Oodles of Noodles

1949′s got a lot of people talking about their newest additions: Club Décolleté and Club Glen (replacing 1/5 Taverna’s previous bar).  Club Décolleté is a dazzling new champagne bar with beautiful sparkling cocktails and fresh sparkling daiquiris where Club Glen is a member’s only lounge featuring premium whisky and cigars. Both venues providing a nice balance for both lovely ladies and gentlemen in each respective venue.

Aside from these two new additions, 1949-The Hidden City is also home to eateries such as 1/5 Taverna, Duck de Chine, Sugar Bar, and the quaint and cozy Noodle Bar, the smallest of 1949′s venues. With only 12 seats around the noodle station, guests quickly come and go for delicious bowls of noodles with high-quality ingredients and kung-fu chefs hand-pulling wheat noodles in front of you.

The Noodle Bar concept is quite direct – a concise menu with simple dishes, clearly specializing in big bowls of beef noodle soup (with beef brisket, beef tendon, or beef tripe), veggie dishes, and about 5 cold appetizer dishes. I recommend ordering the set menu for RMB 42 (bowl of beef brisket, tendon and tripe noodles with a small appetizer and Oolong Tea). With only 12 seats in total, this is a great spot for a quick, casual lunch with a friend or two (not more considering the limited seats).  It’s small and cozy rather than intimate and romantic. It’s not pretentious or aiming to be anything more than simply what it is: A Noodle Bar.

Noodle Bar Review: At 1949- The Hidden City. Courtyard 4, Gong Ti Bei Lu, Chaoyang District, Sanlitun. Opposite Pacific Century Place South gate. Tel: 6501-1949

Best Part:

• Delicious bowls of beef noodle soup
• Nice Set Lunch Option for RMB 42 (Combo of Beef noodles, small appetizer and tea)
• Wait isn’t long (people come, eat, and leave rather quickly)
• Cozy setting and casual atmosphere with chefs hand-pulling noodles in front of you

Comments:

• There are only 12 seats, so it’s a bit complicated to arrive with more than 2 other people and expect to sit together.
• Not really a place to sit and chat and hang out (there’s more of an ‘eat-and-leave’ mentality)

I recommend this venue as a quick, casual lunch destination for people who love oodles of noodles for a reasonable price.

The Orchard Oasis

In the three years I have spent in Beijing, I have never made the trip out to Shunyi until today.

I have heard great things about The Orchard but was always reluctant to go without being accompanied by someone who knew how to get me there (after hearing how difficult it is to find).

Granted the cab ride from my place in the Chaoyang Park area to The Orchard was a hefty 64RMB (+5 RMB toll fee), but when you pull up into a canopy of apple trees and step into the charming courtyard oasis, I instantly fell in love and you really do feel right at home.

It’s a magical place. The Sunday Brunch Buffet is absolutely worth the RMB 180 considering the quality and wide assortment of delicious “European Comfort Food” dishes to choose from.  There is a delightful selection of fresh, home-baked breads (I’m a sucker for fresh bread), fresh, organic salads, whole salmon, 2 soups, over 10 different entree dishes (meats and veggies), and 5 different dessert baked goods.

Orchard Brunch Breakdown:

• Winners: Puff Pastry Turnover (shrimp, mushroom and spinach), Pineapple-Avocado Salad, Beet and Goat Cheese Salad, Grilled Veggies (eggplant, onions, peppers, zucchini), Oyster Mushrooms, Whole Salmon, Cheesy Bread and Olive aoli, Vegetable Quiche, Beer-Braised Beef.
• Fresh Bread and Salad Selection were the buffet highlights
• Meat entree dishes (lamb and chicken) were both quite dry and tough
• Desserts were only mediocre (we found ourselves going back for appetizers and banana bread instead of their cakes)
• Selection of refreshments: Apple Juice, OJ, Iced Tea (was a bit disappointed they did not serve fresh apple juice with their massive orchard of apple trees just outside)

If it weren’t for the difficult location and inaccessibility, I would be the Orchard’s #1 fan. Location aside, I really did fall in love with this place and would still say that The Orchard experience is still worth the long trip out to the boonies.

Review of The Orchard: Hegezhuang Village, Cuigezhuang Township, Shunyi – Located right behind the Beijing Riviera and Quanfa Gardens  崔各庄乡何各庄村  Tel: 139-1121-1965, 6433-6270

Best Part:

• My new favorite Sunday Brunch Spot, perfect for a cozy, peaceful Sunday afternoon, where you can enjoy good food and just sit and relax for hours.
• The ambiance is incredibly warm and welcoming with its charming décor and friendly service
• The Orchard’s very own unique garden and three hot houses grow the restaurant’s organic herbs, vegetables, and fruit (the salads are delightful).
• They venue also contains a quaint little gift shop that sells furniture, jars of homemade jams and cooking sauces, dried herbs, clothing, jewelry, handmade soaps, and accessories.

Comments:

• I highly recommend coming with a driver as its a nightmare to find and also to leave (the restaurant only provides black taxis who will charge RMB 100 to get you back into town)
• Its advised to make a reservation 3-4 days in advance (My choice seating would be in their center courtyard space with plenty of natural sunlight throughout the day).

Warm Up the Weekend with Hot Pot

It’s mid-November and it’s already snowed heaps. Blame global warming, blame China for shooting too many chemicals into the clouds, blame whoever, but we need to cope with this year’s early drop in temperature.

I find comfort in Hot Pot, which seems to be the theme for this weekend:

You gotta play your cards right on this Friday, the 13th!

• Hot Pot & BBQ dinner at Kagen
• Bachelorette Party @ the new ladies’ champagne bar: Club Décolleté
• Dance crazy @ BLING.

Saturday, November 14:

• BLING: **DJ KEZA returns to BLING for a kick-ass performance, ‘Keza’s Golden Night’ this Saturday night!!!!  (I get giddy just thinking about it!)
• Vic’s Ying Yang Twins show – known for their “Whisper Song”.  For those who want to shake it (like a salt shaker).
• Hot Pot & Happy Niu Year Snowboard Movie Premiere hosted by Mellowparks @ Punk.

**NOTE:  The Human Beatbox and former member of the Roots, RAH ZEL will be performing exclusively @ BLING on Saturday, November 20. If you don’t know RAH ZEL, just watch his mind-blowing live performance of “If Your Mother Only Knew” on YouTube.

For those who missed my raving review of Kagen’s incredible Gourmet Month special, you can read up here.  As always, the more the merrier, so feel free to join the group for some quality Japanese hot pot and BBQ goodness. If not, then kick off the winter snowboard season right and join the party at Punk for big beats and big tricks. Movie premier starts at 11:30pm and tons of sick raffle prizes up for grabs throughout the night.

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)

Black Sesame Kitchen: The Not-So-Secret Hidden Gem

A lot of people have heard of Black Sesame Kitchen’s fun and interactive cooking classes or wine ‘n dine dinner parties, but not so many people know that once a month, Black Sesame Kitchen will host a special 10-course traditional Chinese meal + all-you-can-drink quality wine for RMB 150 per person. Doesn’t get much better than that.

Black Sesame Kitchen may not be listed among CityWeekend’s Gourmet Month Restaurants, but it may as well be, considering how incredibly awesome this steal of a bargain is!

Hosted by my very favorite event manager, Candice Lee aka C-dice, she really does wonders for this little hutong kitchen. Considering she knows EVERYONE in Beijing, there is always a fully-booked table with all the cool kids in town (foodies who know where it’s at).

This special deal only occurs once a month (typically the first Wednesday of every month), but the cooking classes are a ton of fun and Black Sesame Kitchen is the perfect destination to impress out-of-towners and host private dinner parties whether its a birthday, corporate event or wine tasting.

Black Sesame Kitchen Review: Off of Nanluoguxiang (turn when you see Log-in Bar), 黑芝麻胡同3号  Tel: 136-9147-4408

Best Part:

• You can indulge in an amazing 10-course meal PLUS all-you-can-drink QUALITY wine for only RMB 150 (special price available once a month)
• Best dessert EVER: Candied Apples Chilled in Vanilla Ice Cream
• Everything is cooked right in front of you, making for a really interactive dining experience – Chairman Wang is a culinary genius
• The wine selection is always superb in taste and quality
• The service is the best (C-dice is the perfect host, always on top of her game)
• A great option to host private dinner parties for a group of friends and the cooking classes are really great (*think birthday present for someone who loves cooking and good food).
• It’s a great place to bring friends or to meet new friends (always a great dining crowd of foodies who share the love for good food and wine)

Comments:

• Incredibly tricky to find if it’s your first time (but I promise you it’s worth the extra effort – just carefully follow the directions they send to you)
• You need to learn to pace yourself and prepare for heaps of food that seems to never stop coming (my first time, I made the terrible mistake of overloading on the first dishes and was stuffed by the 5th course – reminder: there are 10! And trust me, you’ll want to save room for their dessert)

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

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

Niajo: Taste of Valencia, España

I have heard nothing but good things and now I’m extending the grapevine. 

Niajo, a traditional Spanish restaurant, located just beside Kocoon Spa on the 3rd floor of Nali Garden Patio, has just opened its doors and their paella is really something to talk about.

Alex Sanchez, owner and chef, was most hospitable and professional.  My table of four came hungry and after having shared a bottle of wine, an assorted cheese platter (generous portions and plenty for 4 people for only RMB 95), and their specialty paella (it says it’s meant for two, but it was more than enough for four of us to share; RMB 148) we were delighted to have found such a gem.

Niajo Spanish Restaurant Review: 3/F C305A, Nali Garden North Building, Sanlitun (next to Kocoon Spa)  三里屯北街81号 Tel: 5208 6052

Best Part:

• Generous Portions (huge cheese platter & they say their paella is good for 2 people, and in reality it’s good for 4-5 pax).
• Extensive wine selection for good prices
• Spaniards approve the restaurant’s food authenticity
• Casual, bistro setting with nice interior colors & I love open kitchens
• Owner & Chef Alex is a great host

Comments:

• Still in pre-opening stages with printed paper menus and wine list
• Seating is a bit cafeteria style and lighting still needs to be fine-tuned
• Hopefully with Niajo and Let’s Seafood open and also Apocathery’s opening this week, this will bring in more traffic to the Nali Area rather than diffuse the already crowded dining market. My premonition is that Sanlitun area, Nali Patio and Sanlitun Bei is just beginning to blossom and the list of incoming restaurants and bars is only going to continue to expand.

Owner & Chef, Alex Sanchez

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!  :)

ODEN: Contemporary Japanese Comfort

For the first time in a contemporary Japanese restaurant, the traditional Japanese stew, oden, is the spotlighted specialty dish on the menu.  Here at Oden, a modern yet intimate Japanese sake restaurant, they serve this popular Japanese comfort food along with cherished and innovative Japanese cuisine that perfectly compliment Oden’s unbeatable sake tasting sets.

Their specialty oden sets include premium products in a fragrant and nourishing soup made from scratch. Some of the consisting quality ingredients include abalone, giant prawns, bamboo shoots, and various other fresh seafood items flown in daily from Japan.   With the winter season approaching, this nourishing stew will be the perfect remedy to warm your stomach and enjoy among friends.

An oden set inclusive of the typical traditional ingredients is RMB 70, which can be upgraded to the oden special set at RMB 180 comprising of more premium seafood ingredients.

Oden aside, their small, focused menu also features a selection of appetizers, fresh salads, assorted sashimi, innovative sushi rolls (Foie gras sushi roll with fresh mango), premium teppanyaki grill items including Kobe beef sirloin steak and giant prawns, and Japanese staples such as their Inaniwa Udon noodles.

Last but not least, Oden features the best sake samplers in town. You can choose between three different grades of sake tasting flights inclusive of 8 premium sake samplers starting from RMB 160, RMB 260 & 360.  A sake tasting set of 16 is RMB 390.  If you’re not a sake lover, oden also serves a selection of high-grade plum wines, syochu and cocktails courtesy of neighboring Glen Boutique Bar.

With tall glass windows all around, everything dressed in white and a seating capacity of only 28 people, Oden’s simple Japanese style with a touch of traditional Chinese flair combines to create an original, stylish environment.  Utilizing a brilliant concept, Oden’s unique furniture is completely movable producing unlimited possibilities of 3-tier seating arrangements for a fresh look and atmosphere every day. Oden’s all-white design further accentuates the premium food and the white lace screens create an ambiance of intimacy and privacy in a contemporary, comfortable setting perfect for a date or a group of friends.

By the same owner of Glen Boutique Bar, Wilfred Kwok has never compromised on quality, always in a pursuit of excellence, to provide the highest quality and a unique experience in each of his four venues: Glen Boutique Bar, Club Décolleté, Club Glen and Oden.

I encourage you to experience Oden, new Japanese sake restaurant serving traditional Japanese comfort food together with the best sake tasting sets in town.

Oden:  203 Taiyue Suites, 16 Sanlitun Nanlu

三里屯南路16号，太悦203室

Phone: 6506 6700

Open Daily from 6pm-2am

*Note: Due to limited seating, Reservations are required before 10pm

Best Part:

• Foie Gras Sushi Roll with Fresh Mango: melts in your mouth and reason in and of itself to go back regularly
• Oden Sets – soup is made from scratch – it’s super healthy, nourishing, warms your stomach and soothes your body inside and out
• The menu is limited, but focused and extremely well executed – definitely quality over quantity
• Owner is Wilfred Kwok (creator and owner of Glen Boutique Bar, a Japanese whiskey bar with the best cocktails in town) so you know you’re dealing with a professional perfectionist who will deliver above your expectations
• Design is brilliant with the movable furniture – every day will have a different set-up and ambiance for a fresh, new look
• It’s open until 2am, so you can eat there late night

Comments:

• Max seating is 28 pax, so it’s a very cozy space – Note: Reservations are REQUIRED before 10pm
• A bit tricky to find – it’s located just beside Glen Boutique Bar (2nd floor of Taiyue Suites on Sanlitun NanLu) – the door is wooden with no signage – just an image of a stick figure holding Oden

Where the Sad French People go: Blue Frog

The popular Shanghai chain Blue Frog seems to do very well with this great outdoor terrace and convenient location in the Sanlitun Village.  I’ve been there multiple times for private parties, event functions, and meetings, but I’ve actually only eaten there a few times.

Blue Frog 蓝蛙:  American Dining on the 3rd floor of Sanlitun Village opposite the Apple Store.

The Best Part:

• Their spacious and massive outdoor seating space, perfect for a lazy afternoon under the sun
• They’ve got fantastic promotional specials – like their Monday’s buy-one-get-one-free burger deal
• Probably the longest happy hour in town: 4-8pm 2-for-1 drinks
• Great menu design, restaurant design, and furniture
• Great buzz and a lively, fun dining/drinking atmosphere
• Super friendly and helpful staff, all very proficient in English
• Food in generous proportions

Comments:

• Food overall was very average and quite expensive without a promotional deal (80RMB burgers, and
• Burgers were bland and tasteless
• I recommend switching your French fries for sweet potato fries