Don’t Judge a Drink by its Cover

Unlike most food beauty shots, a photo of a smoothie is just not nearly as appetizing. Regardless of all the delicious ingredients blended together to create something beyond what the effect of any one separate ingredient can have on your palate, it’s appearance just can not do it justice because, let’s face it, all your eyes see is liquid color.

Element Fresh’s smoothies are the highlight of their menu and among the top smoothies available in Beijing.

In the past, my favorite smoothies on their menu was their Mango Madness smoothie or Very Berry, but last week week I noticed a few new additions to their smoothie menu.

With the sweet tooth I have, I was immediately sold by the “Chocolate Strawberry” title.  Ingredients: kiwi juice, coconut, milk, yoghurt, strawberries and chocolate sauce (RMB 32/50 for a small/large smoothie).

So here’s what was presented to me:

Small vs. Large Portion

But what you should really be seeing is this:

I am not exaggerating. The chocolate strawberry smoothie is a liquid form of a combination of the photos above.

The taste was so dangerously good, I had to resist the strong temptation to slurp it all down at once and to allow myself to savor every sip.

So good, it’s been ingrained in my memory ever since and I could not refrain from giving in to a second taste only 3 days later.

Park Side Bar & Grill Launches their Brunch

While I’m always multi-tasking different projects simultaneously and stuck permanently with an irregular schedule, Sunday brunch is one of the few consistent things in my life that I look forward to on a weekly basis.  It’s no secret I’m always on the prawl for new brunch spots and Park Side Bar & Grill is one of the best brunches I’ve had in quite some time.

Only about seven weeks old (opened on May 28, 2010), Park Side is already a popular sports bar and hang out (packed throughout the World Cup) in the Lido neighborhood and word on the street is that they’ve got the best lasagna in town. Lasagna aside, Park Side serves a solid a la carte menu with a wide selection of cocktails, smoothies, appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts, Park Side has most recently launched a new brunch menu and will soon start offering a set lunch menu (RMB 78/98 for 2/3 courses + drink).

Their brunch menu is served on weekends from 11:00-16:00 and offers a Build-Your-Own 3-egg omelet option (RMB 48 for 3 sides) and an assortment of eggs benedict varieties (RMB 68) and other classic breakfast staples (English breakfast, Yankee Breakfast, pancakes, crepes, etc. for RMB 48-68).

To start, I ordered the Yogi Brrr smoothie - tropical combination of mango, pineapple, banana, kiwi and yoghurt (RMB 38/48 for 245ml/400ml).

We then ordered a few salads – the Chili Mango Shrimp Salad (large size) with pan-seared shrimp & chili mango salsa and the Summer Strawberry (small size) with fresh strawberries and chunks of blue cheese topped with crisp leaves and balsamic dressing. Both salads were great starters and perfect for a hot summer day. All salads are RMB 48/68 depending if you prefer your salad portion as a starter or a main course. See here the portions for a large salad vs. a small salad.

For mains, we ordered the Build-Your-Own Omelet and chose smoked salmon, shredded Swiss cheese and spinach. Other omelet add-in options include diced ham, diced sausage, diced bacon, tomato, shredded cheddar cheese, mushrooms and onions. Portions were generous and for RMB 48, this is a great deal, but the omelet was a little dry.

On the other hand, my friend Andreas ordered the Mediterranean Benedict (RMB 68) which was the BEST eggs benedict in Beijing. Instead of an English muffin, they use homemade foccacia bread which is topped with rich tomato ratatouille, thinly sliced Parma ham, 2 poached eggs topped with white wine tomato butter sauce.  To me, this was the holy grail of eggs benedicts – it was that good.

Review of Park Side Bar & Grill: 6-9 Jiangtai Xilu (facing Rosedale Hotel), 将台西路9-6号, Tel: 6444-6555

Best Part:

• Casual, comfortable Western-style restaurant in the Lido area
• Versatile environment that is suitable for anything from a casual lunch to late night drinks.
• Mediterranean Benedict is the best benedict I’ve tried in Beijing – you gotta try it to believe it.
• Long smoothie selection with variety of fresh fruit juice available
• Refreshing summer salads (Chili Mango Shrimp & Strawberry Blue Cheese were great combos)
• Super friendly service, manager Robbie was a great host
• Prices are absolutely reasonable considering the portions are generous and the chef’s creations are innovative and definitely worth coming back for.

Comments:

• I hear from several sources that the lasagna is the best in town, but I yet to try it for myself.
• Park Side serves great food, but it still feels more like a bar than a restaurant even during the day.  When we went for brunch, there were a few other tables of people, but it was pretty quiet for a Sunday afternoon. While I prefer the environment/decor of Element Fresh, Park Side’s food, service and value is MUCH better. Considering they are newly opened, I think they have a ton of potential.
• Something to look forward to – they will soon be serving set lunch menus – RMB 78/98 for 2/3 courses + drink

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

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

LumDimSum Discovery: Comptoirs’ Kiwi Energizer

My absolute favorite French Bakery, Comptoirs de France specializes in freshly baked bread, pastries, cakes, desserts and a great selection of salads and sandwiches/paninis as well.

What you may not know, is that Comptoirs also offers a selection of fresh fruit summer smoothies, which are not only refreshing and delicious, but also healthy and nutritious. I was surprised to find that these smoothies were not included within their standard menu nor were they listed on their cafe’s menu board.

All of  thirst-quenching smoothies range from RMB 18-32 and on a scale of 1-5, each smoothie is ranked on how energetic, purifying, immunizing, digestive, and dermo-vivifying each is.

I ordered the Kiwi Energizer (RMB 32) – “A refreshing green cocktail that will top your energy battery.”

A thick smoothie with a blend of kiwi and lemon, the combination of flavors is a perfect balance of citrus and tang.

Kiwi Energizer Ranking:

• Energetics – 5
• Purifying – 2
• Immunizing – 4
• Digestive – 2
• Dermo-vivifying – 4

Some other recommended top-selling smoothies include the Mango Blush (RMB 28) – a fresh blend of mango, orange and lemon, the Fapai Lover (RMB 28) – a combination of strawberries, lychee and yogurt, and the Islands Passion – apple, pineapple, lime and passionfruit puree.

LumDimSum Hot Tip: After 7:30PM, all freshly baked breads, pastries & desserts are buy-one-get-one-free!  I highly recommend their fresh rye bread, whole meal loaf, and their chocolate eclairs & tartlets.

LumDimSum Discovery Explanation: Whenever I try a dish worth sharing, I will post this find as a LumDimSum Discovery.  Just click tagged LumDimSum Discovery articles for more recommendations.

LumDimSum Discovery: Element Fresh’s California Hippie

A lot of people love to hate Element Fresh.  To be honest, I am not their biggest fan either. I think it’s overpriced and I’ve found so many other places with better sandwiches (Sequoia, Panino Teca, Bocata, the list goes on..)  At one point last year, I even boycotted them after several unpleasant dining experiences due to service and ordering issues.

Element Fresh in Lido

But Element Fresh recently opened a new branch in Lido (just across from Spin ceramics) and I was in the area and craving one of their heaven-sent smoothies.

To accompany my Delicious Mauritius smoothie- pineapple juice, bananas, coconut milk, aloe (RMB 22), I ordered the California Hippie Sandwich (RMB 45), which is by far one of the best dishes on Element Fresh’s menu and thus now a LumDimSum Discovery.

Served on whole grain bread, the California Hippie Sandwich features thick chunks of avocado, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes and greens with Herbed Farmer’s cheese and dijon vinaigrette. If that isn’t enough for you and you’re one to crave more than just veggies in their sandwich, I’d recommend ordering a side of grilled chicken (add additional RMB 28 or add salmon for RMB 58).

See photo below – check out those chunky chunks of AVO!!

**Please note: The photo below only features 1/2 of the sandwich. I had already eaten the other half before I remembered to take a snapshot. My bad.

Element Fresh's California Hippie Sandwich

*LumDimSum Discovery Explanation: Whenever I find a dish worth sharing, I will post this find as a LumDimSum Discovery.  Stay tuned for more to come!