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

CW Gourmet Month Review: Village Cafe

The Opposite House’s Village Cafe is a participating CW Gourmet Month restaurant and their  Gourmet Month Menu (RMB 99) offers a three course menu with three choices for each course (choice of soup, main, & dessert).

By coincidence, I came to try the menu in a party of three, so each of us chose a different dish for each course and were able to share and sample it all. And of course, all in the name of in-depth LumDimSum reporting.

The beginning of our meal had great potential. The first course was a selection of three soups (Minestrone, Pumpkin and Mushroom) and while all three were delicious, the Minestrone came out on top. I am normally not a big Minestrone fan, but this one was exceptionally good with big chunks of various veggies for a very fresh taste. But all three were very well-made and were complemented nicely with a big bread basket.

The main course selections were a Grilled Rib-Eye Steak in Red Wine Jus, Baked Vegetarian Moussaka with potatoes, eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes, or Grilled and Baked Chicken Breast with curry sauce, pickled vegetables and rice. The chicken was dry, the rib-eye was mediocre and the vegetarian moussaka came out on top with its rich, cheesy flavor.  But alas, the main course was the weakest link of the set menu.

Dessert picked back up again with a choice of Pavlova with fresh strawberries, passion fruit & house made vanilla bean ice cream, baked white chocolate cheese cake with caramelized banana, or a Fruit Platter. The pavlova’s meringue was a bit too thick and to be honest, it pales in comparison to Capital M’s pavlova. However, the white chocolate cheese cake with carmelized bananas was the winner of the meal. This alone made the meal worth the trip.

Review of Village Cafe’s GM Menu:

Best Part:

• Out of the three choices, I would recommend ordering the Minestrone Soup, Baked Vegetarian Moussaka & White Chocolate Cheese Cake with Carmelized Bananas
• A nice, 3-course set menu for RMB 99 is Great Value.

Comments:

• Gourmet Month Set Menu is only available for dinner and they tack on a 15% service charge. Normally I would happily pay the additional service fee, but this was bull considering there was literally 1 staff in the entire restaurant and she was never to be found.
• By 9PM, the entire restaurant seemed to have disappeared with no customers, no waitstaff and no chefs in the kitchen. Very odd.
• Service was a major issue during this meal and the place was just empty.
• The decor of Village Cafe is quite night, but the fact that it was so empty was a buzz kill. Throughout the night, there were only 2 others tables in the entire restaurant (9 people total including our table).
• I am glad I tried this set menu at RMB 99, but I honestly would not return for it again.

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

• Food: 7
• Atmosphere: 3
• Service: 3
• Overall Experience: 5

For a list of all participating restaurants in CityWeekend’s Gourmet Month, click here.

Mi Casa es Tu Casa: Casa Latina

Authentic Mexican food has FINALLY arrived to Beijing!! I have really missed good Mexican food since El Fogoncito closed in Wanda plaza (such a shame) but everything about Casa Latina is an absolute delight and the food is no exception.

CityWeekend made it easy with the ordering. Casa Latina’s CW Gourmet Month Set Menu (RMB 99) offered four courses which left us happy Humpty Dumpties stuffed to the brim. If there was a wall, we definitely would have had a great fall.

For the first course, we started off with tasty Sopesitos (normal price: RMB 48) – 3 crunchy mini-corn tarts topped with refried beans, shredded chicken, fresh lettuce a la Julienne, sour cream, cheese and served with spicy salsa verde that gave the perfect amount of kick. The combination of rich flavors and textures all complimented each other perfectly.  I highly recommend ordering this dish either as an appetizer or the perfect compliment to accompany your Latin cocktail (they have a long list to choose from).

Casa Latina's Superb Sopesitos

Crema Poblana Soup

Next, they served Crema Poblana soup (normal price: RMB 48). Never have I had such a thick, spicy cream-based soup! Made from roasted poblano peppers, the Crema Poblana is also served with mini squares of cheese and corn kernels.

The main course was Traditional Fajitas (normal price RMB 98) – a massive skillet filled with pinto beans on one side and the other half with strips of beef tenderloin on a mound of onions and peppers. The best part – it came with homemade real corn tortillas and freshly made guacamole! While the fajitas were big in portion with a lot of flavor, I thought it was a bit on the dry side. Next time, I’d definitely like to try one of their other main course dishes – Enchiladas Verdes, Pollo Con Mole, Ropa Vieja, Ensenada Taco Fish, the list goes on.

For dessert, the Capirotada was a bit rich for my taste with a condensed milk-like sauce poured over mini bread slices with cinnamon, raisins, peanuts and cheese (think Mexican French Toast). In the future, I would also prefer to replace this dessert and try their cream caramel or apple cake.

Capirotada Dessert

Review of Casa Latina: Located across from Invito on Solana Bar Street (down the road from All-Star), 6 Chaoyang Park Road, 朝阳公园路6号, Solana蓝色港湾商业区8号楼3单元; Tel: 5905-6201; Daily Hours: 6PM-2AM

Best Part:

• In just one month, they’ve already begun to establish themselves as the one and only authentic Mexican restaurant in Beijing.
• Everything from the decor, the food, the chef, the music is all as authentically Latin as can be.
• Sopesitos and Crema Poblana soup were the highlights of our meal.
• They have a great live Cuban band every day except for Mondays
• Owners/managers are both personable, professional and knowledgeable.

Comments:

• Newspaper style menu is cluttered with the first page listing salads, soups and main courses, 2nd page listing cocktails, appetizers and desserts, third page with pizzas, snacks, martinis, milk shakes and non-alcoholic cocktails, and left overs of their drink menu on the fourth page. Pizza is random to offer at a Mexican restaurant, but then I met one of the owners (from Italy), and the pizza addition came to make sense.
• RMB 99 for a four-course set menu was a great meal and incredible value (normal price would be RMB 218), but when I go back (which I definitely will), I would prefer to order a la carte and try one of their salads or their Aztec Soup – the house special with fresh tomato and dried pepper base with fresh cheese and avocado cubes, crispy corn strips and fresh cream. I would also love to try their Pollo con Mole (Chicken Leg dipped in dark sauce made of chilies and chocolate!) and finish off with a cream caramel dessert. The only thing I might order again would be the Sopesitos starter, which was perfect.
• We happened to come on a rainy Monday night, the only night of the week without the live Cuban band and having just rained, it also explains the lack of customers, but word is that it has been consistently full almost every night for the past 2 weeks. In any case, this just gives me an excuse to return for some more delicious Mexican food to enjoy with live music and a lively crowd.

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

• Food: 9
• Atmosphere: 6 (no live band on Mondays, and it was raining, so quite empty, but I heard it is normally packed and very lively)
• Service: 8
• Overall Experience: 8

LumDimSum: CityWeekend’s Gourmet Guru

Interview: Kristen Lum Tells Us Why She LOVES Gourmet Month

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.

One of Beijing’s Old-Timers: Morel’s Restaurant

Morel’s is one of Beijing’s oldest Western restaurants, established in 2000, long before Beijing’s dining scene blew up with the high standards of the Legation Quarter and the populated, trendy Sanlitun restaurant selection.

And you’ve got to give credit to the old-timers still standing.  I’ve driven by both Morel’s outlets thousands of times, seeing the bright green “Morel’s” sign bordered with white Christmas lights, I’ve always been curious to try out the goods, considering they have a reputation for good steaks and Belgium beer.

With the great value of CW Gourmet Month menus, I took this opportunity to hit up Morel’s for the first time. Morel’s Gourmet Month menu looked pretty enticing with 4 courses (soup, appetizer, entree and dessert) for a reasonable RMB 150 per person.

I’ve never been to Belgium before, so I’m not sure the standards for a typical Belgium-style restaurant, but the inside interior of Morel’s is pretty old-fashioned and honestly, quite lame with the green and white checkered table cloths and all their staff wearing bright orange uniforms.

We were greeted and served by one of the most impressive waiters I have ever encountered in a Beijing restaurant.  He spoke fantastic English, he was incredibly polite and extremely knowledgeable and informative of the menu and answered all of our questions (such a rare find).

The quantity of the food was plenty, quality mediocre. The bisque of crayfish soup was too salty, but it was served piping hot and was good to dip the toasty, warm bread. The foie gras was good, but served on standard salad greens (they were out of endives) and the two grilled beef medallions were ok, served with Belgium Frites (typical fries). For dessert, the chocolate fondant was firm throughout (no oozing chocolate coming out of the center) with vanilla ice cream on top.

Overall, it was good value for RMB 150, but considering the tacky atmosphere and average food taste, I most likely will not be returning. For a quaint restaurant serving European cuisine and good steaks, I’d recommend Chef Too, Alameda or SALT.

Review of Morel’s Restaurant: Gongti Bei Lu, opposite Workers’ Gymnasium North Gate, northwest corner of Chunxiu Lu 工体北路 朝阳区工体北路春秀路西北角工人体育馆北门对面 Tel: 6416-8802

Best Part:

• Our waiter spoke amazing English, was incredibly polite and extremely knowledgeable and informative of the menu
• Easy to find location, across from Gongti North Gate
• One of Beijing’s oldest standing Western restaurants (respect for old-timers)
• Good Belgium beer & Belgium waffles
• Decent food for a reasonable price

Comments:

• Tacky interior design and mediocre food quality (reminded me of Brasserie Flo in terms of overall dining experience)
• The place would be a million times better if they redesigned their outside sign, updated their menu, fixed up their interior design and had more promotions of their Belgium beer.
• It’s a decent place, but just nothing to write home about. I probably won’t return considering the vast selection of amazing restaurants available in Beijing, but I would not be against giving them another try.

Mama Mia! La Pizza

Everyone always says ‘Quality over Quantity,’ but sometimes a lot of quantity is all you need.

La Pizza’s Gourmet Month Set Menu for RMB 99 is for TWO people.  Not one, but TWO.

For 99RMB, you get:

• 4 Arancini Fried Sicily rice balls
• 2 generous bowls of soup (1 pumpkin & 1 tomato)
• 50cm-long Pizza Marinara Napolitana! (I recommend to add cheese for RMB 20, which is SO WORTH IT)

SUCH GOOD VALUE!! Aside from All-Star’s Gourmet Month menu (3 course menu PLUS drink for RMB99), big ups to La Pizza for not skimping and providing a great set menu for gourmet month.

Review of La Pizza: Building No. 3, 1F, SA-48, SOLANA Commercial Center, 6 Chaoyang Park Road, Chaoyang Park 蓝色港湾国际商区, 朝阳公园路6号朝阳公园西北岸边  Tel: 5905-6106

Best Part:

• Serves very authentic thin-crust Italian Pizza, straight from wood-fired oven
• The place was completely packed on a Saturday night
• Casual atmosphere
• Great value with huge proportions (the 50cm pizza is their medium size, so just image how big their large is! – enough to serve about 6 people)

Comments:

• Service was chaotic and not very attentive (but in their defense, they were very busy)
• Regular menu’s prices are not cheap. If you just want quantity with good value, I still would choose Kro’s Nest’s pizzas.
• They had run out of tomato soup, which we switched for a mushroom soup

In ordering the gourmet month menu, you should be prepared to expect a marinara pizza -no cheese.  If you are a cheese fanatic like me, I highly recommend to add cheese for RMB 20, which makes a great difference

Beijing Hot Tips: Hot off the Press

I may have grown up in the US of A, but I after living in China for over 3 years, I have become such a sucker for discounts. Whether I’m bargaining at Yashow or scheduling a regimented plan to hit up as many possible restaurants as I can during CW’s Gourmet Month, I have come to accept that I am indeed a sucker for discounts.

It’s become an addiction in all of my purchasing habits.  I refuse to purchase without a discount or I find myself over-buying because I got a good discount and end up spending more than I ever intended to.

A perfect example: Yesterday was my mom’s last day in China before flying back home to Cali, so I booked us two facials at the most pampering spa in town – Kocoon, who happened to be celebrating their 1 year anniversary (Nov. 17-20) with some killer deals on facials, massages, pedicures and manicures, see here. After an hour and a half of soothing comfort with a facial treatment that made us spoiled rotten, my mom insists that I sign myself up for my next appointment, which is when we stumble upon Kocoon’s treatment series specials, and I end up with a massive package deal purchasing 11 facials for the price of 8 (which includes 2 free back relaxing massage treatments and 1 eye-puffiness treatment). As much as this is an awesome deal, in retrospect, we went a little overboard.

If you are not into some pampering love treatment, your stomach should be happy to hear that All-Star‘s got a new Winter Menu starting next week!  Print out this blog post on Beijinger and you’ll get 20% off the new menu items (special discount available from Monday, Nov. 23- Thurs, Nov. 26).  My personal new favorites on the new menu are All-Star’s Southwest Tortilla Soup, Steakhouse Burger, Blue Cheese & Bacon Burger, and California Cobb Salad to name a few.

For those with a sweet tooth, the new Sequoia Cafe next to Papa John’s at the Kerry Center is giving out free muffins until the end of November!  Sweetness!

No Mas for Olas

OLAS Tapas Café is a casual Gourmet Month meal I’ve been trying to hit up either for lunch or dinner considering I’m in Sanlitun area basically every day.

I’m a big fan of Spanish tapas and the gourmet month menu looked pretty good – with an assortment of cold and hot tapas and dessert for only RMB 99.

HUGE disappointment.

First of all, the hot chocolate I ordered was not hot at all (more like luke warm), the entire gourmet month meal was basically 2 plates of an assortment of tapas – one plate with olives, red peppers, itty-bitty mini croquettes, and even smaller bacon and shrimp skewers. The second plate was a bit better with a lamb chop, chicken breast on garlic bread, and beef.  Last was a scoop of ‘homemade’ vanilla ice cream.

Luckily, my friends were more interested in other tapas dishes, so we got an assortment of tapas plus a pasta dish and extra desserts.

Not only was Olas the first disappointing CW gourmet month meal with its miniature portions, and poor to mediocre quality and taste, all the food was either too salty or not salty enough, too oily and greasy, and overall blah.

Review of Olas Tapas Café: Beside Coldstone on the Yashow side of Sanlitun Village, 朝阳区三里屯北路三里屯Village南区S9-10  Tel: 6417-5657

Best Part:

• It’s conveniently located in Sanlitun Village, my home away from home
• It’s a nice, casual atmosphere
• Reasonably priced
• Decent Mushroom Risotto
• Easy to order an assortment of tapas with a group of friends (most tapas come in 3′s).

Comments:

• If you go, don’t bother ordering the Gourmet Month meal. It’s not good value and I think you’d be better off just ordering some tapas off the regular menu.
• Tapas are all quite greasy, oily – either too salty or not salty enough (overall disappointment with Spanish chorizo and eggs, and also the foie gras was very bland).
• Pastas are more Italian than Spanish…and I wouldn’t even consider it that.
• Experience overall was pretty poor to mediocre in terms of food quality, taste, selection,  and service.

Enoteca: Your ‘Best Enemy’

Last night, while I dined at Enoteca for its killer Gourmet Month Special, I discovered why some call Enoteca their ‘Best Enemy’.

As luck would have it, we just happened to dine at Enoteca while they were hosting a wine tasting of beautiful red, white and rose Argentenian wines – Ampakama.

After sampling almost 10 different bottles of red and white wines, my taste buds confirm my appreciation for Syrah and Cabernet Franc. Very impressive.

Favorite Quote of the Night: “Enoteca’s wine deals are dangerous.  I come here after work for a glass of wine and figure that with two glasses, I might as well get a bottle. (bottles start at rmb99) I invite friends to share the bottle of wine, which quickly turns into 3 bottles. I love this place, but it really is my Best Enemy.”

Gourmet Month Menu Special: For only 99RMB, they offer 4 courses plus a generous glass of wine.

Gourmet Month menu highlights: Pumpkin Soup, Snow Crab Turnip Carpaccio, Poached Veal and all three desserts: Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Mousse, and Cinnamon Crème Brûlée

Enoteca Review: M102 Northern Tower, The Place, 9A Guanghua Lu, CBD/Guomao 光华路9A世贸天阶北街F1-M102 Tel: 6587-1578

Best Part:

• The food is up to par with their wine, which says a lot
• They have a great Sunday Brunch
• Their wine specials are dangerously tempting
• They are always hosting wine tastings and Manager Thomas is great with wine recommendations and suggestions
• Great desserts: love their cinnamon crème brûlée and chocolate mousse 
  
• They feature live music (Blues band on Wednesdays, Jazz band on Thursdays)

Comments:

• I wish their food menu was more extensive
• Gourmet Month Menu is a great value – 4 courses PLUS a glass of wine for only RMB 99 (but note that the four courses are more like tapas than course meals)

Best for First

I’ve always been the type of person who likes to save the best for last.

Maybe it’s just me, but I always like knowing that the best is yet to come and when that moment arrives, I like to savor it and make it last as long as possible.

Back in April, I managed to gorge myself with about 20 gourmet month meals in 30 days.  And out of those 20 meals, the general consensus agreed the best value and our overall favorite meal was at Kagen.

Some of the other restaurants may have been newer, trendier, fancier, better customer service, etc., but when it came down to the food quality, quantity and overall dining experience, Kagen blew our expectations.

With the start of November, I was pumped for Gourmet Month all over again.

Initially, I wanted to try out a new restaurant: perhaps Olas Tapas Cafe as it is conveniently located in Sanlitun (my home away from home) but my foodies crew was all about Kagen again.  Normally I would want to save Kagen for last, but with 30 days and about 15 restaurants I’m set to dine at this time around, I’ve got room for Kagen at least twice this month (one BBQ set & one hot pot set).

For only 150RMB, the deal is ridiculous! (I honestly recommend that two girls can share one meal, it’s that much food!)  But if you are someone like me, with a healthy appetite, then you will leave stuffed…and your stomach expanded to its brink.

Here’s the breakdown:

Assorted Appetizer Platter – Seared Beef Carpaccio, Roasted Bacon and Asparagus Roll, Stir-fry gobo, Tobiko Salad, Calamari

Assorted BBQ Combo Course – Short Ribs, Rib Eye, Yakitori, Jumbo Butter Prawns

Or

Assorted Hot Pot Combo Course – Sliced Rib-eye, Fish & Shrimp Balls, Sliced Salmon, Sea Conch, and Assorted Mushrooms

Stone Rice Bowl with Vegetables

Miso Soup

Mousse and Ice Cream Dessert

**I recommend the BBQ combo if you had to choose one, but both are bomb. And most likely you will go with more than one person, so have someone else get the hot pot and share. 

And Oh my goodness, the ice cream dessert is heaven.  I would advise to go for the chocolate as it’s creamy and rich (the strawberry was more like a sorbet than ice cream).

With all of us foodies just sticking to the BBQ this time, we’ll be back at least once more for the Hot Pot and then again to keep our taste buds happy.

Next Stop:

Tuesday, Nov. 3rd: All-Star Sports Bar & Grill (to introduce a few foodies to the best burger in town)

Wednesday, Nov. 4th:  Gourmet Month Break – Black Sesame Kitchen’s Wine ‘n Dine Special (10 course meal & all-you-can-drink wine for only RMB 150)

Thursday, Nov. 5th: Olas Tapas Cafe - new restaurant I have yet to try.

For the rest of the month, here are my top 10 picks:

• Bei – Most amazing looking menu
• Mare’s - I want to check out the new location
• Hatsune – The Q Roll alone is worth going for
• SALT – I want to try both their lunch & dinner menu
• Oden – Perfect remedy to the bitter cold winter weather
• Enoteca – Great meal WITH a glass of wine
• Meat & Wine Co. – One of my favorites from last April’s Gourmet Month
• Za’atar – Very unique menu in comparison to the rest (but in Shunyi)
• Morel’s - One of Beijing’s oldest restaurants that I have yet to try
• Haiku – Menu is totally different from Hatsune and it’s just next door to my home

Comments:

• From my experiences last April, I try to avoid most hotel restaurants, which have all been very, very empty.  It’s creepy to be the only people dining in a restaurant.  Exception may be to try Tamarind, who’s menu is pretty impressive (not to mention extensive) and reviews have been well received.  Plus, I love good Indian food.
• Brasserie Flo offers a generous menu (I tried last April), but the decor was pretty tacky and the food wasn’t enough to bring me back a second time around.
• I automatically boycott any restaurant that charges RMB 250 for chicken as the main entree.  *Ahem* Astor Grill.  Weak Sauce.
• I’m disappointed Mosto upped their price from 150 to 250 and the selection is quite minimal compared to last time around. Isn’t the point of Gourmet Month to provide good value and impress first-timers to return? Bummer.

*Originally I had planned to create a calendar with designated Gourmet Month Menu days, but I can’t seem to plan more than 4 days ahead.  From reading this entry, you know my top targets, so just shoot me an e-mail if you want me to include you/notify you when I decide to go to the restaurant you want to try too.  As always, the more the merrier.   kristen@lumdimsum.com

The Month of November

To Americans, the month of November rings fond memories of Thanksgiving holiday, family reunions, and turkey.

For the guys at Mellowparks.cn, the month of November is now being rebranded Movember (For the slower people out there: Moustache + November…Movember!)  Guys, I encourage you to join together in an effort to raise money for prostate cancer research – all while growing incredibly good looking/ridiculous looking mo’s.  Check it out:  www.movember.com for styling tips, donation info, and more.

For me, November means a month of gluttony (as an American who loves turkey feasts and I am probably the #1 Fan of all time of CityWeekend’s Gourmet Month!!)

For those of you who don’t know, CW holds two annual Gourmet Months (April & November) where about 40 of Beijing’s top restaurants are selected and placed into 3 categories (RMB 99, 150, and 250) and each restaurant provides a set menu available for the entire month that is worth more than double the set menu price they offer.

It’s brilliant!  Restaurants are happy from all the extra publicity and customers are all happy to get such amazing value for their money and the opportunity to try many restaurants they normally would not think to try out.

Back in April, I believe I went to about 18 restaurants (a new restaurant almost every day) and I was definitely, definitely guilty of gluttony to say the least.  And now that it’s getting close to November, I’m get pumped up again for FOODIE INDULGENCE!!

Join me on my quest to conquer this month’s Gourmet Month!  I plan to set up a schedule for the month of November to try as many restaurants as possible. Basically, I’ll have a schedule and if you are free, if you are interested in coming along, feel free to come along and invite others!! As always, the more the merrier.

If you are interested in joining me, please shoot me an e-mail: kristen@lumdimsum.com and I’ll keep you posted on this coming month’s dining adventure schedule!  :)