If You Like It Hot

With Beijing’s sudden drop in temperature, what’s better than a spicy meal to warm your winter blues?

If you’re like me and you crave meals filled with flavor and spice, here’s a breakdown of some of my top picks for different styles of cuisine, known to make you sweat:

1. Best Sichuan – known for its liberal use of garlic, chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns which produces a “tingly-numbing (Ma La)” sensation, unique to Sichuan cuisine.

• Chuan Ban
• Yu Xin
• The Sichuan Restaurant in Solana by Tsingtao Brewery (forgot name)
• Black Sesame Kitchen
  

  Karaiya's Spicy Pepper Diced Rib Eye

2. Best Hunan – As spicy as Sichuan, but without the numbing sensation. Hunan’s spice is much more flavorful

• Karaiya Spice House

4. Best Hot Pot – An interactive, dining experience- you get to cook raw food in a boiling stew (opt for the spicy one)

• Hai Di Lao
• Hot Pot on Gui Jie
• Xiabu Xiabu – a reliable chain of hot pot restaurants

5. Best Yunan – Spices are not as dominant or as intense as Sichuan or Hunan, but many dishes are quite spicy and diverse.

• Middle 8th 中8楼 – nice decor and good food with low prices.  I’m quite addicted to their rice wine, and I love that it comes in a big bamboo container.   Always a good option for guests or a casual lunch with friends.

6. Best Indian – One of the most popular cuisines around the globe, known for its abundance use of spices and herbs, with signature curry dishes.

• Mughal’s (Indian/Pakistani)
• Ganges
• Punjabi
• Hazara (in Face Bar)

7. Best Thai – Known for being spicy and hot, the heat is also combined with flavors that are sour, sweet or bitter.  I particularly like the combination of coconut milk in Thai soups and curries.

• Aroy-D (Shuangjing/Fulicheng Area) – where I was first introduced to Thai cuisine
• Purple Haze
• Lantung Thai Bar & Bistro
• Very Siam

Giving Beijing An Excuse to Party

I’ve heard a lot of people make comments about this summer in Beijing. For the few of us remaining who weren’t lucky enough to get away and travel abroad, we’ve been stuck to deal with an absurd amount of rain (I swear it only rained a total of 2 times my first year in Beijing from 2006-2007) and an overall unusually quiet summer. I guess it’s only natural that the year after the epic 2008 Olympics, Beijing’s summer 2009 is bound to seem quiet in comparison without the additional hordes of tourists, athletes, events, games, hype, and Olympic parties.

While it’s no surprise when it’s empty out during Beijing’s bitter cold winter nights, I’d expect a lot more people to spend their summer evenings out dining, drinking, enjoying the summer heat. But people seem just as content going home early to watch a DVD in the summer as they do in winter.

But is it quiet because people compare this summer to last year’s Olympic madness? Or is it quiet because many people have left Beijing for summer vacation? Or is it quiet because people are just waiting for a reason to come out?

The answer is probably a combination of all three, but from what I’ve seen in the past two weeks, there are plenty of people here in Beijing who are just waiting for something worth their time to bring them out of their monotonous daily routine and give them an excuse to party.

Last week was All-Star & Bling’s 1-Year Anniversary which drew not only big crowds, but one of the best crowds I’ve seen anywhere together in one place in a long time. Of course our flashy Bling invitations helped to build up the hype. With too many VIPs to cram in one night, we split our VIPs between Friday & Saturday to be able to properly thank our loyal guests with their preferred table and drink of choice. And as it turned out, I saw almost all the same faces on Saturday from the previous night.

And now this week I have organized quite a few events. Just this evening, I coordinated and hosted AmCham’s Young Professionals Happy Hour at Lantung Thai Bar + Bistro. In previous experiences with networking events, I go with the intention to meet a lot of potential new clients, business partners, and friends, but instead, I leave with just a handful of name cards after some awkward and forced conversations. But tonight was different.

It was a warm summer night and Lantung’s rooftop terrace, the Moon Deck, was hot. It was so lively. Everyone was mingling and obviously eager to really talk to anyone and everyone and really make the effort to make the most of this event. I was quite thrilled to see such a nice turn-out during a time when other networking groups are canceling their events all around town.

Just down the street at Block 8, Haiku by Hatsune hosted its first Sake Tasting Dinner Party. After sending out a Facebook message to the Official Hatsune FB Group Members two weeks ago, I got such an overwhelming response of confirmations that Alan decided to host the event twice (again on Friday, August 14).

Both Alan & I were sorely mistaken in thinking the event would only interest about 20-30 attendees for a more intimate and personable dining and tasting experience, as I ended up with a list of 45 confirmed attendees for each Sake Tasting Dinner Party.

But then again, who wouldn’t jump at the chance to enjoy a 7-course menu highlighting Haiku’s specialty dishes together with sampling 4 different sake from Alan’s personal collection?  That is a killer deal!

But product aside (since everyone knows how good Hatsune & Haiku food is), I credit the high turn-out to the fact that we are selling more than a great-valued sake dinner, we are selling a fun and unique experience. You will find the event details below, which isn’t your typical event listing.

Details:

Become a Sake Samurai: Exclusively at Haiku by Hatsune 

Hosted by Alan Wong, the master Sushi Sake Samurai himself, Haiku by Hatsune presents its first Sake Tasting Dinner Party. Learn the culture, origins and significance behind sake and the traditional Japanese art of brewing sake from rice and water. Together with a special set menu highlighting Haiku’s signature dishes, Alan will be introducing premium bottles of sake from his own personal collection. Join us as we show you the path to become a Sake Samurai.

RMB 200 per person includes a special 7-course Haiku tasting menu along with four unique types of sake.

And on top of hosting two Sake Tasting Dinner Parties this week, this Saturday, August 15th is Hatsune’s 8 Year Anniversary Party which will include a private sit-down dinner party at the Original Hatsune on Guanghua Lu and after 10pm, Hatsune in the Village will be hosting the official party for everyone to join with all-you-can-drink and sushi appetizers for 100RMB first-come-first-serve till we pack the house.

Believe it or not, within 3 hours of sending out the e-mail for Hatsune’s 8 Year Celebration, the dinner party was booked up with over 100 confirmations and since then, I have had another 100 people asking to get a spot in the off-chance of last-minute cancellations. You snooze, you lose.  For everyone who wasn’t an early bird, the party at Hatsune Sanlitun Village will be epic.  We aim to top the opening party for a night to remember…or can’t remember. 

This goes to show that not only are there still people in Beijing this summer, they can’t seem to get enough of Hatsune.

I guess I gave Beijingers something they wanted.

If you would like to be included in future event notifications, feel free to contact me directly and I’ll hook you up.

New Neighbor

After over a year of Banana Leaf in Solana’s Dining & Bar Street existing solely as signs that read “Coming Soon,” it finally opened its doors last week. All-Star Sports Bar & Grill finally has a neighbor!

When All-Star first signed its lease to begin construction a little over a year ago, Solana was a promising new destination, with a Californian style open-air complex with a shopping mall plus Dining & Bar street. Big names including Zara, Nike, Coldstone, Cro Bar, and even a Banyan Tree Hotel was meant to open just beside All-Star & Bling, (which would have been clutch for us to share their abundant supply of taxis for our guests as well).

While All-Star & Bling both opened according to schedule right before the Olympics, all of our neighbors continued to postpone and some actually back out of their leases completely (Banyan Tree).  And the result: Solana suffered the “ghost-town” syndrome throughout Winter 2008 while the Village in Sanlitun quickly made a name for itself and became the new hub for all shoppers and diners.

Fortunately for Solana, spring brought along sunshine aplenty together with more and more pedestrians and consumers, making Solana a better known destination.  Located right along a lake with gorgeous views of Chaoyang Park, Solana was sure to pick up in terms of traffic and word-of-mouth.

For the first time, All-Star now has a new neighbor and the entire All-Star family was anxious to welcome Banana Leaf to our hood. The owners arranged a grand dinner party, a night that quickly turned into a drink off of whiskey and vodka. Banana Leaf was also kind enough to send over some dancing, singing, “man-loving” entertainment.  A warm welcome and an appropriate initiation of Banana Leaf into the Solana neighborhood.

With this week also marking both All-Star & Bling’s 1-year birthday, it’s crazy that it’s already been a year. As one of the original spaces to open on Solana’s Bar & Food street,  it’s been interesting to see the area of Solana develop, fill up vacant spaces and slowly but surely climbing up to its full potential.

Overall Evaluation:

Banana Leaf (Solana): Brand, spanking new, just opened. But a well-known chain serving up Thai cuisine and a whole lot of live entertainment. Lovely interior, two stories with big private rooms and and lounge bar by the entrance.  Reasonably priced, so I’d recommend going in a big group who can appreciate some “man-love”.

Best Part:

• It’s located right beside All-Star Sports Bar & Grill
• Low Prices
• Amusing, animated entertainment

Comments:

• This outlet in Solana  is much nicer than others as it just opened. There is much better Thai food elsewhere (Lantung Thai Bar & Bistro, Very Siam, Purple Haze) and I’d only go to Banana Leaf if you were looking for an entertaining dining experience for a big group.  Otherwise, it’s just cheesy, mediocre food and service.

Another recently opened Solana addition:

Invito:  3 stories for 3 venues – Basement is cocktail lounge, 1st floor is a casual cafe serving fresh sandwiches with homemade bread, 2nd floor is a high-end fine-dining restaurant with a great terrace overlooking the lake.

I went for lunch with a friend and had a great sandwich for about RMB 50 and my friend just ordered two scoops of ice cream together with a ginger ale.  Total bill: RMB 160.  Yup, her ice cream and ginger ale were more than double the cost of my sandwich.

Best Part:

• It’s located is set right in front of a lake, offering a great patio and an upstairs terrace to oversee the great view.
• Nice selection of fresh sandwiches, breads, and desserts
• Impressive wine selection with machines that preserve wines after opening, allowing all bottles to be served by the glass
• Food is excellent, along with presentation

Comments:

• I will be interested to follow Invito’s development. Already a lot of word-of-mouth talking about Invito being a great restaurant with great food. Just remember you’ll be paying a very pretty penny for your meal…even if it is just ice cream and ginger ale.

About LumDimSum

This is me, Kristen Lum, on the Job at Bling. May 2009

About LumDimSum:

First and foremost, let me explain what LumDimSum is all about. Don’t be fooled by my name, this is not a blog about DimSum (although I am a HUGE fan) and it is not limited to discussions about dining in Beijing.
I decided to create LumDimSum to share my experiences (both personal and work related) with family & friends abroad, along with anyone interested in the life I live as a PR socialite in Beijing. as a newly graduated, ABC living in Beijing, my life has taken off on a path of its own and my goals and aspirations have morphed, grown, and leapt in ways I never expected or imagined.

Having lived in China for the past three years, my life and career goals have taken off like a roller coaster. I originally came to Beijing as a student at a private Language Program and within just two years, I’ve since planned the wedding of the year, hosted two restaurant openings, and managed the PR, Marketing and Media for Beijing’s top nightlife and dining destinations: Block8, BLING, LAN Club, the Hatsune Restaurant Group, just to name a few.
LumDimSum not only recaps some unique experiences and thoughts on my daily life in Beijing but also serves as a platform for me to discuss my personal opinions on Beijing nightlife and dining along with the inside scoop on my work and the venues I represent. Shameless self-promotion aside, I hope that LumDimSum will provide valuable insight and tips to Beijing’s hot spots and top upcoming events around town.

Contact Info:
E-mail: lum.kristen (at) gmail.com

Dantas Rock

Facebook: Kristen S. Lum
Twitter: kristenslum

My CV: Served in DimSum Portions

Kristen Stacy Lum 林斯瑶
Sierra Oaks Elementary School (1990-1996)
Arden Middle School (1996-1998)
Rio Americano High School (1998-2002)
University of California, Santa Barbara (2002-2006)

Beijing (2006-2009)
World Link Education (Sept. 2006- Feb.2007)

Eastwei PR (Feb. 2007- July 2007)

American Chamber of Commerce-China (Jan. 2008-July 2008)

Block 8 – Director of Communications & Public Relations (Jan. 2008-Oct. 2008)
Hatsune Restaurant Group – Director of Marketing & Media (Oct. 2008-Present)
Alchemy Consultancy – Director of Media, Marketing & Communications (March 2008-June 2009)
*All-Star & Bling – PR Consultant to Director of Communications (June 2008-Present)
*Domus – PR Consultant (July 2008-January 2009)
*Cabaret, Shanghai – PR Consultant (October 2008-January 2009)
*Lantung Thai Bar + Bistro – PR Consultant to Event Planner (February 2009-Present)
*LAN Club Beijing & Shanghai – PR Consultant (February 2009-April 2009)

Wedding Planner for Alan & Hannah Wong (May 2009-June 2009)

*candy&caviar – Director of Media, Marketing and Communications/Honorary Chairman (June 2009-Present)

*Glen Group – Media, PR Consultant (September 2009-Present)

*Purple Jade Country Club – Consultant (September 2009-Present)

(*) Current Projects