10/10/10 = Saul Diaz’s 30th Birthday

On this momentous day – 10/10/10, my dear friend Saul Diaz turns the big 3-0!!

Get it?

10 + 10 + 10 = 30

EPIC.

Not only is Saul Diaz one of the most talented DJs in town (resident DJ at PUNK in the Opposite House), he is one of the kindest, most thoughtful, fun-loving and genuine people I know.

…and not only is Saul a fellow foodie, his love and appreciation for good food almost rivals mine.  Almost.

Celebrate with Saul on this special day @ Migas from 8PM-late TONIGHT.

Happy Birthday Saulyyy!

Here’s to you Saul and to many more years of adventures, Sunday brunches, and great times:

A true friend unbosoms freely, advises justly, assists readily, adventures boldly, takes all patiently, defends courageously, and continues a friend unchangeably.   ~William Penn

Mid-Autumn Festival = An Excuse to Party

Ring in the Mid-Autumn Festival with parties already starting this Tuesday night:

The techno legend Derrick May with Punk resident DJ Saul D will be playing for one night only @ PUNK.

“From the cold, mindless machines comes so much hope, spirituality, and soul…. this is how Techno was born, in the urban wasteland of Detroit, and Derrick May (along with Juan Atkins and Kevin Saunderson) is the godfather of this sound.”

Wednesday, September 22:

Lunar Moon Party @ BLING:

Bling will also be celebrating the Lunar Moon Party with complimentary moon cakes for all guests along with Ladies drink specials (complimentary Mojito & Cosmopolitan cocktails ALL NIGHT).  Gents enjoy all-you-can-drink specials for only RMB 100.

Event Details:

• Date: Wednesday, September 22
• Time: 9PM to late
• Location: BLING
• Free Entrance

If hip-hop is not your thing, celebrate with Acupuncture Records as they turn 3!

Acupuncture’s 3 Year Anniversary Party:

“Since its inception in 2007, Acupuncture has released 6 international EPs and 2 full length albums in addition to hosting China’s first large-scale electronic music festival INTRO and opening their very own nightclub, marking a ground-breaking epoch in China’s electronic music history.”

Event Details:

• Date: Wednesday, September 22
• Location: LAN Club
• Cover: RMB 50

Heat Up with Hot Pot @ Punk

An ongoing sensation, the next Hot Pot Party with DJ Wordy & DJ Lomang is this Friday, June 30 @ PUNK.

Mixing it up from Best Electro, Hip Hop, Dubstep, Bass music, Old School, The most exclusive in Remixs, and all the newest club-bangers. “hotpot” is already Beijing’s no.1 world-class party for music lovers’ with world-class booty, jiggling to exclusive tracks from New York to London, Paris to Berlin. … No filler, just good vibes, great people, and a night dedicated to good music.

hotpot Vol.29@PUNK Event Details:

• Date: Friday, July 30th 2010
• Time: 10PM – late
• Location: Punk (The Opposite House)
• No Cover

PUNK: Beijing Zoo 1 Year Party

Together with the Superstars who made it happen from the very beginning – DJ LOMANG & DJ SAUL D are now teaming up with 3x DMC world champion KID FRESH & HK premier female DJ/actress/model/TV personality DJ Miss Yellow for Beijing Zoo’s blow out 1 year birthday bash @ PUNK.

*For those of you who know the wonderful and incredible Daniel Goodman, he will be celebrating his last night in Beijing at this event so come by, groove to some great jams, and take the opportunity to treat this good man to a good, stiff drink.

Worthy of the Reputation: DJ Tittsworth

There’s a reason why DJ Tittsworth continues to be invited back to Beijing.  The guy is not only an incredibly talented DJ, he’s such a sincere, down-to-earth & friendly guy.

Props to Tittsworth for keeping the energy high and the dance floor packed.

LumDimSummary of DJ Tittsworth @ Punk:

2 DJs with Mad Skillz

(DJ Tittsworth & Punk’s Resident DJ Saul D)

+

2 Bumping Birthday Bashes

(Happy Birthday to Dado & Max)

=   2 Much Fun on a Sunday Night

LumDimSum Photo Gallery:

Happy Birthday Max!!

DJ Tittsworth @ Punk

Back once again, DJ Tittsworth is hitting the decks at Punk (Opposite House) this Sunday, June 13.

Hallelujah for the Dragon Boat Festival this weekend!

Mashing up everything from rock and pop to underground beats, Tittsworth is known for his turntablist skills for mixing, cutting and looping tracks at lightning speed.

Check out his mad skillz tonight @ Punk.

Time to Speak Up: theBeijinger 2010 Bar Awards

theBeijinger is switching things up in more ways than one.

Already beginning the initial phases of their magazine face-lift, theBeijinger most recently announced that voting for their 7th
Annual Reader Bar & Club Awards have commenced. This year, they have not only revised their nomination categories, voters can now choose their first, second and third favorite in ranking order (out of 8-13 choices) for every category.

theBeijinger 2010 Bar Awards Categories this year include:

• Best Cocktails
• Best Individual Cocktail
• Best Cheap Drinks
• Most Reliable Drinks
• Best Whiskey Bar
• Best Wine
• Best Beer
• Best Bartender
• Best Daily Happy Hour
• Best Ladies Night
• Best Regular Event
• Best Quiz Night
• Best Live Rock Venue
• Best Live Jazz Venue
• Most Beautiful People
• Friendliest Crowd
• Best Service
• Best Place to Find a Date
• Best Place to Bring a Date
• Sexiest Bar Staff
• Best Bar Food
• Best Late-Night Dining
• Best Hotel bar
• Best Student Hangout
• Best Nightclub
• Best Sportsbar
• Best Lounge
• Best Place for Dancing
• Best Business Networking
• Best Hidden Gem
• Best After-Hours Club
• Best Party of the Year
• Best New Bar/Club
• Bar/Club of the Year

Bars/Clubs with most category nominations include:

• Fu Bar
• Punk @ Opposite House
• d lounge
• Xiu @ Park Hyatt
• Apothecary
• Lush
• Centro @ Kerry Centre
• Q Bar

Vote now for your top picks here.

*Voting Ends May 6 & Bar/Club Awards Party Set for May 13 @ Mako Live House

Hot Pot Turns Two

Friday, April 16th marks Hot Pot’s 2 Year Anniversary Party @ Punk.

For a taste of what’s to come, check out DJ Wordy’s newest “2 Year Anniversary Mix” by clicking on the photo below for a link to his free download.

Enjoy DJ Wordy’s Latest Beats!

Crazy ’bout DJ Craze

DJ Craze with DJ Wordy

DJ Craze returned to Punk tonight for Round 2 after an amazing performance on the 4th of July this year.

Considered by many to be the best turntablist ever, DJ Craze has won the DMC championship 3 times in a row and on top of that, he also won the DMC team competition twice with A-trak.

After Qbert spun BLING into a frenzy last Wednesday, I was curious to witness Craze throw down at Punk.

Kickin’ it with Punk’s resident DJ Saul D, Craze was such a cool guy and as soon as he started his set, people hit the dance floor…and didn’t stop.

Here are some snap shots from tonight’s show @ Punk, brought to you by LumDimSum Photo Gallery:

Warm Up the Weekend with Hot Pot

It’s mid-November and it’s already snowed heaps. Blame global warming, blame China for shooting too many chemicals into the clouds, blame whoever, but we need to cope with this year’s early drop in temperature.

I find comfort in Hot Pot, which seems to be the theme for this weekend:

You gotta play your cards right on this Friday, the 13th!

• Hot Pot & BBQ dinner at Kagen
• Bachelorette Party @ the new ladies’ champagne bar: Club Décolleté
• Dance crazy @ BLING.

Saturday, November 14:

• BLING: **DJ KEZA returns to BLING for a kick-ass performance, ‘Keza’s Golden Night’ this Saturday night!!!!  (I get giddy just thinking about it!)
• Vic’s Ying Yang Twins show – known for their “Whisper Song”.  For those who want to shake it (like a salt shaker).
• Hot Pot & Happy Niu Year Snowboard Movie Premiere hosted by Mellowparks @ Punk.

**NOTE:  The Human Beatbox and former member of the Roots, RAH ZEL will be performing exclusively @ BLING on Saturday, November 20. If you don’t know RAH ZEL, just watch his mind-blowing live performance of “If Your Mother Only Knew” on YouTube.

For those who missed my raving review of Kagen’s incredible Gourmet Month special, you can read up here.  As always, the more the merrier, so feel free to join the group for some quality Japanese hot pot and BBQ goodness. If not, then kick off the winter snowboard season right and join the party at Punk for big beats and big tricks. Movie premier starts at 11:30pm and tons of sick raffle prizes up for grabs throughout the night.

From Birthdays & Goose to Chi Fan for Charity: Weekend Breakdown

It’s that time of the week again:  Here’s this Weekend’s Breakdown of Events:

Friday, November 6:

First Stop: Ella’s Birthday/Jamie’s Housewarming Dinner Party

Second Stop: Derrick Carter @ Punk

*Big Event of the Night: Grey Goose Hollywood Party @ Bling

Glitz. Glam. Goose. Exclusively @ BLING

Drink specials on all Goose all night.

Saturday, November 7:

Chi Fan for Charity

This incredible event featuring Beijing’s top 15 restaurants while supporting a worthwhile cause. From Hatsune and Karaiya to Maison Boulud, Green T. House Living, Scarlett, Agua, Capital M, Mosto, and Oden, each of the 15 popular restaurants will host tables, and each guest pays a set cover (from 500RMB to 1,000RMB) to join a table.

Proceeds support the Dandelion School, a non-profit school for the children of migrant families in Beijing.

Dinners start at 7pm, but you can also support the cause by purchasing a 100RMB ticket to the after-party at ChinaDoll or make a donation straight to the cause via the website.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit chifanforcharity.org.

Next Stop: Jiayi Li’s (Bling’s owner) Birthday Bash @ BLING

**Going to be a GREAT WEEKEND!**

Happy Birthday in advance to Ella & Jiayi! 

Best for Last

Since the opening of Capital M mid-September, I’ve been dying to go back and I just found the perfect opportunity – Sophia’s last night in Beijing, I saved the best for last: dinner at Capital M (which was such a girl-date) followed by a tour of the Legation Quarter inclusive of a drink at Fez, Saul’s birthday bash at Punk (dance madness), topping the night off with my love, BLING.

Sophia's Last Night in Beijing

When I was planning this dinner at Capital M, everyone and their mother said they were down to come along with all the good word-of-mouth praising the food and drinks, but with the changing weather and everyone feeling ill and bailing out, the dinner party went from a party of 8 to me and Sophia’s ‘girl date’ (and Candy joining us for dessert).

At last month’s opening, everyone had good things to say about Capital M.  It was warm enough still to hang out on the beautiful terrace with a spectacular view, and there was a LOT of free food and drinks.  The freebies aside, what really sold me before was actually the venue design.  I love Capital M’s colorful, hand-painted artwork along the walls and the cozy boxed fireplaces throughout the venue.  What a perfect place for a date…even though in this case, it was just a girl-date. haha.

And this time around, I really got to the true Capital M dining experience, which was such a treat. The service was fantastic, the wines were lovely, and the food was beyond remarkable.

Sophia and I shared a starter – the Audacious Aubergines, a refreshing, cold appetizer with 3 different types of aubergines. For mains, Sophia ordered their Fesengjan – Iranian duck leg with spiced duck breast, walnuts & pomegranates, which was such a flavorful combination and we loved the cucumber & dill salad on the side.  Also a meat lover, I ordered the Leg of Lamb, which came with smashed yams, sauteed spinach and glazed shallots. The lamb was so tender, it melted in my mouth.

The portions were generous and we were stuffed, but with Candy coming to join us, we decided to indulge in gluttony and go for their Grand Dessert Platter  that included a tasting of their entire dessert menu – 3 various sorbets/ice cream, raspberry souffle, creme brulee, orange and cardamom canaloni and our favorites: the baked bananas and M’s famous Pavlova (meringue with passionfruit ice cream and topped with fruit).  Best dessert platter ever – it was so good it practically put us in a coma. Their pavlova alone is reason enough to go back.

After dinner, we were given a grand tour of the venue – it’s a shame the weather is getting cold so fast, but I was happy to see that they have transformed the lounge area with the cool rooftop is now being used as a dining section as well.

Once again, two thumbs up!

Thanks again to our perfect host, restaurant manager Fabian Ernst for making the evening such a delightful experience and for introducing me to Michelle, the owner and creator of all three M restaurants: M on the Bund, M on the Fringe, and now in Beijing – Capital M.  *Interesting fact: Michelle has no investors, business partners, nada.  Australian bred, Michelle is a one woman show in all three of her restaurants.  What an accomplished, talented woman – very, very  impressive.

A Tour of ‘The New Beijing’

It seems like a lifetime ago, but when I first moved to Beijing in 2006, I came as a student to study Mandarin at World Link Education.  Back in those days, everything was all play and stress-free – ah, the life as a student.  My crew’s regular hangout spot was Together Bar (which was recently demolished this summer and replaced with a park) and our regular party spots included none other than Babyface, Cargo, Bar Blu, Kai Bar, Suzie Wong’s and Vics (before the re-model).

Since then, so much has changed in Beijing pre and post the 2008 Olympics.

This October holiday, my best friend from World Link, Sophia Gericke came back to visit for 10 days – a visit that has been both refreshing and eye-opening.  It’s so easy to get caught up in all the small things and forget to see the big picture.  It’s hard to imagine that only a year ago, there was no Sanlitun Village, there was no Opposite House, no Bling, no Solana, no Legation Quarter, etc. etc.

With Sophia back in Beijing after a 3 years, I wanted her to experience the best of what I like to call, ‘The New Beijing’.

Having already lived in Beijing, Sophia had no interest in seeing any tourist attractions, so I was able to really give her a taste of Beijing’s new and improved dining and nightlife scene.

Here’s what the 10 day tour consisted of:

1. Sanlitun Village (Hatsune, Karaiya, Blue Frog for drinks, Panino Teca)
2. Opposite House (Alan’s Hotel Party in one of the suites, Mesh & Punk)
3. Solana (All-Star & Bling)
4. Legation Quarter Tour & dinner @ Capital M (Qianmen Pedestrian Street)
5. Park Hyatt’s Xiu
6. Olympic Green (complete with attending the Turandot Opera in Bird’s Nest)
7. 1949-The Hidden City: Club Décolleté, Club Glen, Sugar Cafe, Well Bar
8. Scarlett (Hotel G)
9. Glen Boutique Bar & Oden
10. d lounge
    

    Keep it Gangsta Party @ BLING

11. Vics (renovated)
12. Block 8‘s Ruby Khi (renovated)
13. Suzie Wong’s (unchanged)
14. Chocolate Club
15. Vineyard Cafe (best Sunday brunch)
16. Chef Too (Sunday brunch)
17. Regency Taipan (massage)
18. PurpleJade Country Club (spa)

The New Kid on the Block: d. lounge.gallery.food

C-Dice & I @ d.lounge

For over a month now, I’d been hearing about the new kid in town – d. lounge (not to be confused with D-Bar in the Renaissance Hotel). After celebrating my birthday dinner at my favorite restaurant Kagen Teppanyaki, I was eager to check out the space and pay a visit to my dear friend Warren Pang (former manager of Punk in the Opposite House), especially after hearing so much about this new bar and considering Tuesday nights are not exactly the most bumping night of the week.

Unsure if it would even be open on a regular Tuesday evening around 11pm, C-dice & I poke our heads inside and walk down a long corridor to find an intimate, high-ceilinged space covered in red brick with a tall, elegant bar against the back wall and funky leather croc sofas and modern furniture throughout.

After speaking to Warren and seeing their drink menu, I was quite surprised to discover that d. lounge has not even officially opened yet!  According to Warren, for the past month, d. lounge is still in its soft-opening stage, offering private gatherings and inviting limited guests while they are still working out some pre-opening kinks and are in the process of finalizing two other sections that have yet to be open to the public.  Warren may call this an “extended soft-opening period,” I call it a brilliant marketing strategy.

In the meantime, d. lounge is now open daily featuring various artwork on its high brick walls that will be changed on a regular basis and a basic drink list with 9 cocktails and 4 regular well drinks priced RMB 50-60.  In the future, the space will serve a bistro-style menu with mini burgers and tapas and the space will also be a hub to feature designer clothing/street wear.

By the same owners as Jazz-Ya and Izaka-ya, d. lounge is located just behind Nanjie on Sanlitun Nanjie and is set to officially open Mid-October 2009.

Best Part:

• The Bar – its design is original, classy and its very impressive without being imposing
• Their Kiwi & Strawberry Caipiroska is my new favorite drink
• The design of the venue is modern, fashionable, and very New York without being pretentious
• A small space with super high ceilings makes it easy to fill with a cozy, intimate vibe without feeling claustrophobic (I love red brick walls)
• Warren is a fantastic host & bar manager, it’s no surprise he’s got such a loyal following from Punk – he’s personable, welcoming, and his concept of keeping d. lounge in this “pre-opening stage” while being open to public is ingenious PR. Well-done mate!

Comments:

• In my 2 hours stay, my legs were eaten alive by mosquitos
• I am eager to see d.lounge officially open – to see the rest of the unopened space, to taste their bistro menu, see what type of designer clothing they choose to feature, and above all, the type of music they will play (As much as I like the crowd and design at Punk, I never cared for the music).

The Best of the Nightlife Worlds

Tonight Hatsune celebrated its 8 Year Anniversary, and what a celebration it was! 

The evening started off with a kick-ass dinner party at the original Hatsune – all you can eat and drink sake for only 200rmb, (which booked out within 3 hours of me sending out the notification! – Definitely a record for the quickest sold-out event.)

Afterwards, the celebration continued with the official party at Hatsune in Sanlitun Village, with all-you-can-drink cocktails and sake plus more sushi for 100rmb. Let’s not forget the acrobat performances, which were jaw-dropping.  Unreal.  I wish I had photos to post, but must’ve skipped my mind in my state of shock.

The breakdown: About 70 (out of the 150) dinner guests came for more of the Hatsune goodness along with another 250 Hatsune Sushi Samurais.

Packed Out

The result: A stunning fusion of beautiful people letting loose and getting crunk. With the massive sake wells, flowing cocktails, sushi samplers, acrobat amusement, and all the old school hits, this was something exceptional. It felt like a combination of the best vibes and crowds from Punk, Block 8, and Bling – all together at the same time.

Break it down Ella

Alan Wong, the Master Sushi Samurai

My favorite photo of the night

Kelly Olver, My fav Aussie chick

Jen's got the magnum and I've got cheese

Today was a reason to celebrate. Since 2001 when the original Hatsune on Guanghua Lu first opened to the 5 additional restaurants Alan has opened, things have come a long way.

On behalf of Alan and the Hatsune Team, I sincerely thank you for your continued support and for making Hatsune a Beijing legend.

Thanks to everyone for the great turn-out and for making this such a memorable event!

*Note to self: After the opening party and this 8 year anniversary, Hatsune should seriously consider doing this regularly.