An Italian Speakeasy: Sorì Tapas & Wine Bar

The Crib has undergone some pretty dramatic changes recently.  As expected, not all of the founding businesses have survived. This is the nature of capitalism and the fickle Beijing F&B scene that keeps us on our toes.  On the other hand, there do appear to be some interesting new ones popping up to replace them. Among those, is Sorì Tapas & Wine Bar.

Tucked away behind a hidden door on the 2nd floor behind the yakitori restaurant, Sorì is a wine and tapas bar focused on Mediterranean dishes, a name derived from Piemontese dialect for the part of the hillside where the snow melts first, meaning full southern exposure (and therefore the best place for Nebbiolo vines).

At the helm of Sorì is Fabio Falanga – previously of La Dolce Vita and Fu Tapas & Wine Bar, which died in the brickening. Through Fabio and Sorì, I was also introduced to Nico Saladino, the talented architect (who designed the space for Sorì) and has since perfected Italian gelato in Beijing this summer – read all about Ling Xia Gelato here.

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FU 浮: Organic Wines & Mediterranean Tapas

FU 浮 (meaning “to float” rather than “riches”) is a new tapas and wine bar that has just opened on Ju’er Hutong.

The kitchen and menu is under the management of Fabio Falanga who recently worked wonders with La Dolce Vita, I had to go try it out and see if he could pull off the same trick here!

Teaming up with owners with a background in interior design and Michael from Dada (who I’m assuming is in charge of the wine list), Fabio told us that the focus of FU is organic wines and Mediterranean small plates or tapas. He envisions it as a place to come work or have a chat with friends in a warm and intimate space. The designers have done a great job, warm is exactly the adjective I would use to describe it.

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La Dolce Vita: Italian Delight

Thanks to a tip-off by a fellow foodie Ms. Sophie Van Pelt, I learned that La Dolce Vita was a new gem that needed to be rediscovered after a new Italian manager/chef that’s come on board. After doing some research, I discovered that La Dolce Vita has actually been open in Beijing for 13 years (since 2003)! It has, however, recently come under new management and moved locations. Tucked away behind Sanlitun’s infamous Bar Street, round the corner from Smugglers and next to The Tree, the new La Dolce Vita is on the second floor of the Youth Hostel Building. It is simply decorated, yet feels very warm and homely and sets the stage for the entire experience.

LDS Snapshots of La Dolce Vita:

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