Migas Grand Opening Party

After a soft-opening party on Wednesday, Migas launches its grand opening party in style TONIGHT with Riviera Events getting the word out:

“Expect some beautiful people, champagne, cocktails, fine food and quality house music from the famous DJ Betoko (get physical) !”

Party starts 6PM-late.

Date: Friday, August 20, 2010

Location: 6th floor of Nali Patio, Sanlitun

Check it out:

TERRA Replaces Rickshaw

By the same culinary geniuses behind SALT (and before that Alameda), TERRA is a new cevicheria and bar that has taken over what was once The Rickshaw.  Once a shabby, run-down joint is now slick and brand-spanking new.  Although TERRA has kept the building’s exterior shape intact, their team has replaced absolutely everything else inside and replaced the walls with glass (according to PR chief, Jennifer Eden).

With a menu serving Peruvian-inspired dishes with an emphasis around delicious ceviches (seafood flavored with citrus fruits), the 2-story restaurant features a ceviche bar on the first floor with the main dining restaurant and full-service bar upstairs serving “boutique” beers, healthy cocktails and an extensive selection of fine wines.

“Drawing on the ages old traditions of ceviche – fruits of the sea delicately seared in citrus and perfectly balanced with fresh herbs and flavors – TERRA presents a cevicheria with a large selection of tempting treats as well as contemporary cuisine with Peruvian inspirations.“

The decor is contemporary and fresh with black wood furniture and a high bar area with stools. While the outside is mostly sprayed with blotches of black paint, insiders will still have a nice view of Sanlitun Nanlu through the glass walls.

First Floor Ceviche Bar/Second Floor Full-Service Bar:

Opening Party Pics:

While Alameda still remains consistent with their unbeatable lunch deal (click for article), it’s great to have Gaby back in the Sanlitun hood.  In addition to serving a great lunch, I have no doubt that TERRA will quickly become known as the new “after-work drinks” destination and start to give Apothecary a run for their money.  Only time can tell…

Congratulations to Gaby Alves and her unstoppable team on a successful new restaurant opening!

TERRA:

• Hours: Open 11AM-1AM daily.
• Address: 1 Sanlitun Nanlu, 三里屯南路1号
• Tel: 6591-9148

A New Make-Over for Crêpanini

The perfect little nook for a quick bite, Crêpanini is one of my all-time favorite spots, especially during the summer months.

When they first opened last year, they operated out of a mini cubicle of a kichen with a giant window serving perfect crepes and only a few stools indoors with mostly outdoor seating.  The menu was limited with a list of savory crepes & panini sandwiches and a dessert menu composed of sweet crepes, waffles & ice cream. And as limited as that was, it was amazing to have such perfect crepes available in Beijing.

This year, Crêpanini has undergone renovation and re-opened with an expanded kitchen, a additional indoor section for sit-down dining (rather than a few stools at a counter) and a brand new menu with much more variety and a few great Breakfast & Lunch Set Menus.

Lunch Set (RMB 55):

• Paris Crepe/Panini (Ham, Emmental cheese, egg) or Saint Michael Crepe/Panini (Goat Cheese, tomato & basil)

• Chocolate or Jam Sweet Crepe

• Soft Drink or Tsingtao Beer

Gourmet Set (RMB 65):

• Saint Michael Crepe/Panini or Celtic Crepe/Panini (Smoked Salmon, Cream, Lemon, Dill)

• Nutella or Banana & Chocolate Sweet Crepe

• Soft Drink or Beer

A couple of my favorite crepes:

The Bretonne (RMB 35/37 for crepe/panini) – Now made with buckwheat crepes, it is filled with ham, French Emmental cheese, egg, mushroom & tomato.  Another top pick is the Provencale (RMB 37/41 for crepe/panini) – pesto, grilled chicken, French Emmental Cheese & tomato.  All orders of crepes & paninis are accompanied by a small vegetable salad.

Review of Crêpanini: 1/F, Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Beilu, 三里屯北路81号那里花园1层酒吧街对面 , Tel: 5208-6092

Best Part:

• Both their Sweet & Savory Crepes are my favorite items on the menu. Their Nutella & Banana Sweet Crepe is Heaven on Earth.
• Available all-day, it’s a perfect spot for a snack, breakfast or lunch, or even after-dinner dessert
• They’ve switched their savory crepes to now be made of buckwheat, a more filling & much healthier alternative.
• Service is very friendly and most speak English.
• Join their Crepanini Fan Club for promotional deals
• Free delivery! Click here for delivery area and menu.
• Outdoor seating is mostly all shaded, so it’s an ideal, relaxing place to chill, people-watch, and enjoy good food & drinks.
• They serve fresh fruit smoothies and juice.
• Atmosphere is casual, comfortable and super chill.
• Owners JB & Nicolas are both awesome people.

Comments:

• With the new renovations and new menu, there is a noticeable hike in their prices compared to when they first opened last year.
• The set menus are great value.

Rating: (on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best)

• Food: 9
• Atmosphere: 8
• Service: 7
• Overall Experience: 8

LumDimSum Hook-Up: ChopSchticks Comedy Event

A World-Class Improvisational Comedy Show by The Chicago Improv All-Stars!

Hosted by ChopSchticks on Saturday, June 5th, there will be two performances at 7:00pm AND a late show at 10:00 PM at the Joyluck in SanLiTun (top floor of 3.3)!

Be the First LumDimSum reader to contact me and get two free tickets!!

• (e-mail me at kristen@lumdimsum.com)

Ticket Info: 300 RMB at the door, 250 RMB in advance up until Thursday, June 3rd. Every ticket comes with a free drink!

Order your tickets online at www.beijinghomedelivery.com, or call 158 1026 1614.

• Date: Saturday, June 5
• Time: 7 PM and 10PM
• Location: Joyluck Restaurant

The Chicago Improv All-Stars. These guys are among the best improvisational actors and musicians working in the world today. Their troupe has done 1,400 shows around the world to RAVE reviews and we are pumped to have four of their main players here in Beijing.

If you have seen Whose Line Is It Anyway, then you’ll be familiar with the type of on-the-spot, audience suggestion based sketch comedy and musical bits that these guys do. And do so well.

“HILARIOUS!” – South China Morning Post

“AN ENTERTAINMENT PHENOMENON! I AM IN AWE OF THEIR TALENT!” – The Scotsman

• Tom Shillue
• Russel Peters
• Pablo Francisco

Luga’s Pho-Shizzle

Luga’s is all over the place – he’s gone from Mexican to Thai and Vietnamese.

I was not impressed with Luga’s Villa Mexican restaurant the few times I’ve been there, but I tried Luga’s Pho-Pho for the first time this weekend and had a great experience!

After disappointing experiences at Va Va Voom on multiple occassions, I ventured out to find good pho. Who would have known Luga’s Pho-Pho had the magic recipe to fantastic pho this whole time? 

Recently moved to the main Luga’s location down the way from Tongli Studio above the main Luga’s Villa, the venue is all tiki’d out with a straw hut section in the middle of the room.  Decor was a bit lame, but this aside and more importantly, their fresh spring rolls were fantastic and so was their pho.

This is my new Pho destination in Beijing.

Review of Luga’s Pho-Pho: 3F of Luga’s Villa, Sanlitun North Street, 三里屯北里7号楼, 3层;  Tel: 6413-2786

Best Part:

• Great Pho and other Vietnamese dishes at a decent price
• Jun Trinh is Luga Pho Pho’s F&B consultant, so you can trust he’ll produce quality Vietnamese food
• Quick, friendly service

Comments:

• Place was empty when we were there, which is strange because I heard that it’s normally pretty busy
• Decor could use an upgrade to match the quality of the food

Rating: (on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best)

• Food: 8
• Atmosphere: 5
• Service: 6
• Overall Experience: 7

Pre-Dinner Drink Destinations to Knock Your Socks Off

Sanlitun has got new venues popping up every other day it seems.

So it’s a good thing you have LumDimSum to weed the good ones out and get the word out.

Three delightful new venues that have knocked my socks off:

• Apothecary – located next to Mosto, on the 3rd floor of Nali Patio

Run by the owners of the Japanese whisky bar Er in Maizidian & Chef Max Levy from Bei in the Opposite House, this is a no-brainer recipe for success.  Barely open for a few weeks, Apothecary has already accumulated record buzz for its quality drinks and Creole dining menu, which closely resembles my recent dining experience at Nola, but with more bar-friendly dishes and presentation.

• Tryst – located next to Alameda in the alley way across from the Sanlitun Village & Nali Patio

Only 20 square meters in size, this cozy, little joint is one of the most jaw-droppingly gorgeous bars I’ve seen.  Stunning interior design with elegant wallpaper, a crystal chandelier, and timeless antique pieces used for decor, Tryst is perfect for a romantic rendezvous, a destination for an intimate pre-dinner or post-dinner cocktail. And their cocktails were perfected by bar professional Jake Logsdon, so be careful to pace yourself because the drinks are all pretty stiff.

• Club Décolleté – Located in 1949- The Hidden City along with Duck de Chine, Noodle Bar, Taverna, and Club Glen

A dazzling and glamorous champagne bar inspired by the 1920’s Art Nouveau movement, recognized for its look of timeless elegance and class, Club Décolleté is an ideal venue for a romantic rendezvous, a girls’ night out, or an exclusive celebration. Club Décolleté boasts a fine selection of champagne cocktails, fresh fruit daiquiris, and champagne by the bottle. Champagne lovers will also be pleased to sample premium selection of champagnes available in tasting flights.

Under the Sea

Let’s Seafood may be by the same people behind Let’s Burger, but it is by far the better pick. Located just next door and keeping in the same theme of casual dining with paper menus and boxes to check off, Let’s Seafood blew my expectations for good value.

Pan fried Imported Red Mullet RMB 68

Let’s Burger may serve up a good burger with a glorious selection of sauces, but I always resented the fact that every additional topping, side dish, and drink was at an extra cost.  And what kind of place refuses to serve customers water? A burger that may have started out at RMB 65 would make an unexpected turn to total RMB 120.

On the other hand, Let’s Seafood not only offers an extensive selection of seafood salads RMB 68-78(massive portions), top-notch mussels RMB 65, six varieties of whole fish main courses RMB 68-118, fish & chips RMB 68, and great seafood combos RMB 78. Lobster sets are also available for lobster lovers RMB 238  All orders come with freshly baked homemade bread along with a brilliant assortment of sauces and their main courses all come with homemade seafood soup, along with a generous serving of lemon rice and pan-fried potato. AND they serve you water.

See? That’s what I’m talking about.

Review of Let’s Seafood: 1/F, Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Beilu, 三里屯北路81号那里花园1层  Tel: 5208-6038

Best Part:

Fresh Mussels RMB 65

• Good Value – order an entire fish (RMB 68-118) and it comes with homemade seafood soup, homemade bread, a glorious selection of sauces, and generous sides of lemon rice and pan-fried potato.
• Portions are generous, products are imported fresh
• I’ll definitely be back for the mussels and seafood salads
• Relatively healthy option for a meal, leaving your stomach satisfied, not heavy
• Interior design is casual, yet comfortable with good ambiance
• Wi-fi internet
• Extensive Wine List

Comments:

• The portions are generous, but the massive plates are a little overboard
• Bathrooms are outside and a trek to find and unlike Let’s Burger, there is not even a sink to wash your hands
• Service is not perfect, but decent for having just opened.

Rating: (on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best)

• Food: 8
• Atmosphere: 7
• Service: 6
• Overall Experience: 7

Chains with Confusing Consistency

If you choose to franchise your business, whether you own a grocery chain, laundry chain or a restaurant chain, its safe to say that a certain level of consistency should be expected – consistency in the product sold, service, quality, quantity and selection.

Example of Consistent Chain:

When the second Hatsune opened in Sanlitun Village in April 2009 as a new location with a new design and makeover with the menu, Alan Wong was meticulous in ensuring that the service and product would equal that of the original Guanghua Lu branch that opened in 2001.  Customers like the option of a second location, but they still want to satisfy their sushi samurai cravings – they still expect the usual Moto-Roll-Ah among other favorite rolls.

Example of a Confused Chain:

I remember the first time I moved apartments and went to the neighboring Fornet Dry Cleaning Store to find that my Fornet card with pre-paid credit did not apply to this new Fornet or the gazillion other Fornets in Beijing.  What is that about?

New Example:

After hearing about my terribly disappointing experience at Chao Dian this past week, my good friend Dan Goodman FINALLY took me to the 24-hour dimsum spot near my apartment in the Tuanjiehu hood.  People always tell me about this mysteriously good dimsum spot near me, and I never knew what they were talking about…until today.

Surprise to me, this ‘mysterious dim sum restaurant’ turned out to be none other than the very well-known restaurant chain – Jin Ding Xuan金鼎轩. I have been to the branch next to Tango at least half a dozen times, whether for dinner or late-night grub and always took it as it is – a relatively cheap and massively ginormous Chinese restaurant with quick service, awful entertainment and half-decent food. I never even thought of it necessarily as a dimsum restaurant since their menu also features a lot of Sichuan dishes and standard “Chinese restaurant” dishes.

So naturally, I quite expected my brunch experience today to be similar to my previous experiences and was pleasantly surprised to find a winner!  Again, massive restaurant with 4 levels, it was packed (and luckily no wait upon arrival), quick service, big menu with lots of pictures, and a very satisfying dimsum brunch!

As it was a great experience, I’ll be a returning customer for certain, but knowing the way “chain venues” go in China, I think I’ll still be avoiding the branch by Yonghegong.

Review of Jin Ding Xuan 金鼎轩: 15 Tuanjiehu Nanlu, Chaoyang Park 团结湖南路15号 Tel: 8596-8881

Best Part:

• A good selection of dimsum staples – overall good taste and good prices (ordered about 8 dishes and total bill was RMB 86 (bill at Chao Dian for same amount of food was RMB 174)
• The place was packed, lively atmosphere
• Open 24 hours
• It’s in MY hood!

Comments:

• Normally in the “Best Part” section, I would highlight the fact that there are 4 branches of Jin Ding Xuan (Yonghegong, Tuanjiehu, Olympic Area, and Fengtai), but I would say my experience eating dimsum today was much better than my previously dimsum meals at the Yonghegong branch (which I thought was not fresh and very mediocre).

Highlights were BBQ Pork Buns, Shaomai, and LuoBuoGao, with other dishes being satisfactory.  Everything was good overall but nothing exemplary or mind-blowing in terms of taste and quantity. But for the price, it’s great value.

I’m just waiting for the day when someone opens a Hatsune equivalent to DimSum in Beijing (casual, fun vibe, smart design, high quality raw materials, great service, all for a fair price).

No Mas for Olas

OLAS Tapas Café is a casual Gourmet Month meal I’ve been trying to hit up either for lunch or dinner considering I’m in Sanlitun area basically every day.

I’m a big fan of Spanish tapas and the gourmet month menu looked pretty good – with an assortment of cold and hot tapas and dessert for only RMB 99.

HUGE disappointment.

First of all, the hot chocolate I ordered was not hot at all (more like luke warm), the entire gourmet month meal was basically 2 plates of an assortment of tapas – one plate with olives, red peppers, itty-bitty mini croquettes, and even smaller bacon and shrimp skewers. The second plate was a bit better with a lamb chop, chicken breast on garlic bread, and beef.  Last was a scoop of ‘homemade’ vanilla ice cream.

Luckily, my friends were more interested in other tapas dishes, so we got an assortment of tapas plus a pasta dish and extra desserts.

Not only was Olas the first disappointing CW gourmet month meal with its miniature portions, and poor to mediocre quality and taste, all the food was either too salty or not salty enough, too oily and greasy, and overall blah.

Review of Olas Tapas Café: Beside Coldstone on the Yashow side of Sanlitun Village, 朝阳区三里屯北路三里屯Village南区S9-10  Tel: 6417-5657

Best Part:

• It’s conveniently located in Sanlitun Village, my home away from home
• It’s a nice, casual atmosphere
• Reasonably priced
• Decent Mushroom Risotto
• Easy to order an assortment of tapas with a group of friends (most tapas come in 3’s).

Comments:

• If you go, don’t bother ordering the Gourmet Month meal. It’s not good value and I think you’d be better off just ordering some tapas off the regular menu.
• Tapas are all quite greasy, oily – either too salty or not salty enough (overall disappointment with Spanish chorizo and eggs, and also the foie gras was very bland).
• Pastas are more Italian than Spanish…and I wouldn’t even consider it that.
• Experience overall was pretty poor to mediocre in terms of food quality, taste, selection,  and service.

Niajo: Taste of Valencia, España

I have heard nothing but good things and now I’m extending the grapevine. 

Niajo, a traditional Spanish restaurant, located just beside Kocoon Spa on the 3rd floor of Nali Garden Patio, has just opened its doors and their paella is really something to talk about.

Alex Sanchez, owner and chef, was most hospitable and professional.  My table of four came hungry and after having shared a bottle of wine, an assorted cheese platter (generous portions and plenty for 4 people for only RMB 95), and their specialty paella (it says it’s meant for two, but it was more than enough for four of us to share; RMB 148) we were delighted to have found such a gem.

Niajo Spanish Restaurant Review: 3/F C305A, Nali Garden North Building, Sanlitun (next to Kocoon Spa)  三里屯北街81号 Tel: 5208 6052

Best Part:

• Generous Portions (huge cheese platter & they say their paella is good for 2 people, and in reality it’s good for 4-5 pax).
• Extensive wine selection for good prices
• Spaniards approve the restaurant’s food authenticity
• Casual, bistro setting with nice interior colors & I love open kitchens
• Owner & Chef Alex is a great host

Comments:

• Still in pre-opening stages with printed paper menus and wine list
• Seating is a bit cafeteria style and lighting still needs to be fine-tuned
• Hopefully with Niajo and Let’s Seafood open and also Apocathery’s opening this week, this will bring in more traffic to the Nali Area rather than diffuse the already crowded dining market. My premonition is that Sanlitun area, Nali Patio and Sanlitun Bei is just beginning to blossom and the list of incoming restaurants and bars is only going to continue to expand.

Owner & Chef, Alex Sanchez