Botany: Private Handcraft Cocktail Bar by Frankie Zou

Beijing’s bar scene has been hit hard recently, with the closure of Ichikura, The Den and several other stalwarts. But as ever with the city, development continues unabated. And with that in mind, I have the honour of presenting to you, what I think has the potential to be the bar known for having the best cocktails in Beijing.

I was privileged to be invited to an exclusive tasting by owner Frankie Zou. Frankie has previously worked for Maison Boulud, TRB and Domus, so rest assured, this is no upstart. Botany is the name of a company Frankie set up in 2009 in order to create much of the product that he wanted and needed for his cocktail making. Now, it has been transformed into his very own bar.

Located in the Yongli Guoji apartments (NOT the shopping center portion!), Botany is very reminiscent of a speakeasy. You will not find this place unless Frankie wants you to! Pray that he does though, because it is incredible.

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Domus: Fusion Fine Dining by the Forbidden City

Savor the Fine Fusion Dance of Flavors at Domus

Wanting to start 2015 off strong, I’ve been saving this gem up my sleeves for a couple of weeks now.

After a 4 year disappearance, I am delighted to share that Domus on Nanchizi Road 南池子大街, just steps away from the Forbidden City, is back and ready to make your taste buds swoon.

Since my surprise re-visit to Domus Restaurant & Lounge this summer to attend a Chateau Latour-Martillac wine tasting organized by CWS, I’ve since been back a handful of times to taste test their developing food menu over the course of the past few months.

Though the restaurant decor and ambiance of the venue has remained relatively unchanged over the past few years, everything else has been swapped out and redirected. Under new ownership by the Huayi Brothers Media Film Production Company and new management with the GM none other than the incredibly talented mixologist Frankie Zou, formerly of Temple Restaurant Beijing, it’s clear that Domus’ elegant service has been trained by the best, the incredible house-infused drinks are by Frankie the mixology master himself, and the food menu gives a twist on contemporary French dishes with a splash of traditional Chinese-inspired flair.

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TRB’s Showcases Gary Danko Guest Chef Martin Brock

TRB’s Guest Chef Martin Brock Opens with a “California” Menu

Before the end of the year, Temple Restaurant Beijing (TRB) will invite 5 widely respected and talented chefs to guest-star at the restaurant and create their very own tasting menu in an effort to keep their resident chefs on their toes and spice up TRB’s a la carte menu options for all their regular customers.

The first of these 5  guests chefs is Martin Brock (former Chef de Cuisine at the incredibly awesome Gary Danko restaurant in San Francisco), who will be creating 3 different menus spread across the month of July 2013. Yes, that’s right, I will be booking in at least three reservations at TRB the month of July.

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TRB’s 5-Course Spirited Dinner with Paired Cocktails

A delicate drink fit for Royalty, an elixir by Mixologist Frankie Zou

Last week saw Temple Restaurant Beijing (TRB)‘s exquisite Spirited Dinner, a unique dining concept that begins with the creation of 5 mind-blowingly crafty cocktails that are each specially paired with a 5-course dinner menu.

As luck would have it, this event fell right on a dear foodie friend’s birthday, the lovely one and only Ms. Sarah Keenlyside of Bespoke Beijing, and with even more reason to celebrate, there was no stopping either of us from making the most of this incredible event and indulging in every last bite and savoring every last sip.

Walking into the enchanting 600-year-old temple that is now Temple Restaurant Beijing (TRB), I was delighted to find genius mixologist Frankie Zou already lining up in perfect formation hundreds of beautiful cocktail glasses prepared in all shapes and heights for his Spirited Dinner Drink Menu.

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TRB’s Spirited Dinner w/ Crafty Mixologist Frankie Zou

A New Kind of Dinner Concept: Courses Paired with Infused Cocktails

Temple Restaurant Beijing (TRB) is Beijing’s enchanting fine dining restaurant located on the grounds of a 600-year-old temple.  Home of fine foods, fine wine and fine service, this is exactly the type of place that guarantees a grand dining experience.  For all you love birds getting ready for a memorable Valentine’s Day dinner idea, you can start taking notes now.

While I do enjoy myself an indulgent meal at TRB whenever the occasion arises, I will make an extra effort to join their dinner events that generally offer a set dinner menu + drinks included at a very reasonable price. For example, the wine dinners that are regularly hosted by TRB will often include a 5-course menu with 5 paired wines for only RMB 580 per person, which is more than half the price of what this paired dinner menu would normally cost you.

This Thursday, January 17, 2013, TRB is putting a spin on this successful set dinner recipe.  Instead of paired wines, they are introducing a new dining concept featuring a 5-course menu paired with 5 specially tailored cocktail creations by their mixologist master Frankie Zou, who is an absolutely genius behind the bar.  Out of every fancy bar and lounge I’ve been to, Frankie’s range of house-infused, meticulously, delicately-crafted cocktails are hands-down the most impressive and delicious I have had the pleasure of tasting.

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TRB’s Spirited Dinner with Mixologist Frankie Zou

A Magical Dining Experience at Temple Restaurant Beijing (TRB)

Temple Restaurant Beijing (TRB) is a restaurant that comes to mind as soon as a special occasion arises or a guest comes into town, but let’s be honest, I’d also jump on any excuse to come on any day of the week because it’s a magical place with so much history and allure. Every time I come has been a happy memory.

Some of my most memorable experiences here have been with TRB’s specialty paired wine nights or when they had a Spanish themed wine dinner with a 5-course menu with 5 different Spanish wines and a presentation of 5J Iberico ham. (Click here to view that dining summary)

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Post-Great Wall Half Marathon Celebration at TRB

China’s Annual Great Wall Marathon Run 2012 (Photo by Sarah Keenlyside)

After pushing myself to the limit, killing myself running the Great Wall Half Marathon this past Saturday, May 19th, I was in dire need of a few very critical things (and in this consecutive order): 1. Shower 2. Massage 3. Second Shower 4. Nap 5. A well-deserved celebration with 6. plenty of cocktails to cure my post-marathon pain.

As competitive as I can be, I wasn’t running for myself.  I ran the half marathon in place of Temple Restaurant Beijing (TRB)’s General Manager Ignace Lecleir to fundraise for Prevention Through Education (PTE), a 501 (c)3 nonprofit founded specifically to address the lack of knowledge about HIV/AIDS in China.

This was my first-ever attempt at running a long-distance race and climbing up and down the Great Wall across 21km/13 miles was a no mean feat for me. But after exactly 2 hours and 47 minutes, I crossed the finish line barely resisting the urge to faint, vomit and pee my pants all at the same time.

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