal.
• It’s location on the west side of Beijing is no doubt an obstacle. Considering it’s proximity to the subway station, I would highly recommend going by subway for transport.
• The design of the venue is more Chinese than Australian.  The bar may be in the shape of a boomerang, but the flashing colored lights are just tacky and resemble BabyFace Club more than Aboriginal design. The clear beaded strings enclosing a section of seating also resembles Ding Ding Xuan Hot Pot more than anything I’ve ever seen in Australia.
• One waitress actually came up to each person at my table every time a dish was served to ask how we liked it. It was cute and considerate the first time around, but got old pretty fast.  Staff is friendly and attentive, but clearly just following protocol more than common sense.
• Live Band (2 girl duo with one on the keyboard singing everything from jazzy to pop beats). They were quite talented and the volume was perfect (not too loud), but near the end of our dinner, they sang a Chinese Country song that made my ears bleed. In their defense, it could have been a request from the audience? For their sake, I hope this was the case.

Rating: (on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best)

• Food: 9
• Atmosphere: 6
• Service: 7
• Overall Experience: 8

Time to Speak Up: theBeijinger 2010 Bar Awards

theBeijinger is switching things up in more ways than one.

Already beginning the initial phases of their magazine face-lift, theBeijinger most recently announced that voting for their 7th
Annual Reader Bar & Club Awards have commenced. This year, they have not only revised their nomination categories, voters can now choose their first, second and third favorite in ranking order (out of 8-13 choices) for every category.

theBeijinger 2010 Bar Awards Categories this year include:

• Best Cocktails
• Best Individual Cocktail
• Best Cheap Drinks
• Most Reliable Drinks
• Best Whiskey Bar
• Best Wine
• Best Beer
• Best Bartender
• Best Daily Happy Hour
• Best Ladies Night
• Best Regular Event
• Best Quiz Night
• Best Live Rock Venue
• Best Live Jazz Venue
• Most Beautiful People
• Friendliest Crowd
• Best Service
• Best Place to Find a Date
• Best Place to Bring a Date
• Sexiest Bar Staff
• Best Bar Food
• Best Late-Night Dining
• Best Hotel bar
• Best Student Hangout
• Best Nightclub
• Best Sportsbar
• Best Lounge
• Best Place for Dancing
• Best Business Networking
• Best Hidden Gem
• Best After-Hours Club
• Best Party of the Year
• Best New Bar/Club
• Bar/Club of the Year

Bars/Clubs with most category nominations include:

• Fu Bar
• Punk @ Opposite House
• d lounge
• Xiu @ Park Hyatt
• Apothecary
• Lush
• Centro @ Kerry Centre
• Q Bar

Vote now for your top picks here.

*Voting Ends May 6 & Bar/Club Awards Party Set for May 13 @ Mako Live House

Hotel Outlets: Another Beijing Paradox

Tamarind Indian Restaurant, Marriott Northeast

I had made an exception for Tamarind.

In my list of top destinations for CW Gourmet Month (the two best months of the year for dining in Beijing), I made Tamarind a priority even though it is a hotel restaurant.

I have nothing against hotels restaurants, I just think that for the most part, they don’t work in Beijing.

I’ll break it down for you:

With the exception of very few, hotels have one sole purpose – to provide a nice bed for incoming travelers. Now that the Beijing Olympics is history, we are left with how many ridiculously massive, not mention EMPTY hotels scattered throughout Beijing?  Regardless of the number, it’s too many.  And too many have tried to make up for their lack of occupancy with restaurants and bars targeting the masses…and still remain empty.

I know this concept works in places like Dubai, where the best venues are often in hotels, but Beijing is another animal.  With the exception of Weekend Champagne Brunches, Centro in the Kerry Center, Touch at the Westin Chaoyang and of course boutique hotels like The Opposite House & Hotel G, hotel F&B venues in Beijing are pretty weak.

Just Imagine an Irish Pub in this Hotel

Perfect example: Molly Malones in the Legendale Hotel.  It’s a newly opened, gigantic space with beautiful interior design in a ’5-star hotel’ and it just won’t work. Why? Because it’s an Irish Pub opening in a 19th Century Parisan Hotel serving Japanese sushi.  Confused much?

And from my experiences last Gourmet Month in April, I found that each and every time I dined in a hotel restaurant, it was very, very empty.  It’s just creepy to be the only customers in a restaurant.

And I feel bad because all hotels try really hard – lots of marketing, lots of advertisements, lots of promotions, and often times, they have an amazing product, and yet they still seem to fall short.  Something is missing.  That something is more of than not: People.

Having read so many good reviews about Tamarind (Marriott Northeast), I made it a point to go during Gourmet Month. I read that Tamarind’s Chef Kurly is from Mumbai (interview here), that he is Bollywood’s finest, and that this is Beijing’s best Indian restaurant.

For Gourmet Month, it was a fantastic deal: for only RMB 150 per person, you were served 9 dishes plus nan bread plus rice PLUS dessert. The food quality and quantity was great value, the open kitchen was impressive and service was attentive. But at the end of the day, it was very much a ‘hotel restaurant’ with hotel service and a hotel vibe for a typical, overall unsatisfying hotel experience.

Review of Tamarind: 2nd floor of Marriott Northeast, 26A Xiaoyun Lu,Sanyuanqiao 海航大厦万豪酒店, 霄云路甲26号, Tel: 5927-8888

Best Part:

Tamarind's Open Kitchen

• Fresh Quality & Generous Quantity of the dishes: I recommend their Mushroom Kurkure (Spring roll stuffed with finely chopped and sautéed mushroom, served with spicy tomato chutney) and Butter Chicken (Juliennes of Tandoori chicken, finished in creamy tomato gravy, flavored with dried fenugreek leaves)
• Massive Open Kitchen (pretty unique to an Indian restaurant)
• They have hired a chef from Mumbai and this is the first Marriott Indian restaurant outside of India
• They cater to vegetarians with half of their menu meat-free
• Prices are reasonable with a kebab bar special (all-you-can-eat kebabs for RMB 140, RMB 100 for vegetarian kebabs)

Comments:

• Even if the food was excellent, it was pretty empty on a Sunday night, which I guess is expected considering the Marriott Northeast is out in the boonies (North of Nuren Jie)
• I really think that if Tamarind was in Sanlitun and not in a hotel, it would do really well.

The service was attentive, but similar to most hotel service, its quite overdone and forced rather than comforting. Also, at the end of the meal, the restaurant manager Sudeep Menon was about to only give my friend his business card until I shot him a glare and even after that, he proceeded to only ask for my friend’s business card upon leaving. Not Cool.