Home Grounds: Comfort Aussie Cuisine

Don’t Let the Gym Upstairs Fool You, Home Grounds is Not Only Healthy Food

International Wonderland has always puzzled me. While the location is prime with its close proximity to Sanlitun’s plethora of restaurants and bars and there are plenty of foreigners who live in the apartments above, you’d think it there would be a lot more happening in the 1st floor retail outlets. But the shops below have always seemed random and empty. Seemingly the only business with any ambition was Parlor. But things are changing quickly with the arrival of Base Fit fitness center (2nd floor) and Home Grounds restaurant (first floor).

While Base Fit and Home Grounds are new in Beijing, this is the same team behind Living Bigg, which was a gym just next to original Hatchery location by Tuanjiehu subway exit B. Since the demise of The Hatchery last year, the Hatchery moved to a new location just south of Zhangzizhonglu subway station on Dongsi Jiutiao 东四九条 in the dynamic co-working space called 5LMeet. Living Bigg has also expanded to a second platform and moved most classes to Base Fit, from Tuanjiehu to Sanlitun’s International Wonderland. Although they are no longer associated with the Hatchery, they have opened up their own restaurant called Home Grounds, located just below Base Fit.

With its association and close proximity to a gym, you might expect that Home Grounds would be focused on healthy salads and juices. In fact, the menu does have a handful of salads and they do serve juices, but that is not at all their focus or what they’re about. Their menu is designed for taste and comfort, and anyone who is calorie counting or on any paleo or gluten-free diet will be sorely disappointed. #sorrynotsorry #yourdietyourchoice

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Kuan’s Bar & Dining: Unpretentious & Unpolished Comfort Food

**THIS VENUE IS NOW CLOSED!**

Opened opposite The Big Smoke, and one restaurant down from BBC, Kuan’s (a combination of two names – Chef Kenny and co-owner Xuan Zhang) is a promising development for a building that has changed hands multiple times recently.

I will say that this review started in the worst possible way. The front door hasn’t been constructed with opening and closing as the main priority. I tend to view this as a sign from the food gods that this place is not paying attention to the details. If you want greater insight into this, look up the story about Van Halen and brown M&Ms.

However, in this instance, the door was not an ominous portent. What awaited us was simply good comfort food!

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Tour of CHAO Hotel 巢: Living Room’s Global Offerings

CHAO Hotel in Sanlitun

There was a lot of talk about The Den closing. This is partly due in part to the fact that they kept “almost” closing and then re-opening between the end of 2015 and mid-2016. But main reason for all the coverage is because, whether you want to admit it or deny it, we have ALL been to The Den. Even if you regret everything you’ve ever done or witnessed at the Den, you have to admit that their Eggs Benedict at 5AM really hits the spot.

A Beijing expat black hole that was always in its prime between the wee hours of 3am-7am, this was the official home of the Beijing Devils Rugby team and many of their infamous parties, and most importantly, this was probably the only establishment in Beijing that was NEVER closed. You heard me correctly –  The Den was open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to cater to the great demand Beijingers continued to ask of it. That says a lot considering the Den has been open since 1997, which also happens to make this one of the longest lasting venues in Beijing.

So what happened to The Den and why did it close this year?

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Raise a Glass to Sulyi’s Gangnam Tapas & Exclusive Soju Selection

The Topwin Center continues its opening spree. Next up on the menu is Sulyi, a Korean tapas restaurant with the former chef for the Korean embassy at the helm. Sulyi means “cheers” in Korean and with what promises to be a very nice balcony area, this restaurant could become a great destination for a fun soju-fuelled night before the cold sets in.

A project that started in 2014, Sulyi sets itself apart from other Korean restaurants in Beijing by focusing on Gangnam, Korean style tapas dishes. You may have heard of Gangnam thanks to PSY’s catchy tune and even catchier dance moves, which refers to a trendy and hip district in Seoul where fashion and style is top notch. According to Sulyi’s owners, they aim to bring “Gangnam” to Beijing’s hip hood Sanlitun through Gangnam tapas and home-made ‘Makguli’ Korean rice wine in fruity flavors at 4% and a special selection of Soju sold exclusively at Sulyi.

Sulyi is located on the 3rd floor of the food-crazed Topwin Center, next to Beyond Yakitori and opposite Cou Cou, the much talked about high end hotpot offering from Xiabu Xiabu.

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Laudable Lucky Lopez: Comfort Tex-Mex from Dallas

A Taste of Tex-Mex Flavor

How this location has stayed hidden and unoccupied for so long, I have no idea, but Lucky Lopez has an apt name in managing to find such a great plot.

Hidden in a courtyard just behind Nearby the Tree in Sanlitun, Lucky Lopez has actually been around since 2010, with their first location in Jianwai SOHO in the CBD. Initially a burrito spot, they have expanded their menu for this new location and you’ll find all the comfort staples of Mexican-American cuisine.

Having the pleasure to sit down and chat with Lucky Lopez’s Executive Chef and Managing Partner June Chow, it really gave our dining experience a whole new meaning and appreciation for what June and her brother Schubert Chow have created. While June and Schubert grew up in the northeast – New Jersey/New York area with a family background of restauranteurs, June moved to Dallas about 20 years ago. She made her way to Beijing to satisfy Schubert’s cravings for quality Mexican food and this began their mission to bring Dallas-inspired Tex-Mex to Beijing.

“I am self taught and learn from my family, friends and great home cooks. I like to take liberties with recipes (aka, never follow them to the T) and operate on the notion that you find a great platform of ingredients and build ideas from it. 

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Migas’ Anniversary: 6 Courses to Celebrate 6 Years!

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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Me Café by Mercedes Me: Not Your Standard Café Menu

Not the Standard Café Food at Mercedes Me Café

If you hadn’t noticed the large Mercedes “Me” sign in Sanlitun, then congratulations on climbing out from under your rock. In a loud, brash and unsubtle move, Mercedes have shoved their brand front and center of the Sanlitun area. Having already sampled the Chinese restaurant Sifang Sanchuan upstairs, I was keen to see what other food a car company can crank out in their Me Café on the 1st floor of Topwin Center.

Directly Across from Sanlitun Taikoo Li’s Uniqlo, Mercedes Me is Splashing Out

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