TRB’s Seasonal Picks: The Fabulous Menu

With their recent opening of Hulu that seems to be a smash hit, you would expect the people at TRB group to have their hands full. Yet, here they are demonstrating that they haven’t forgotten their origins with an overhaul of their menus at TRB Hutong and TRB Forbidden City. Word on the street is that the Michelin guide is coming to Beijing and Guangzhou this year, so here’s hoping we see a further blossoming of other Beijing restaurants hoping to earn a star.

One thing I have to give praise for up front is the quality of the service. TRB have really got this nailed down in a way that few other restaurants in Beijing can dream of. Staff were attentive without being overbearing and were clearly very well informed about the dishes and the wines. Not at all surprising that they were packed on the Saturday evening we went! Even with a reservation, we had to wait about 20 minutes at the bar which came with glasses of champagne to help us pass the wait time. Not that we were in a rush, but it was a thoughtful gesture that was appreciated.

TRB’s Chef Johnny has re-vamped their menu offerings to present 3 different seasonal 5-course menus priced at RMB 588 (The Classic), RMB 688 (The Fabulous) or RMB 1,288 per person (Indulgence Menu).  TRB also offers the option to customize your own set menu with 3 courses for RMB 398 per person or 4 courses for RMB 498 per person.

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Xiao Jiao Private Kitchen No. 10: Don’t Believe the Hype

The talk of the town seems to be all about this new, hidden hutong gem named Xiao Jiao Private Kitchen No. 10. I’ve been told by multiple sources that this is the new “it” place. A nightmare to find, but worth the effort (or so I have been led to believe).

In a time of Beijing’s “great brickening”, perhaps this is a glimmer of hope that the soul of Beijing’s beloved hutongs is not dead and gone. This new restaurant opening shows that there are still creative entrepreneurs who are trying to keep the hipster hutong vibes alive. We don’t buy the gentrified baloney we see on Nanluoguxiang, we miss the good old days where authenticity and passion were the foundations behind each little cafe, restaurant, or bar. Our hutong neighborhoods that we hold dear to our hearts are being gutted and we are helpless to stop it.

So that brings us to Xiao Jiao Private Kitchen No. 10 (XJPK). To say that I was ecstatic when told about a new opening in the hutongs is an understatement. I literally dropped all my plans to book 2 seats on Wednesday evening and gave myself plenty of time to get lost (because I knew that I would and I recommend that you do the same). Xiao Jiao is a tiny, narrow little hutong that you could very easily miss if you aren’t paying attention. It’s not far from Meishuguan 美术馆 Art Museum and in a similar neighborhood to Little Yunnan and Susu. The trickiest thing about finding the right door to knock on is that there is literally no signage, so I accidentally knocked on the wrong door and met a grumbling neighbor who knew what door I was trying to find (I guess I’m not the first to make this mistake) and pointed me to the correct door.

I wasn’t sure about what to expect, but I knew that there is very limited seating each night (only a grand total of 6 seats), there is no menu, and that there is one lady running the show (the owner, chef and also the server).

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Locavore (Ubud, Bali): World Class Dining for Brilliant Balinese

Locavore in Ubud, Bali: A Spectacular Introduction to Indonesian Ingredients & Flavors

I went to Bali. There, I said it. I don’t want this post to be me boasting about how good my life is, I really want to highlight how damn good this meal was. I want everyone to go out of their way to go to this restaurant because this was a real highlight of our trip. While it may not be worth purchasing a flight to Bali, it’s absolutely worth the effort once you find yourself on this incredible island!

With Bali in my calendar for our dear friends’ wedding, I had been given the inside scoop about a restaurant in Ubud called Locavore. What started out as a trusted foodie recommendation, I quickly realized that Locavore is pretty much at the top of every foodie article related to Bali and rated not only on “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants” list (2017) but also Indonesia’s #1 restaurant (2016).  Months in advance of our trip, I booked a table for lunch the day we were scheduled to arrive, which also happens to be the only slot available for the entire length of my stay! As luck would have it, I had a horrific flight over full of delays, extensions, all the fun that comes with flying anywhere when you live in China. Thanks to our 28 hour flight delay, we consequentially missed our booking. #sadface

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Stone’s Kitchen 石头私厨: Book Your Private Dinner

Book Your Private Organic Dinner at Stone’s Kitchen in Wang Jing

Introduced to me by my multi-talented and well-connected foodie friend Sue Zhou, a skilled and dedicated chef, co-restaurant owner of Hani Gejiu Yunnan restaurant and founder of creative catering and culinary consulting service suezhoudoesfood, I first dined at Stone’s Kitchen with a group of 11 fellow foodies organized by the one and only Sue Zhou.

Even with the location a bit more out of reach in Wang Jing, all 11 of us had our faith and loyalty in Sue’s high-standards for food quality and discerning palate and knew it would be worth the effort of getting out there. And we were right.

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