CW Reader’s Choice Awards vs. LumDimSum

Unlike theBeijinger and Time Out magazines, CityWeekend lumps both the Dining & Nightlife Award Categories into one evening rather than split it up into two events. And for the first time this year, CityWeekend changed it up and actually kept the vote count visible to the public and made sure that every voter had a validated CW User Name Account.

If you are interested in comparing results, check out theBeijinger Restaurant Awards Breakdown posted here.  Time Out’s Restaurant Awards Breakdown is posted here.

I unfortunately was not in Beijing to attend the CityWeekend’s awards ceremony at Brasserie Flo, but word on the street was that it was packed and the turn-out was impressive.

If you haven’t seen the results already, here is a LumDimSummary Breakdown of all the winners in both the Restaurant & Bar Awards Categories:

CityWeekend’s Awards for Best Dining Categories:

• Best New Restaurant of the Year:

  • CW Winner: Tamarind

  • LumDimSum Vote: Capital M

• Restaurant of the Year:

  • CW Winner: SALT

  • LumDimSum Vote: Hatsune

• Chinese Restaurant of the Year:

  • CW Winner: Zen5es

  • LumDimSum Vote: Karaiya Spice House

• Most Romantic:

  • CW Winner: Jaan

  • LumDimSum Vote: Capital M

• Best Value:

  • CW Winner: Kiosk

  • LumDimSum Vote: Biteapitta

• Chef of the Year:

  • CW Winner: Mario Cittadini

  • LumDimSum Vote: Max Levy – Bei/Apothecary

• Best Service:
  

  • CW Winner: Maison Boulud

  • LumDimSum Vote: Maison Boulud

• Best Mexican/Tex-Mex:

  • CW Winner: Casa Latina

  • LumDimSum Vote: Casa Latina

• Best Italian:
  

  • CW Winner: Prego

  • LumDimSum Vote: Metro

• Best Japanese:

  • CW Winner: Nishimura

  • LumDimSum Vote: Hatsune

• Best French:

  • CW Winner: Maison Boulud

  • LumDimSum Vote: Maison Boulud

• Best Thai:

  • CW Winner: Purple Haze

  • LumDimSum Vote: Aroy-D (by Fulicheng)

• Best American:

  • CW Winner: Chef Too

  • LumDimSum Vote: All-Star Sports Bar & Grill

• Best Indian:

  • CW Winner: Mughal’s

  • LumDimSum Vote: Punjabi

• Best Middle-Eastern:

  • CW Winner: 1001 Nights

  • LumDimSum Vote: Biteapitta

• Best Beijing Duck:

  • CW Winner: Fat Duck

  • LumDimSum Vote: Made in China (Grand Hyatt)

• Best Hot Pot:

  • CW Winner: Ding Ding Xiang

  • LumDimSum Vote: Hai Di Lao

• Best Burger:

  • CW Winner: All-Star Sports Bar & Grill

  • LumDimSum Vote: All-Star Sports Bar & Grill

• Best Pizza:

  • CW Winner: The Tree

  • LumDimSum Vote: The Tree

• Best Dessert:

  • CW Winner: Din Tai Fung

  • LumDimSum Vote: Comptoirs de France

• Best Steakhouse:

  • CW Winner: Grange (Westin Chaoyang)

  • LumDimSum Vote: Meat & Wine Co. (but it’s closed now)    I will need to find a new favorite steakhouse…
    

• Best Wine Selection:

  • CW Winner: Enoteca

  • LumDimSum Vote: Palette Vino

• Best Buffet:

  • CW Winner: Seasonal Tastes

  • LumDimSum Vote: Westin Chaoyang

• Best Sunday Brunch:

  • CW Winner: Bubbalicious (Westin Chaoyang)

  • LumDimSum Vote: Orchard

• Best for Families:

  • CW Winner: Din Tai Fung, Seasonal Tastes (Tie)

  • LumDimSum Vote: Orchard

CityWeekend’s Awards for Best Bar/Club Categories:

• Club of the Year:

  • CW Winner: Mix

  • LumDimSum Vote: Bling

• Bar of the Year:
  

  • CW Winner: Apothecary

  • LumDimSum Vote: Apothecary

• Nightlife Newcomer of the Year:

  • CW Winner: White Rabbit

  • LumDimSum Vote: Fubar

• Best Local Band of the Year:

  • CW Winner: The Redbucks

  • LumDimSum Vote:  The Redbucks

• Beijing-Based DJ of the Year:

  • CW Winner: DJ Blackie

  • LumDimSum Vote:  DJ KEZA

• Best Alfresco Drinking:

  • CW Winner: XIU

  • LumDimSum Vote: Q Bar

• Best Live Music:

  • CW Winner: Mao Live House

  • LumDimSum Vote: Yugong Yishan

• Best Cocktails:

  • CW Winner: Mix-The Westin Beijing Chaoyang

  • LumDimSum Vote: Glen

• Best Place for Singles:

  • CW Winner: Mix

  • LumDimSum Vote: Bling

• Best for Dancing:

  • CW Winner: GT Banana

  • LumDimSum Vote: BLING

• Best Sports Bar:
  

  • CW Winner: All-Star Sports Bar & Grill

  • LumDimSum Vote: All-Star Sports Bar & Grill

• Hardest Bar to Find:

  • CW Winner: Fubar Peking

  • LumDimSum Vote: Club Obiwan

• Best Pub Grub:
  

  • CW Winner: All-Star Sports Bar & Grill

  • LumDimSum Vote: All-Star Sports Bar & Grill

• Best Fruit Plate:

  • CW Winner: Destination

  • LumDimSum Vote: Bling

• Best Promoter:

  • CW Winner: Street Hustle Promotions

  • LumDimSum Vote: Acupuncture

ATTN: Single Malt Fiends

This message is for Single Malt Fiends:

After a successful and enlightening presentation of rare and unique single malts at Glen Boutique Bar back in December, I would like to invite you to our second event coming up next week.

If you are someone who has an interest or an appreciation for fine whisky and food, then I’d like to introduce this event to you:  

On Wednesday, January 13 Wilfred Kwok will be hosting a Single Malt Tasting with a Pairing Tasting Menu by Club Glen.

Introducing four different types of single malt whiskys specially paired together with specialty tapas dishes provided by 1/5 Taverna, this is a unique, one-of-a-kind tasting opportunity.

Location: Club Glen
Address:  1949-The Forbidden City, Courtyard 4, Gongti Beilu, Sanlitun (Behind Pacific Century Mall)
工体北路四号院

Single Malt Fiends

For anyone with an interest or an appreciation for single malt whiskys, here is a Whisky Tasting Event designed just for you:

This Wednesday, December 9, Wilfred Kwok (owner of Glen Boutique Bar/Oden/Club Decollete/Club Glen) is hosting a Single Malt Tasting with a Pairing Tasting Menu by Glen Boutique Bar & Oden.

Introducing four different types of single malt whiskys specially paired together with Oden’s specialty dishes from its sushi to foie gras, this is a unique, one-of-a-kind tasting opportunity.

RSVP required as seating is limited – Contact LumDimSum:  kristen@lumdimsum.com

Price per person: RMB 280
Date: Wednesday, December 9
Time: Starts 7:30pm-9pm
Location: Glen Boutique Bar
Address:  203 Taiyue Suites, 16 Sanlitun Nanlu,
三里屯南路16号，太悦203室

LumDimSum’s Gallery of Club Decollete’s Opening Party

Congratulations to Wilfred Kwok, successful owner of Glen Boutique Bar, Oden and newly opened Club Glen & Club Decollete in 1949-The Hidden City.

Club Decollete opened last night, Wednesday, December 2nd with an endless supply of champagne, cocktails, live saxophone, and tapas courtesy of 1/5 Taverna. EventPod also featured a live slideshow of all photos throughout the night!

You can check out the entire database of photos from Club Decollete’s Opening Party here.

But here’s a taste of Club Decollete’s Opening with LumDimSum’s photo gallery highlights:

A Tour of ‘The New Beijing’

It seems like a lifetime ago, but when I first moved to Beijing in 2006, I came as a student to study Mandarin at World Link Education.  Back in those days, everything was all play and stress-free – ah, the life as a student.  My crew’s regular hangout spot was Together Bar (which was recently demolished this summer and replaced with a park) and our regular party spots included none other than Babyface, Cargo, Bar Blu, Kai Bar, Suzie Wong’s and Vics (before the re-model).

Since then, so much has changed in Beijing pre and post the 2008 Olympics.

This October holiday, my best friend from World Link, Sophia Gericke came back to visit for 10 days – a visit that has been both refreshing and eye-opening.  It’s so easy to get caught up in all the small things and forget to see the big picture.  It’s hard to imagine that only a year ago, there was no Sanlitun Village, there was no Opposite House, no Bling, no Solana, no Legation Quarter, etc. etc.

With Sophia back in Beijing after a 3 years, I wanted her to experience the best of what I like to call, ‘The New Beijing’.

Having already lived in Beijing, Sophia had no interest in seeing any tourist attractions, so I was able to really give her a taste of Beijing’s new and improved dining and nightlife scene.

Here’s what the 10 day tour consisted of:

1. Sanlitun Village (Hatsune, Karaiya, Blue Frog for drinks, Panino Teca)
2. Opposite House (Alan’s Hotel Party in one of the suites, Mesh & Punk)
3. Solana (All-Star & Bling)
4. Legation Quarter Tour & dinner @ Capital M (Qianmen Pedestrian Street)
5. Park Hyatt’s Xiu
6. Olympic Green (complete with attending the Turandot Opera in Bird’s Nest)
7. 1949-The Hidden City: Club Décolleté, Club Glen, Sugar Cafe, Well Bar
8. Scarlett (Hotel G)
9. Glen Boutique Bar & Oden
10. d lounge
    

    Keep it Gangsta Party @ BLING

11. Vics (renovated)
12. Block 8‘s Ruby Khi (renovated)
13. Suzie Wong’s (unchanged)
14. Chocolate Club
15. Vineyard Cafe (best Sunday brunch)
16. Chef Too (Sunday brunch)
17. Regency Taipan (massage)
18. PurpleJade Country Club (spa)

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