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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BJ FOoDiEs Charity Dinner: Mediterranean Masterpieces at Galleria

“Galleria is a food laboratory. We specialize in food art and creative catering solutions. We collaborate with famous artists, sculptors and leading tech firms to make food experiences that spark applause and wonder at your events and ceremonies. From floating deserts to food shows – we bring excitement to catering and make sure your event is unforgettable.” – Galleria Team

Located on the 3rd Ring Road just south of the Nexus SOHO building, Galleria is on the B1 level of Jjiaming Center next to the Starbucks. A space that looks more like an art gallery than a restaurant, you’ll be amazed to discover that at Galleria, food and art is interchangeable and imagination here comes in all shapes and sizes (that’s as delicious as it gets).Not your average “restaurant”, Galleria showcases some of their impressive food/art commissions among the tables and chairs including the Italian embassy’s commission to create San Marco’s Lion out of sugar, a sculpture of Picasso out of chocolate, and David’s Head in a mint and limoncello flavored jelly.

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Casa Talia by Tiago: Delusions of Grandeur

The Raffles mall is a strange place. It isn’t high end, and yet it also doesn’t fit in the mould of the crappy Chinese malls that exist throughout the city that you never visit unless your bank happens to have a branch inside. There are some decent shops and eateries in this mall, but I don’t actually know people who go out of their way to eat there unless they’re already there shopping.

It’s interesting that Casa Talia by Tiago chose this stage and it is quite apt for a restaurant that also doesn’t quite understand it’s place in the world. It is a restaurant with incredible potential – the interior design is elegant and tasteful and they have a focused menu featuring innovative, luxurious Mediterranean tapas and shared dishes ranging from a 1.6kg Australian Grain-fed Tomahawk Steak (RMB 888), Boston Lobster and a signature nitrogen tiramisu (RMB 128). The creator behind these indulgent dishes is none other than very talented Italian chef Corrado Michelazzo, the executive chef at 10 Corso Como in Shanghai.

He sums up his culinary background quite nicely here –

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Sureno: Italian Chef Roberto Cimmino Makes His Mark

Welcome Sureno’s New Italian Chef de Cuisine Roberto Commino

When Sureno opened, it set a new standard in the city for quality dining and has continued to remain at the top of our list for special occasions.

Always serving top-notch dishes that stand out by the freshness that you can taste, their service also happens to be among the best in the industry.  Their gracious GM Themis Kouris will always be our favorite friendly face to see every time we step into Sureno and he spoke very highly of their new Chef de Cuisine from Italy, so I was very happy to meet the newest member of the Sureno superstar team and taste his talents!

Roberto Cimmino is from a city just south of Rome called Marino in Lazio, Italy and has previously worked in many restaurants in Italy and moved on to taking over the Italian kitchens based in top hotels around China including Shanghai and most recently the Westin in Guangzhou, so has the perfect pedigree for the pan-Mediterranean Sureno.

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Sureño @The Opposite House: Marvelous Mediterranean

Modest & Refined, Sureno’s Mediterranean Flavors Work Magic in the Kitchen

While Sureno Mediterranean restaurant has remained immensely popular since The Opposite House first opened, it’s unintentionally fallen off my radar the last couple of years. Perhaps partly due to the loss of Bei Japanese restaurant (Max has how moved onto his new restaurant Okra in 1949 – The Hidden City) or the transformation of Punk Bar into Jing Yaa Tang Peking duck restaurant, there’s been a lot happening in the B1 level of the luxurious Opposite House boutique hotel, but it seems that their one constant has been Sureno.

And after a few recent re-visits, it’s felt like the rekindling of a romance with a blast from the past – I have fallen head-over-heels-in-love with Sureno all over again.

The past two meals I have enjoyed at Sureno – one to try the incredible Greek dishes prepped by Sureno’s manager Themis Kouris’ “Mama Kouzina” guest chef dinner and again to try new winter menu dishes, have both been very eye-opening dining experiences. I admit that I always jump to book a reservation at TRB, The Courtyard or even Mosto when I’m looking after out-of-town guests or in the mood for splurging on fine Western cuisine, but Sureno has jumped to the top of my list with its simple elegance. Their dishes may not look as fancy-pantsy and over-the-top as you may find in fine French establishments around town (no fancy foam here), but every bite lets the quality of their premium ingredients speak for themselves.

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Sundays at Sureño

If I’m not recovering from a rough weekend in bed, chances are you’ll find me at Vineyard Cafe, The Orchard, Chef Too or SALT.

For the first time this past weekend, we switched it up for Sunday brunch at Sureño (The Opposite House).

On Sundays, Sureño offers a Mediterranean 4-course set menu (RMB 188 or RMB 298 with free flow bubbly):

Veal Tenderloin

1. Antipasti Selection (fried mussels, swordfish sashimi, egg omelet, fried rice ball, diced oxtail and white beans) – 1 of each appetizer per person, and still quite filling. While the mussels were dry, the swordfish sashimi was the highlight
2. Minestrone Soup – standard minestrone soup
3. Choice of 6 different main entrees (seabass, risotto, veal tenderloin, cheese & spinach capelle, suckling pig, etc.) – Veal Tenderloin was served with cheese sandwiched in between two slabs of meat with mashed potatoes and veggies beneath.
4. Choice of Cheese Selection or Dessert Selection (Apple tart, lemon tart & tiramisu) – I recommend cheese selection over desserts (soft brie and blue cheese were delicious)

Review of Sunday Brunch at Sureño: Located next to Punk & Bei, B1 floor of The Opposite House, Sanlitun. 三里屯路11号三里屯Village1号楼; Tel: 6410-5240

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