The Southern Fish 渔芙南: From Humble Boutique to Mighty Mansion

There were tears shed when the little restaurant in a narrow hutong near Dashilar called The Southern Fish 渔芙南 closed last month. This cozy, quaint little restaurant was a gem of a find back in March 2015 and although it was tricky to find, the fiery home-cooked Hunan fare made it worth the effort.

But Beijingers know far too well how quickly things change in this fickle capital, especially when it comes to the F&B scene. Lucky for us, The Southern Fish was ahead of the game. Turns out that they only closed their Dashilar branch a few weeks before they opened a bigger branch in Fuchengmen.

When fellow foodie Joel Shucat of The Orchid Hotel told me last week that Southern Fish had reopened near Fuchengmen, it was all I could think about. From their Dianping page, I could tell it was much bigger from the last one, but I still felt wholely unprepared for the grand size of the new branch.

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Spice Up Your Day: Karaiya’s Fiery Set Lunches

Add Some Spicy Flair to Your Weekday with Karaiya’s New Set Lunch Menu

While there are plenty of superb lunch deals in the Sanlitun area, it’s not very often that you come across a thoughtful set lunch menu at a Chinese restaurant.

From my experience, most Chinese restaurants either offer some sort of buffet spread or it’s ordered a la carte as you would at dinner. And I’m talking about the restaurants with a whole range of dishes on offer, not your neighborhood hole-in-the-wall 拉面 noodle or 盖饭 shop. And with so many of the Western restaurants all around town offering great value 2 to 3 course set lunch menus, Indian restaurants offering massive lunch buffet spreads, it makes me wonder why more Chinese restaurants don’t offer the same bang for your buck at lunch to keep up with their neighboring competitors.

Always one step ahead of the rest, Karaiya Spice House has launched a set of 9 different weekday set lunches designed for those of us who don’t want to waste too much brain power thinking about what you want to order for lunch (you’re only half-way done with your work day!) and if you prefer your lunches to be speedier than you average dinner experience.

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