LDS Discovery: Bottega’s Braised Pork Gnocchi

Bottega’s Braised Pork Shoulder Gnocchi is a Winner

One of the best new restaurants to enter Beijing’s dynamic F&B scene in 2015, Bottega is killing it and at this rate, these guys are unstoppable. From a fantastic first impression, every return visit introduces fresh changes, new dishes and another memorable dining experience.

Having first visited in April this year, Bottega blew us away with their authentic Neapolitan pizza dough, imported premium olive oils and tasty tomato paste. On our most recent visit at the end of 2015, we were delighted to see a brand new menu complete with mouth-watering photos for some serious eye candy.

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Three Chefs Unite to Celebrate Rice + Wine

The Triple Threat: Alejandro Sanchez (Niajo), Taka Yamamoto (Sake Manzo) + Omar Maseroli (Mercante + Fiume)

The first of most likely three collaboration dinner series between three very talented chefs, The World of Rice is a special 6-course rice and wine-paired dinner menu created by Alejandro Sanchez (owner and executive chef of Niajo Spanish restaurant), Taka Yamamoto (International Wine Challenge (IWC) sake judge, Sake master and owner of Sake Manzo + Happi Sake restaurants) and Omar Maseroli (founder and head chef of Mercante and Fiume Italian restaurants).

Each of these master chefs are known and very much praised for their authentic and drool-worthy cooking and I have no doubt that this culinary collaboration event will be a spectacular eye-opening experience. More than just Japanese sushi and paellas (more obvious examples of dishes made with a rice base), they will be creating a unique menu that will change the way you think about rice.

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Park 17: Fine Italian Pops Up in South Sanlitun

Park 17 Pretties Up South Sanlitun

I came to dine at Park 17 after booking a long, overdue catch up with my fellow foodie. We struggled to think of a new restaurant to try that neither of us had yet been to. But just in the nick of time, the_beijinger‘s instagram posted about a new Italian restaurant in south Sanlitun. And that’s what I like to call “clutch”. Neither of us had heard of it yet but the beautiful photo of a pizza smothered in what looked like layers of arugula and Parma ham looked promising. I took a snapshot and sent it to her and the decision was made. Park 17 it was!

Without having time to dig any deeper, neither of us really new what to expect other than its location in South Sanlitun (it’s literally next to The Local, having replaced the Chinese vegan restaurant Gingko Tree). Arriving on a Thursday evening, it was very quiet with only 2-3 other tables of customers, but we assumed that the space has probably literally just opened to the public, which is exciting to be among the first to test it out!

LDS Snapshots of Park 17:

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Fiume First Impressions: Soft Opening Visit

Be Among the First to Dine at Fiume: Soft Opening Week

As soon as I heard that Fiume Italian restaurant was in soft opening since last Friday night (November 28), I’ve been as eager as an Apple addict waiting for the new iPhone 6 to squeeze in a proper dinner all this week. And I’m ecstatic to report that even in soft opening, Fiume is on fire. Good thing I made a reservation in advance as the house was fully booked with a wait of Italians even at 10PM as we were ordering our desserts.

Omar Maseroli (who also owns and runs hidden-hutong-hipster gem Mercante) has a widely respected reputation for his dedication to maintaining a high standard for his handmade pasta and local specialties from his home town Bologna, Italy.

Fiume is his second restaurant located in the Maizidian area just southeast of Liangmaqiao behind FX hotel along Liangmahe river. In Omar’s own words, Fiume (meaning “river” in Italian) is a concept similar to Mercante but with a modern edge and with more space in the kitchen, he plans to experiment with creating more handmade pasta varieties (gnocchi, wheat pasta, winter pasta with broth, etc). We ordered the gnocchi on Fiume’s soft opening menu and it was definitely my favorite dish of the evening.

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Mercante’s Sister Restaurant Fiume in Soft Opening

A little birdie just shared some very exciting restaurant news that I’m pretty ecstatic to share with YOU!

Beloved hidden-hutong-hipster-gem Mercante Italian restaurant is opening a second location on the east side of town called Fiume (means “river” in Italian). Located next to the Liangmahe river surrounded by trees, it’s in its own little peaceful oasis away from traffic and chaos. You can find Fiume in the FX hotel, not far from Solana shopping center at the top of Chaoyang Park west gate.

Photos of Fiume’s Location (provided by Omar Maseroli)

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LMPLUS: Brilliant Business Italian Set Lunch

LMPLUS definitely cooks better than me. No argument there.

One of the CBD’s very best weekday set lunch deals is LMPLUS‘ Business Lunch in Central Park.

If I were in a more corporate gig with clients I need to impress, I’d definitely be a more regular customer. And even though I don’t have the luxury of long lunches away from the office, I will definitely make an exception every now and again for LMPLUS. A solid business lunch option, LMPLUS has been consistently fail-proof over the years and even with new restaurants popping up and closing every week it seems in Central Park, LMPLUS still stands strong as one of their most popular dining destinations.

An Italian restaurant with its owners Lawrence & Massimo Masili from Sardinia (started in 2010), they pride their restaurant in using high quality ingredients “with the right amount of extra virgin olive oil and passion in every dish”.

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Annie’s Family Italian: Always Delivers

 Annie’s Family Italian: Dependable Delivery Galore

When Beijing’s summer weather is so wildly unpredictable with thunder rain storms plaguing our plans almost every other day the past few weeks, it makes you appreciate a delivery service as speedy and as reliable as Annie’s Family Italian.

A staple, go-to restaurant in Beijing since the beginning days of Beijing’s international dining scene, Annie’s has been around since 1999. Before even Hatsune Japanese restaurant (one of the oldest restaurants I know in Beijing), it’s hard to imagine what Beijing was like back then. It’s mind-boggling to see Annie’s original branch on Chaoyang Park West Gate still there standing strong with Beijing’s first authentic wood-fired brick oven and seeing new branches popping up on practically every corner of Chaoyang District with over 400 staff on board and over 100 electric bikes zooming all over Beijing’s streets!  (Read Annie’s fairy-tale story here)

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Mediterranean Gourmet Festival & New Menu at Barolo

Spanish Michelin Star Chef Rodrigo de la Calle Flies in from Madrid

A week long Mediterranean Gourmet Festival will take place at Barolo, a fine-dining Italian restaurant in the Ritz Carlton from March 11-16, 2013.

Flying in Michelin Star Chef Rodrigo de la Calle from Madrid, Spain, he will team up with Barolo’s Italian Chef de Cuisine Gianluca Visani to present the authentic flavor of Mediterranean cuisine.  Aiming to provide guests with an in-depth perspective of how food culture has been shaped in Spain and Italy, Barolo will showcase a learning area dedicated to ingredients, cooking classes, and tasting sessions to make this Mediterranean festival an interactive learning experience.

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