Village Café: From Smoothie Bowls to Poké Bowls

When it first opened, The Opposite House was the talk of the town. It changed the perception of the entire Sanlitun street which was previously notorious for tourist-trap bars with bad KTV, pole dancers and fake booze. Classy and modern in design, The Opposite House was opened alongside Sanlitun Taikoo Li South (previously known as Sanlitun Village), all run and managed by Swire Properties. Not only a smart and cool boutique hotel, The Opposite House was a dining and party destination itself with restaurants producing some of the best food in the city and Punk was one of the go-to places for hipsters to get drunk and dance to sick beats every night of the week.

Somewhere in the last few years it lost some of that sparkle. Punk was replaced by Jing Yaa Tang, a duck restaurant where everyone goes for the all-you-can-eat dim sum deal, Bei closed and Sureño has seen a few turn-overs in head chefs.

Fortunately, in the past year or so, there has been somewhat of a renaissance and the Opposite House has upped it’s game once more.

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One Star House Party: Global Tour Begins in Beijing

You have 4 days max to act on the information I’m about to tell you. So don’t hesitate because with a blink of an eye, you might miss out on one of the coolest culinary events I’ve witnessed in Beijing yet.

Lucky for us, Beijing is first up in a crazy line-up of 20 countries where a crafty group of chefs have come up with a brilliant concept called One Star House Party, where these chefs will be traveling around the world to learn about cuisines in 20 different countries. They spend 1 month in a location researching the culinary culture, history and trends, then they produce an amazing meal for a lucky few individuals who manage to snap up the limited number of tables available.

We’ve seen our fair share of Culinary Pop-Ups around town from the very casual to the very glamorous, but this event takes the concept of a “pop-up dinner” to a level Beijing has never seen before. From the making of their own tables and furniture to the fact that you have an unparalleled team of six world-class chefs cooking together a menu made from scratch, this global tour gives the “pop-up restaurant” concept a whole new meaning.

They are operating out of The Opposite House until Friday, September 30th, so get booking!

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Valentine’s Day 2016: LDS’ Top 10 Dining Picks

Beijing is Spoiling Love Birds for Choice with Romantic Dinners for Two

Beijing is not the most romantic of places even at the best of times but on Valentine’s Day, there are hundreds of restaurants all around town ready and willing to do all the swooning for you.

Glasses of champagne to start, a red rose to make your heart flutter, hundreds of candles to set the mood, and a little momento to take home, these restaurants have plenty of tricks up their sleeves to make this day as special as can be.

Here is a curated list of recommended places for you to kindle that spark this Valentine’s Day.

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Sureno: Italian Chef Roberto Cimmino Makes His Mark

Welcome Sureno’s New Italian Chef de Cuisine Roberto Commino

When Sureno opened, it set a new standard in the city for quality dining and has continued to remain at the top of our list for special occasions.

Always serving top-notch dishes that stand out by the freshness that you can taste, their service also happens to be among the best in the industry.  Their gracious GM Themis Kouris will always be our favorite friendly face to see every time we step into Sureno and he spoke very highly of their new Chef de Cuisine from Italy, so I was very happy to meet the newest member of the Sureno superstar team and taste his talents!

Roberto Cimmino is from a city just south of Rome called Marino in Lazio, Italy and has previously worked in many restaurants in Italy and moved on to taking over the Italian kitchens based in top hotels around China including Shanghai and most recently the Westin in Guangzhou, so has the perfect pedigree for the pan-Mediterranean Sureno.

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Duck de Chine: Half Price Daily Dim Sum Deal

Duck de Chine’s Half Price Daily Dim Sum Deal

I’m not sure what the deal is with Peking duck restaurants doing Cantonese Dim Sum for lunch, but looks like this is becoming a growing trend in China’s capital.

After The Opposite House‘s in-house duck restaurant Jing Yaa Tang came out with their unlimited dim sum lunch deal every day between 12PM-3PM, Beijingers went gaga for dim sum delicacies. And now 1949 – The Hidden City in south Sanlitun’s Duck de Chine is about to give Jing Yaa Tang and every other Canto resto serving dim sum some serious competition with its half price daily dim sum deal.

Offered every day of the week (including weekends!), Duck de Chine’s half price dim sum menu is available between 11AM-2:30PM. Using its own mini paper menu (pictured above), the menu is written in both English and Chinese and broken down into different dim sum categories: Soups, Steamed, Pan-fried/Deep-fried/Baked, Rice/Noodles, Rice Rolls, Snacks, and Sweets.

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LumDimSum Discovery: Sureno’s Wagyu Entrecôte

Set your Sights on Sureno’s Wagyu Entrecôte

Truly a masterpiece, this drop-dead-gorgeous dish is yet another example of Sureno’s culinary excellence.

A Mediterranean restaurant in the basement of Sanlitun’s luxurious boutique hotel The Opposite House, Sureno never ceases to impress me. But they don’t just impress me, they astound me.

With Themis Kouris’ gracious hospitality and the talented Laia Pons making Mediterranean magic in her gorgeous open kitchen, this talented team is among the best in the industry and I’m so so glad that I chose Sureno for that special birthday celebration. Not only did Themis help us with the menu and wine ordering (order a bottle of this: Honoro Vera Garnacha 2013), he went above and beyond the call of duty to make us feel like a million bucks. As the organizer/host, you really can’t ask for more!

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Sureño @The Opposite House: Marvelous Mediterranean

Modest & Refined, Sureno’s Mediterranean Flavors Work Magic in the Kitchen

While Sureno Mediterranean restaurant has remained immensely popular since The Opposite House first opened, it’s unintentionally fallen off my radar the last couple of years. Perhaps partly due to the loss of Bei Japanese restaurant (Max has how moved onto his new restaurant Okra in 1949 – The Hidden City) or the transformation of Punk Bar into Jing Yaa Tang Peking duck restaurant, there’s been a lot happening in the B1 level of the luxurious Opposite House boutique hotel, but it seems that their one constant has been Sureno.

And after a few recent re-visits, it’s felt like the rekindling of a romance with a blast from the past – I have fallen head-over-heels-in-love with Sureno all over again.

The past two meals I have enjoyed at Sureno – one to try the incredible Greek dishes prepped by Sureno’s manager Themis Kouris’ “Mama Kouzina” guest chef dinner and again to try new winter menu dishes, have both been very eye-opening dining experiences. I admit that I always jump to book a reservation at TRB, The Courtyard or even Mosto when I’m looking after out-of-town guests or in the mood for splurging on fine Western cuisine, but Sureno has jumped to the top of my list with its simple elegance. Their dishes may not look as fancy-pantsy and over-the-top as you may find in fine French establishments around town (no fancy foam here), but every bite lets the quality of their premium ingredients speak for themselves.

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BJ FOoDiEs: “Back to Our Roots” Charity Dinner

A gorgeous setting for a BJ FOoDiEs Dinner Event, Jing Yaa Tang is Built to Impress

The first time I stepped into Sanlitun’s boutique luxury hotel, The Opposite House‘s Jing Yaa Tang Chinese restaurant, I knew it would be an ideal setting for a BJ FOoDiEs charity dinner and I’m delighted to share that the time has finally come!

Showcasing their signature duck (already praised by many as one Beijing’s very best!) and minced pork rice, Jing Yaa Tang is spoiling foodies with the choice of two set menus (see below).

“Feelin a little fancy this July, BJ FOoDiEs is classing it up with our upcoming charity dinner at The Opposite House Luxury Boutique Hotel’s upscale Chinese restaurant Jing Yaa Tang. Taking place next Sunday, July 27th from 7:30-9:30PM, diners will have the luxury of choosing between two 4-course menus, both highlighting their signature restaurant dishes.” – BJ FOoDiEs 

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