Savvy SWITCH! Grill at New Dongsishitiao Location

After the move from 798 Art District, the new SWITCH! Grill had their opening party a couple weeks back to celebrate both their new location and also Chef Billy Kawaja‘s birthday. The place was packed for their grand opening party and tasty canapes pouring out of their kitchen kept me staying much longer than I had originally planned to.

This Canadian catering and special events team (the creators of both Culinary Capers and SWITCH! Grill) ceases to amaze me with their creative culinary talents and professional service.  Click to see LDS’s review of their Grand Opening Party – SWITCH! Grill Switches Back On in New Location

One of the participating restaurants in my Little Gold Book, I was happy to learn that the coupon for “Buy 1-Get 1 FREE Mains” at the original SWITCH! in 798 would also apply to the new, savvy and stylish SWITCH! Grill in Regent Land Apartment (across from Swissotel at southeast corner of Dongsishitiao). *If you don’t already have a Little Gold Book, get on it!  It’s only RMB 240 for the whole book of coupons from Beijing’s top restaurants including 50% off Hatsune, Kagen and Karaiya Spice House, it will last you all of 2012 and 30% of proceeds will benefit local community charities. What’s not to love about all that? This book is worth every last fen.

Grabbing a foodie on the way to the restaurant, we made our first foodie-venture at the new SWITCH! Grill on a Monday night.  As expected, the place was pretty desolate with only two other tables of two in the whole restaurant, but this was literally the week after they had just opened and the new space was still very much unannounced to the general Beijing foodie community.

I won’t fault SWITCH! Grill at all for the lack of customers, and if anything, I was ecstatic when the gentleman at one of the other tables came over to say that he and his wife had come to SWITCH! for her birthday dinner based on my LDS post about the opening party!

I admit the dining experience would have been enhanced with more people in the restaurant, but this did not detract from the quality of food and, if anything, we felt like we had the whole restaurant to ourselves! (Fellow photographers will understand this was a rare window of opportunity for me to snap as many photos as I pleased without the chance of anyone asking my paparazzi parade to cease fire.)

LumDimSum Snapshots of the new SWITCH! Grill: 

Overall, our dining experience at SWITCH! was very satisfying. It speaks volumes about our meal when I say that I was too stuffed to even sample their dessert selection.

Here’s a breakdown of our meal starting with our starter salad and ending with our mains.  Chopped Lettuce and Avocado Salad with watermelon bits, pecans and spicy corn vinaigrette (RMB 65) came out too salty or not mixed thoroughly as our first bites were mouthfuls of salt, but they immediately offered to replace our salad with a second one, which was much better.

While the BBQ Pork Ribs (RMB 160) were massive, the Lamb Rack (RMB 130) was on the opposite end of the size spectrum. It wasn’t too small considering how much food we had ordered, but it was quite the contrast to the size of the BBQ Pork Ribs. The Glazed Baby Carrots (RMB 35) were another stand-out dish. Delicious and a perfect compliment to the hunks of meat.  I’ve been binging on sweet potato and I am hoping SWITCH! Grill might consider also adding a sweet potato side dish onto their menu.  Sweet potato fries, mash, chunks…anything sweet potato would be a real bonus in my book!

Overall, highlights of the meal were the ginormous rack of BBQ Pork Ribs and their Signature Strawberry Chili Martini, which still stands as my favorite cocktail in the city. It’s phenomenal and you’ve got to order it the next time you dine at SWITCH! Grill.

LumDimSum Snapshots of Dinner at SWITCH! Grill:

SWITCH!’s Signature Strawberry Chili Martini (RMB 65)SWITCH!’s Chopped Lettuce with Avocado Salad, Watermelon, Pecan & Spicy Corn Vinaigrette (RMB 65)

SWITCH!’s BBQ Pork Ribs with Steak Frites and Charred Broccolini (RMB 160)

SWITCH!’s Lamb Rack with Herb & Garlic Marinade (RMB 130)

 SWITCH!’s Side of Glazed Baby Carrots (RMB 35)

Review of SWITCH! Grill: Regent Land Apartment (across from Swissotel) No. 66 Gongti Beilu, Dong Cheng District  东城区工体北路66号瑞士公寓, Tel: 6553 5691. Open Daily, 11AM-10PM.

Best Part:

• Try their Strawberry Chili Martini, one of my favorite cocktails in the city
• A destination for carnivores to get their meat fix. They have a strong meat & seafood grill menu and their BBQ Pork Ribs were massive (enough for two to share!)
• Portions were large, good for sharing 
• Menu has a wide range of items including soups and salads (RMB 45-65), appetizers (RMB 75-85), flatbread pizza (RMB 55-65), pastas and burgers (RMB 55-88), mains and grill menu (RMB 125-210) and plenty of veggie sides (RMB 25-40) to counter the heavy-meat menu and of course desserts! (RMB 35-55) 
• Simple, quality, straight-forward North American-style steakhouse with cool decor and great food. 
• They also have a very extensive wine list at great prices with glasses starting at RMB 25. Perfect to pick and choose to pair with your meal. 

Comments:

• Although I don’t fault SWITCH! Grill for it’s lack of customers when I visited on a Monday evening just after their launch party, I also can’t imagine seeing this space packed with customers on any given night considering it’s still a point of destination with few pedestrians wandering in off the street (unlike all those venues located in Sanlitun). This is still a place you decide to dine in for a good meal with friends (also not a place for a quick bite on your own). 
• Not sure what was going on, but sitting on the mezzanine level of the restaurant, we kept feeling the ground quiver beneath our feet. I don’t mean to imply that the second floor is unstable, but there was definitely a noticeable movement throughout our meal. 
• Prices are reasonable considering quality of imported meat and big portions, but be prepared to come with a full wallet as it does add up!  
• Service was very professional.  When our first mouthfuls of the salad were overwhelmed with salt, the chef kindly offered to take it back and replace it for a new one without question. 

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

• Food: 8
• Atmosphere: 6
• Service: 8
• Overall Experience: 7

Til March 13: Dish Out Votes On Restaurant Favorites

theBeijinger.com has just launched their 9th Reader Restaurant Awards and you can cast your vote now until March 13, 2012, so get it all out on the table and start giving props to all the restaurants in Beijing you love and frequent most. 

There’s over 250 worthy Beijing restaurants nominated in 50 categories on this year’s ballot, so let the voting begin!

theBeijinger’s Reader Restaurant Categories include:

• Best Burger

• Best Indian/Pakistani

• Best Mexican/Tex Mex

• Best Italian (Affordable & High-End)

• Best Russian

• Best American

• Best Spanish

• Best Thai

• Best Japanese

• Best Vietnamese

• Best Korean

• Best Dumplings

• Best Yunnan

• Best Xinjiang

• Best Provincial Government Restaurant

• Best Beijing Duck

• Best Dim Sum

• Restaurant Personality of the Year

• Best Decor (Chinese & Non-Chinese)

• Best Pizza

• Best Sandwiches

• Best Steak (Hotel & Standalone)

• Best for Impressing Visitors (Non-Chinese & Chinese)

• Best Place for a Celebration

• Best Late Night Dining

• Best Business Lunch

• Best Hotel Brunch

• Best Brunch (standalone)

• Best Family Friendly Restaurant

• Best Value for Money

• Best Cafe

• Best Bread

• Best Salads

• Best Vegetarian

• Best Wine List

• Best French

• Best Middle Eastern

• Best Dinner Entertainment

• Best for a Romantic Meal

• Best Outdoor Dining

• Best Service (Non-Chinese and Chinese)

• Best New Restaurant (Chinese and Non-Chinese)

• Restaurant of the Year (Chinese and Non-Chinese)

I was quite surprised to see the wide range of list of “Best New Non-Chinese Restaurants” (list of 12 restaurants!).  From a cute, delivery Japanese restaurant like Obentos to specialized restaurants like Home Plate Bar-b-que and The Vine Leaf, all the way to high-end hotel restaurants like S.TA.Y or Temple Restaurant Beijing, doesn’t really seem fair to put these restaurants together in one category.

List of ‘Best New Non-Chinese Restaurants’ to Choose From:

*Hatsune Restaurant Group was Nominated for:

• Restaurant Personality of the Year (Alan Wong of the Hatsune Restaurant Group)

• Best Decor (Hatsune Sanlitun)

• Best for Impressing Visitors (Kagen) 

• Best Japanese (Hatsune)

• Best Business Lunch (Hatsune) 

• Best Non-Chinese Restaurant of the Year (Hatsune) 

Click here to vote!

Nathan’s New Salad Wraps & Jinshisong Delivery

Most of you who follow LumDimSum.com know that I am always looking for a healthier option (should a healthy option be available) whenever I’m eating out.

So instead of stuffing myself with Nathan’s 100% pure beef hot dogs and chili cheese fries multiple times per week, I am now stoked to be eating (and sharing with you) their newest menu items: 3 New Savory Salad Wraps!

Available in three flavors: Spicy Chicken Tender Salad Wrap, Phillycheese Steak Salad Wrap and a warm, buttery imported Lobster Sensation Wrap (my personal favorite), these are hands-down my new go-to menu items!

Aside from being a healthier choice, these wraps are so freaking good and such great value – priced at RMB 15-25 if ordered alone and if you want to be extra healthy, you can also switch out the side of Nathan’s crinkle cut fries for a bowl of steamed corn (another favorite of mine) and a drink for only RMB 27-37 for a complete combo meal.

For those who prefer to eat in the comfort of your home, Nathan’s is now partnering up with Beijing’s Best Delivery Service - Jinshisong Delivery!

To get Nathan’s delivered straight to your door, just call 4000300517 or you can even order directly online and save the headache of speaking to anyone over the phone: Click here to order Nathan’s on Jinshisong’s website.

Aside from Nathan’s, Jinshisong also delivers many other great restaurant options including:

• Kro’s Nest
• Blue Frog
• Hatsune
• Flamme
• Union Bar & Grill
• Karaiya Spice House
• Kagen Japanese Restaurant
• Colibri Cafe
• Biteapitta
• Crepanini
• La Pizza

And the list of restaurants continues…check out full list of restaurants here.

Nathan’s Famous Contact Details: 

• Dongzhimen Raffles City Branch 

• Address: Raffles City Shopping Mall B1-07, No.1 Dongzhimen South Street, Dong Cheng District, Beijing
• Hours: 8:30AM-10:00PM

• Wanliu BHG Mall

• Address: Beijing Wanliu Shopping Mall, No. 2 BaGou Road, Hai Dian District, Beijing (Located just outside of Ba Gou Subway Stop, the last stop on Line 10)
• Hours: 9:30AM-9:30PM

• Mastercard (Wukesong) Stadium

• Address: No.69 Fuxing Road, Haidian District
• Open for events

A Very Merry Kagen Christmas Charity Party for BICCO

Charity Christmas Dinner at Kagen (photography courtesy of Nora Tejada)

On Saturday, December 10, Kagen Japanese Restaurant hosted a Christmas Charity Dinner to benefit the Disabled Chinese Orphans of BICCO (Beijing International Committee of Chinese Orphans) and with about 130 generous patrons in attendance, we somehow managed to reach our goal of raising over RMB 200,000!  That is an insanely high number because that means each person donated on average RMB 1,500!

Originally, the deal was set that for each ticket sold, RMB 500 would be donated directly to BICCO (which was already really generous of Kagen Restaurant), but in the end, owner Alan Wong generously donated ALL ticket sales to BICCO, meaning that the entire ticket sales (RMB 600 each) went to the children of BICCO.

In addition to ticket sales, we also managed to sell a butt-load of raffle tickets (raising RMB 9,400) and many silent auction prizes went for higher than it’s actual value (raising RMB 31,757).

Combining ticket prices, raffle tickets and silent auction prizes together with many personal donations to our cause, we were able to exceed our goal of more than RMB 200,000 and now Amy Zima and her team of dedicated volunteers are looking to expand their rehabilitation program to at least two other orphanages in China!

A BIG thank you to all our generous sponsors:

• The Wine Republic (who helped supply the 100+wines to bring out the Christmas spirit of giving)

• Heineken Beer for sponsoring 200 bottles of Sol Beer (also helped bring out spirit of giving)

• Ryan Cardwell & Ivy Academy for their Generous sponsorship and partnership in hosting this event

• Acoustic musician David Mitchell for donating both his talent and time to our event

• Photographer Nora Tejada for helping us to capture this unforgettable event

• Beijing Kids for their Media Sponsorship

• Event Volunteers: Ingrid Van Nijverseel, Stephanie Giambruno, Katja Schick, Stephanie Butler, Dannan Hodge, Luce, Christina Lieffring, Romulo Martinez, Kelly Charles, Oumou Barry

• Alan Wong and his Kagen Restaurant (for donating the entire restaurant space and sponsoring the 10-dish meal for everyone that night!)

• Silent Auction Sponsors: 

• A Food Affaire
• Alona Pilates
• Antonia Sampson
• April’s Adornments
• Bodhi Spa
• Chef Too
• Counting Sheep
• Elisabeth Koch Millinery
• Frontiers Chinese School
• GungHo! Pizza
• Hummingbird Therapeutic Spa Retreat
• The Hutong
• Ivy Academy
• Le Spa
• Little Gold Book
• LMC Boutique Clothing
• Oumou Jewelry
• Papabubble Candy
• Punjabi Indian Restaurant
• Ritz Carlton
• Scarlett (Hotel G)
• SinoScuba
• Starfish Wine & Seafood Restaurant
• Two Guys and a Pie
• Wondermilk
• Yoga Yard

Snapshots of the BICCO Charity Dinner Silent Auction Tables:

(Photos courtesy of Nora Tejada)

Snapshots of Christmas Charity Fun at Kagen:

(Photos courtesy of Nora Tejada)

Thank you to everyone who generously donated and contributed to our Christmas Charity Event for BICCO. We are in awe of everyone’s generosity and effort towards such a wonderful and dedicated organization!  Excited for some big improvements in 2012!

Kagen Restaurant Details:

• Located below the Original Hatsune on Guanghua Lu
• B1/F, Bldg C, Heqiao Dasha, 8 Guanghua Donglu, Chaoyang District
• 朝阳区光华东路8号和乔大厦C座地下1层
• Tel: 6583-6830

LumDimSum 1-on-1: The Charitable Amy Zima

This coming Saturday is BICCO’s Christmas Charity Dinner at Kagen Japanese Restaurant and the woman responsible for connecting all the dots and bringing everyone together in a big effort to raise RMB 200,000 in one night is the lovely and talented Amy Zima.

She’s passionate, she’s dedicated and she’s asking fellow Beijingers to come together for a lovely 10-course meal and raise a champagne glass and toast to the wonderful work of BICCO and help raise funds for their rehabilitation program in their Shunyi Service Center.

Full Name:   Amy Lane Zima

Age:   37 I think…stopped counting awhile ago.

Nationality: American

Occupation: Trailing-Spouse, Mom, Volunteer Development Director, Beijing International Committee for Chinese Orphans (BICCO), Kids Yoga Instructor, Social Marketing Consultant, and quite frankly, I’m still not sure what I want to be when I grow up.

Company Name:  See above

Years in Beijing: off and on for the last 3 years.

LumDimSum Goes 1-on-1 with the Amazing Amy

LDS:  Tell me about this event’s beneficiary, BICCO, the type of work they do and how people can get involved.

The Beijing International Committee for Chinese Orphans (BICCO) is a group of volunteers working towards bettering the lives of the Chinese orphans and children with disabilities in China. It was registered in Hong Kong as a non-profit organization in 2003. Our members are mostly expats living in Beijing, but everyone is welcome.

BICCO provides an opportunity for individual volunteers or groups of volunteers to work with orphanages and other facilities. We network with various professionals and volunteer communities to try to find ways for the expat community as well as local Chinese to get involved in improving the lives of orphans and children with disabilities.

LDS: How did this Christmas Charity Dinner come about and who are the organizers of this event?

Over the course of the last year several volunteers at BICCO have been working to build a rehabilitation program for disabled children living at the Shunyi Service Center. Many of the children remain in their beds everyday unless BICCO volunteers visit this facility. They suffer
from Down’s syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and various other handicaps that limit their ability to walk, move, speak or care for themselves.

We knew just being there, holding and playing with the children was important, but we wanted to try to bring in professionals who could help open a door and create a future for these kids. If we could find a way to help a few of them gain independence and confidence, we knew we could make a big difference in their lives.

That’s why this year we partnered with OVCI – an Italian non-profit that works to train local Chinese therapist and serve the disabled community in China. We pay their professional therapists 50rmb an hour for physical, occupation, speech or psycho-educational therapy. Once we built this relationship, we thought, if we could just raise enough money, we could secure the children with weekly – if not daily therapy throughout the year. That’s when the idea of a charity dinner came up.

From there the pieces started to come together. Ryan Cardwell, the director at Ivy Academy – where my children go to school – said Ivy wanted to help. Another parent at the school, Alan Wong, offered up his restaurant, Kagen, as the venue. It just started to fall into place without much effort – so we knew it was suppose to be.

LDS: How much are you expecting to raise in this event and where will the funds be donated towards?

The rehabilitation program at the Shunyi Service Center serves approximately 20 disabled children. If we can raise 76,800 rmb we can provide two full days of therapy for the children. That’s our initial goal. But, it is a simple equation. At 50 rmb an hour, the more money we raise, the more therapy we can pay for. BICCO also has relationships with other orphanages and facilities – further away from Beijing – where the need is even greater. If we raised enough money, we could even help those kids. Our dream: 200,000 rmb.

LDS: What sets your Christmas Charity dinner apart from all the annual holiday balls happening in Beijing in the next few weeks?

The food! I really think both Hatsune and Kagen are two of the best restaurants in Beijing. We are offering an amazing sampling of their best dishes. It isn’t going to be the standard hotel fare.

Plus, I really think our event is about celebrating Christmas with friends and colleagues. Really appreciating what you have and the opportunity to help those who really need it. I hope our event really captures the spirit of Christmas.

LDS: What are some of your top items that will be up for grabs on the auction block?

Alan has been incredibly generous and in addition to offering up Kagen and an amazing menu of Hatsune and Kagen’s signature dishes and cocktails he is also offering an exclusive 10 person private Chef’s dinner along with 12 bottles of wine from The Wine Republic. The value is over RMB 13,000. I’ve already told my husband he has to bid on this one!

For parents sticking around this summer, Ivy Academy is offering up a space in their summer camp worth over RMB 10,000 as well as unlimited after-school programs for 3 kids in 2012.

We also have an amazing spa package from Hummingbird Spa Retreat, yoga packages from Yoga Yard, a two-night stay at The Westin, catered dinner for 10 at your home from A Food Affaire, tons of jewelry from local artists, etc.

LDS: Any secret strategies to bringing out the most generous side of people?

Thanks to our wine sponsors, (including the very generous Wine Republic), I’m hoping it will be easy to get people to bid on our auction items!

LDS: What are you personally most excited about for this event?

For it to be over! I’m joking. But it has been a labor of love.

I am really looking forward to enjoying an amazing meal, great wine and a lot of fun with some of Beijing’s best.

David Mitchell, a really amazing jazz guitarist is generously donating his time for the cocktail hour and a group of musicians from Ivy Academy are going to really make the atmosphere fun after dinner. I personally can’t wait!

LDS: Is this a one-off event or are you planning to make this an annual event and continued in the years to come?

We aren’t sure. If the support is there and people want to see it happen again, it will. I believe everything happens for a reason and I think this event will unlock the future for a lot of kids. I
hope we can make it something that continues. If Kagen and Ivy Academy are game. So are we!

How can you say no to that?  Come and support Amy and her dedicated committee of volunteers by signing up for a seat at BICCO’s Christmas Charity Dinner this Saturday, December 10 at Kagen Japanese Restaurant.  

Tickets are now on sale for RMB 600, of which RMB 500 of the ticket will be donated directly BICCO.  If you’re not already sold on the great cause or the chance to snag some great silent auction prizes, at least go for the fantabulous food and booze!

See below for pre-sale ticket pick-up details. 

Event Details:

• Date: Saturday, December 10, 2011
• Time: 6:30PM Cocktail Reception, 7:30PM Dinner
• Location: Kagen Japanese Hot Pot & BBQ Restaurant
• Address:  Located below the Original Hatsune on Guanghua Lu
  • B1/F, Bldg C, Heqiao Dasha, 8 Guanghua Donglu, Chaoyang District
  • 朝阳区光华东路8号和乔大厦C座地下1层
• Tickets: RMB 600 (pre-sale), RMB 800 (at the door)
• Tickets are available for sale at Kagen Restaurant, Hatsune Sanlitun restaurant and Ivy School in East Lake Villas (Suite C-101 No. 35, Dongzhimenwai) Call: 8451 1381
• For more information: Call 135 2034 1984

Save-the-Date: BICCO’s Christmas Charity Dinner

As soon as Thanksgiving is over, the trees, lights and holiday decorations come flooding out as everyone begins gearing up for Christmas and New Years! Hopefully by now, most of you have awoken from your turkey comas and you are in the holiday mind set to begin Christmas shopping and party planning.

There are many upcoming gala dinners, holiday balls and Christmas dinners coming up in the next few weeks, but be sure to mark your calendars and save the date for this event in particular – “Unlock the Future”, which is a Christmas Charity Dinner and Silent Auction that will take place on Saturday, December 10.

We have a goal of raising RMB 200,000 in ONE NIGHT with all funds raised on this evening to be donated to Beijing International Committee for Chinese Orphans (BICCO)‘s Shunyi Orphanage Rehabilitation Program to help support over Chinese orphans and children with disabilities.

“Without this program and the work of BICCO, many of these children would not leave their beds or even have a chance at a potential future outside of the walls of this state-run facility.” – Amy Zima, organizer of Unlock the Future Christmas Charity Dinner

Hosted at Kagen Japanese BBQ Restaurant, there will only be 200 seats available and all charitable guests will be treated to 10 dish menus created by Alan Wong and his top chefs at Kagen, a champagne toast and select wines paired with a lovely meal.

Acoustic musician David Mitchell will be performing several different instruments and there will also be other live music entertainment including some Christmas Caroling (just part of the jolly holiday spirit!).

The event will also be featuring great silent auction prizes including Apple products, a private dinner for 10 at Hatsune by owner Alan Wong paired with wines by Wine Republic (valued at RMB 13,000), a 2-night weekend stay at The Westin, a Hummingbird spa package (valued at RMB 7,000), a GungHo! pizza party, handmade necklaces from April’s Adournments, a custom Hutong Tour by Bespoke Beijing, a Punjabi Indian Feast and with many other restaurant vouchers around town.

Sign up early at either who get pre-sale price RMB 600 or you can also pay RMB 800 at the door (if there are any seats left!).  To book your seats in advance, you can either purchase tickets at Kagen Restaurant, Hatsune Sanlitun branch, or Ivy Academy at East Lake Villas.

Event Details:

• Date: Saturday, December 10, 2011
• Time: 6:30PM Cocktail Reception, 7:30PM Dinner
• Location: Kagen Japanese Hot Pot & BBQ Restaurant
• Address:  Located below the Original Hatsune on Guanghua Lu
  • B1/F, Bldg C, Heqiao Dasha, 8 Guanghua Donglu, Chaoyang District
  • 朝阳区光华东路8号和乔大厦C座地下1层
• Tickets: Only 200 seats available! RMB 600 (pre-sale), RMB 800 (at the door)
• Tickets are available for sale at Kagen Restaurant, Hatsune Sanlitun restaurant and Ivy School in East Lake Villas (Suite C-101 No. 35, Dongzhimenwai) Call: 8451 1381
• For more information: Call 135 2034 1984

Foodies, Arm Yourself in 2012 with the Little Gold Book

Little Gold Book is like the “Little Black Book for Charitable Foodies in Beijing”.

It’s a coupon book with crazy good discounts on Beijing’s top restaurants with 30% of proceeds going towards local community charities.

Just think about it – All those places you’ve been wanting to try out or that you wish you could go more often (if they were more affordable), you can finally begin to eat your way through Beijing’s top dining destinations armed with a little gold book filled with coupons that are up to 50% off!

Here’s a few top deals you can score with The Little Gold Book:

• 50% off Hatsune
• 2 for 1 mains at Assaggi
• 2-for-1 wine at Enoterra
• 50% off Stumble Inn
• 2-for-1 Food Items at The Bookworm
• 50% off ROOMbeijing
• 2-for-1 cooking classes at Vegan Hut
• 50% off Filling Station
• RMB 50 discount on a dozen Lollipop Cupcakes

Click for full list of deals here (there are 85 deals by 70 restaurants).

For only RMB 240 per Little Gold Book, you can cover the cost of the entire book after just one meal at one of the 70 participating restaurants.  It’s valid for the entire 2012 year so there’s plenty of time to work your way through each deal.

With the holidays quickly approaching, the Little Gold Book is a great stocking stuffer for all fellow Beijing foodies!

Little Gold Book was first released at the Chi Fan for Charity 2011 After-Party at Hatsune and will be available for sale again at Kagen’s Christmas Charity Dinner on December 10th with 30% of proceeds going towards BICCO.

Little Gold Book is currently sold at The Bookworm, April Gourmet’s and Colibri.

Shook!: Chi Fan For Charity Expands to Shanghai

A dining event that’s won Culinary Event of the Year in Beijing in 2010, Chi Fan for Charity has expanded to Shanghai this year with the help of organizing sponsor Austen Morris and I was not going to miss out on a such a great excuse to make a weekend getaway to Shanghai!

Already sponsoring 4 tables of 10 at Hatsune, Kagen, Kagen Teppanyaki and Karaiya Spice House, Alan Wong is also the official sponsor of Chi Fan for Charity’s After-Party (at Hatsune Sanlitun for the 2nd year in a row).  As a big fan and supporter of Chi Fan for Charity, we wanted to show Shanghai some love too!

While Beijing’s beneficiaries this year include Bethel Foundation and New Hope Foundation, Shanghai’s beneficiaries this year include Heart to Heart, Compassion for Migrant Children and Chi Heng Foundation.  (See here for list of charities and all the wonderful work they do.)

With 26 glorious restaurants to choose from, we decided to host a table of 10 at Shook! Restaurant.  Chef Kevin Cape and GM Julien Laracine were both exceptional hosts to our private 5-course dinner at their prized chef’s table just in front of Shook’s beautiful open kitchen.

“An open-kitchen conveys the feel of ‘dining without borders’ – intimate, nothing hidden, open to all – a concept which transcends the menu. With whispers of Chinese, Japanese, South-East Asian and modern Western, yet flexible enough to transport you anywhere your heart and palate desire.”

See here LDS Snapshots of Shook’s Hallway of Wine and Open Kitchen:

After a few glasses of champagne at the bar, we sat down at Shook!’s private chef’s table where we were treated to a beautiful 5-course meal, a fusion of Chinese, South-east Asian and Western cuisine.  The venue is absolutely stunning and the service was exceptional. The food?  See for yourself all the goodies we were treated to…

LumDimSum Snapshots of Shook’s Dishes:

Amuse Bouche (Chinese-style soup) / Prawn Appetizers with walnuts (Chinese style)

Shared Appetizers: Perfectly Roasted Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

1st Course: Confit of Salmon/ Refreshing Orange Sorbet with Mango Ravioli

Main Course: Slow-Cooked Grain Fed Beef / Macaroon Dessert

Shook!’s Tiramisu and Creme Brulee

GM Julien then let us make our own crepes table-side!  Chef Anna took over and the result was delightful…

 Shook! Crepes:  BEFORE & AFTER

Thank you to the team at Shook! for a wonderful dining experience and big thanks to Kelly Olver and Katie Littlefield (Austen Morris) for arranging such a successful first Chi Fan for Charity Event in Shanghai!

It’s not too late for you to be a part of the Chi Fan for Charity event in Beijing, TONIGHT: Saturday, November 5! See details here.

Check for last remaining seats at CFFC Sponsoring Restaurants here.

In case you can’t make it to dinner and you still don’t want to miss out on this great event, there are still a few tickets left for the Chi Fan for Charity After-Party at Hatsune Sanlitun Village.  Click here to buy your ticket!

With 400-500 people dining at Beijing’s best establishments, everyone will come together for a brilliant celebration at Hatsune.

The Chi Fan for Charity After Party at Hatsune Sanlitun Village will be featuring free flow drinks by our generous sponsors (Wine Republic, Tiger Beer, El Charro Tequila and Hatsune’s signature cocktails), DJ Patrick Yu spinning tunes, and awesome silent auction and raffle prizes. 

For those who don’t have the time or the budget to commit to dinner, the after party is a great way to come out to contribute to two very worthwhile causes and show your support.  This year’s beneficiaries include Bethel Foundation and New Hope Foundation.

Kagen & Summergate Wine Dinner: Wine Geeks Unite!

LumDimSummary: Powwow & Mashup’s 爱北京, I Race!

The Entire Team Behind 爱北京, I Race! 

With a total of 8 teams and 12 destinations, 爱北京, I Race! had Beijingers running around the town in its own version of “Amazing Race”.  Hosted by Let’s Powwow and Mashup sport & social, this was a full-on day of activities and games.

As much as I would have liked to signed up my own team of winners (I am confident my dream team totally would have killed this race), I was happy to instead host two of the challenges at two different destinations.  I spent the day hosting challenges at both Hatsune Sanlitun Village Branch and Kagen Japanese Hot Pot & BBQ on Guanghua Lu (which was a bit of a challenge in itself to race back and forth between the two venues).

At Hatsune branch, challengers were quickly instructed to make and eat basic hand rolls, which was both a fun experience and a treat (most challengers came hungry)!

Hatsune’s 爱北京, I Race! Challenge:

At Kagen Japanese Hot Pot & BBQ, we set up a blind taste test for teams to face the ultimate challenge for their taste buds.  With a range of different ingredients from garlic chips to gingko nuts and calamari, challengers had to guess 3 out of 10 correctly to pass this challenge and move on to their next destination.  Fortunately every team passed and if any team finished early, they were able to take off their blindfolds and devour the remaining ingredients!

Kagen Japanese Hot Pot & BBQ’s 爱北京, I Race! Challenge:

Although I wasn’t present at the other challenges, there were 10 other destinations from Sanlitun to Nanluoguxiang and Shuangjing areas. I heard Green Dumplings had teams make dumplings, Jungbo Juice had challengers guess ingredients of a smoothie, Terra had challengers guess and find the correct ingredients to make a caipirinha and Grinders Bar & Restaurant in Shuangjing had challengers execute correctly the 20 steps to pour a proper Stella beer.

Powwow Team Challenge at Terra Restaurant

Challengers learned how to Pour a Proper Stella Beer (20 Steps)

爱北京, I Race! Teams:

1st Place Winners: Team Capital Punishment took home RMB 4,000!

2nd Place Runner Up: Team 真的

3rd Place: Team Lost in Beijing

Other 爱北京, I Race! Teams:

Team Three and a Half Asians

Team Yoyao is Gay (with Yoyao on the left)

Stay Tuned: BJ FOoDIES Teams Up with Hatsune

It’s OFFICIAL (and LumDimSum is proud to be the first to announce it!) – BJ FOoDIES will be hosting their June 2011 Charity Dinner Event at legendary California-style Japanese champion Hatsune!!

Offering a steal of a deal at RMB 100 per person for dinner + drink, Hatsune’s original branch is dedicating its venue entirely to BJ FOODIES for the night!

If you have not yet been to a BJ FOoDIES event, you can check out photos and summaries of previous events at:

• BJ FOoDIES Dinner at Alameda
• BJ FOoDIES Dinner at SSAM
• BJ FOoDIES Dinner at Mare
• BJ FOoDIES Dinner at Kagen

BJ FOoDIES Dinner at Kagen

BJ FOODIES @ HATSUNE Guanghua Lu details here:

• Date: Sunday, June 19 2011
• Time: 7:30-9:30PM
• Location: Hatsune Guanghua Lu Branch
• Price: RMB 100 per person includes dinner + drink
• RSVP Required: Email: bjfoodies@gmail.com

LumDimSummary: IWD Cocktail Benefit 2011

This past Friday night, March 8, 2011 saw another hugely successul International Women’s Day Benefit by Jo Ling Kent and a band of incredibly passionate and inspirational women who have devoted much of their time and energy into this project in a joint effort to gather Beijing’s foremost community and business leaders to raise both awareness and funds for China Education Initiative (CEI), an innovative non-profit organization raising awareness about education inequality in China and support the empowerment of young women in academics.

There were a number of goods and packages sponsored for their silent auction (beautiful bags by D-SATA, jewelry by Belita, dinner packages from restaurants like Kagen, Nola, etc.), spa and beauty packages, hats by Elizabeth Koch, a jacket by candy&caviar, Plastered T-shirts, cooking classes and other fun activity packages by Bespoke Beijing, Red Box China and Beijing Hikers to name a few.

In addition to these items, there were also 11 generous mentors who sponsored both their time, wisdom and guidance over a Mentorship Lunch including industry leaders like Elizabeth Haenle – Former Social Secretary and Residence Manager to the Vice President of the United States, Victor Koo – CEO of Youku.com, Barbara Demick – LA Times Beijing Bureau Chief and Author of Nothing to Envy, Scott Kronick – President of Ogilvy North Asia, and Alan Wong – Owner and Restauranteur of the Hatsune Group.

Overall, it was a beautiful cocktail benefit with a turn out of over 300 people, one of the best silent auction selections I’ve come across (I think I placed bids on over 10 items!), an impressive list of industry professionals and leaders in the Beijing community as mentors and an inspiring speech by Wu Qing – Member of the People’s Congress & Teacher at Rural Women Training School.

With donations still coming in, IWD Benefit should have a final count of total donations by the end of this week (will keep you posted).  For now, they have already surpassed their fundraising record from last year (RMB 100,000) which means fully funding at least 2 female CEI teaching fellows (one American and one Chinese).  Photos and videos will also be posted on their website later today.

LumDimSum Snapshots of IWD 2011′s Silent Auction:

LumDimSum Snapshots of International Women’s Day 2011:

…and my favorite photo of the night?

The Love of My Life: Mr. Mason Wong

Even Cupid Has a Price: Charity Dating Auction

Spice up your winter blues with a Charity Dating Auction, raising money for the non-profit organization Compassion for Migrant Children.

20 of Beijing’s eligible bachelors/bachelorettes are auctioning themselves off all in the name of doing good and raising money for the children. And the actual dinner dates themselves are all sponsored by Beijing’s very generous, popular restaurants including Red Capital Club, Capital M, Kagen, Black Sesame Kitchen, Modo and Terra to name a few.

Bids start at RMB 100 per person and the highest bidder wins the highest value date, which is ride in Madame Mao’s limo followed by a dinner for two and two bottles of wine at Red Capital Club (valued at approx. RMB 3,300).

Proceeds from the auction and a portion of the bar proceeds will go to Compassion for Migrant Children (CMC), a local organization that provides social and educational programs for the children of migrant workers. For more information, check out their website, www.cmc-china.org .

If you’re going to put a price on a date, you minus well give it to a worthwhile cause, which in itself is priceless.

Event Details:

• Date: Saturday, November 20
• Time: 8:30PM (Auction Starts at 9:30PM)
• Location: Hercules
• Address: 2nd Floor of Tongli Studio, Sanlitun

LumDimSummary: BJ Foodies @ Kagen

Last night, BJ Foodies hosted their monthly “Indulge for a Cause” foodies event at the newly renovated Kagen to support Care for Children charity organization.

With chefs grilling on an open fire in the new Yakitori and Robatayaki section of Kagen, all guests were served an 8-course menu + 1 hot sake box for only RMB 100.

LumDimSum Snapshots of Kagen’s New Robatayaki & Yakitori Section:

The wonderful company of fellow foodies aside, the best part of it all was coming together to raise a total of ￥6,015 RMB + HK$210 for Care for Children Charity Organization.

LumDimSum Snapshots of BJ Foodies @ Kagen:

Care for Children Background:

Care for Children exists to relieve hardship, distress and sickness in abandoned and orphaned children in China by the introduction of strategic initiatives in child care practice, at the request of, and in cooperation with, the Chinese national and local authorities.

Since it’s start in 1998, Care of Children has directly trained staff from over 200 orphanages, estimating that there are now over 200,000 children in families! They have a vision to see 1 million children in families.

Using a successfully replicated training program for social workers and orphanage staff across the country, Care for Children has effectively created a solution for a long-term benefit to give orphaned children a family of their own.

To Know More: www.careforchildren.com

BJ Foodies: “Foster” Charity Meal @ Kagen

The Hatsune Group is teaming up with BJ Foodies to organize a special “FOSTER” Charity Meal at their newly renovated restaurant Kagen to support Care for Children charity organization.

Part of the beloved Hatsune restaurant chain, Kagen has been transformed and upgraded from a Japanese Hot Pot and BBQ to include an entirely new Yakitori and Robatayaki section, featuring a chef grilling on an open fire and fresh ingredients displayed on an ice bar.

Serving an 8-course dinner + Hot Sake Box for only RMB 100 per person, it really doesn’t get much better than that.

Be among one of the first to check out this all new food concept while supporting a worthwhile cause.

*Please note that seating is limited, so RSVP with me directly if you want to reserve a seat!  kristen@lumdimsum.com

BJ Foodies “Foster” Charity Meal