As Mad As a Hatter: Elisabeth Koch Millinery

A fashion show showcasing a collection of original and out-of-this-world hats.

Having designed for everyone from royalty to wedding brides world-wide, Elisabeth Koch is launching a fashion show at The Opposite House on Thursday, September 23 at 14:30PM.

“Every hat is a work of art and no two are alike.”

Event Details:

• Date: Thursday, September 23
• Time: 14:30PM
• Location: The Opposite House (Sanlitun)
  
• No RSVP Required
• www.elisabethkoch.net
  

Opposite House: Feng Shu’s Art Exhibition

Last Thursday was the cocktail reception for Feng Shu’s solo exhibition in the lobby gallery of the Opposite House boutique hotel.

Hosted by F2 Gallery, the exhibition showcased an assortment of Feng Shu’s incredibly beautiful, over-sized ornate porcelain insects featuring a blinged out scorpion to a variety of colorful dragonfly-type insects with long-stretching silver wings and even a gigantic floral skull.

A very unique exhibition, I was most impressed by the mutant winged insect creations and I was curious to learn more about this artist’s fascination with insects and his motivation to create such imaginative creatures.

In an article posted by Ling-Yun Tang about Feng Shu’s artistic background and insect creations, he explains:

The fantastic scale and ergonomic forms of the creatures transports them out of the world of everyday human nuisance and shifts the conceptual reference point from the entomological (?) to historical and philosophical concerns. Giant mosquitoes suck blood from their victims through piercing syringe proboscises; muscular spiders perch atop threatening needle sharp legs; scorpions armed with hefty pincers raise their venomous tails ready to subdue their prey; and beady-eyed flies at rest, at once beautiful and instinctively repulsive, await their next meal. The finely painted surfaces of the insect and arachnid bodies-some in Ming-Qing blue and white and pastel floral patterns, and others in abstract geometric triangles and irregular blobs-paired with contrasting metal limbs give the overall impression that these ancient creatures are science-fictional mutants, part animal, part robot. Do they represent the inevitable intrusion of outside change in Feng Shu‘s imagined historic past? Or are they the odd by-product of a Chinese modernity that is looking to move forward in the 21st century by openly embracing the agents of technological progress? The answers can go either way. It is this interplay between tradition and transformation that typifies Feng Shu‘s interpretation of contemporary society, where the mutual struggle between predator and prey can never be disaggregated from the larger question of evolutionary survival.

If you are interested in checking out these unique creations in person, you can visit Feng Shu’s art exhibition until September 30, 2010.

LumDimSum Photo Gallery of Feng Shu’s Exhibition at the Opposite House’s lobby gallery:

Featured Masterpieces:

I thought this exhibition was meant to be a solo exhibition for Feng Shu, but four paintings by Jin Yu were also displayed on the side of the lobby. All four paintings display the same two women in motion, with their bodies pressed against a glass surface. Interesting paintings, but I did not get the relationship with Feng Shu’s exhibition of large, porcelain insects.  Photos displayed below:

DJ Tittsworth @ Punk

Back once again, DJ Tittsworth is hitting the decks at Punk (Opposite House) this Sunday, June 13.

Hallelujah for the Dragon Boat Festival this weekend!

Mashing up everything from rock and pop to underground beats, Tittsworth is known for his turntablist skills for mixing, cutting and looping tracks at lightning speed.

Check out his mad skillz tonight @ Punk.

Authentic Aussie Astral

I’ll be honest – I can be quite biased against hotel restaurants and bars. I never doubt an international hotel’s ability to deliver quality F&B with 5-star service, but with the exception of boutique hotels like The Opposite House, the Park Hyatt, and Centro, I find that most hotel venues in Beijing to lack vibrancy, buzz, atmosphere and that extra draw to keep you coming back.

Before CW’s Gourmet Month, I had never heard of Astral Restaurant, nor had I heard of Tangla Hotel, which is located on the west side of Beijing, just a few minutes walk east of MuXiDi subway stop.

Only 6 months into opening, Astral delivered one of the most original and deliciously memorable dining experiences in Beijing.

This is precisely why I started LumDimSum – To share an incredibly unique dining experience with people who might miss out on something wonderful because it is outside of what I like to call, “The Sanlitun/CBD Bubble” (which is very easy to get trapped in considering the vast number of quality establishments readily available). With so many top-notch restaurants and bars on the east side of town, it’s easy to turn a blind eye to the west side, especially when we’re talking about going past FuXingMen.

It was quite a time-consuming journey, but the trek across the city during peak traffic time was totally worth what we had

'Irresistible' Cocktail

coming – a 4-course menu featuring exotic meats like emu, crocodile, and kangaroo, clearly a rare find in Beijing.

The only restaurant in Beijing to focus on Australian produce, Astral also has an extensive list of Australian wines and beers and refreshingly delicious cocktails with some unbeatable promotions, namely – Free flow beer for RMB 100 and 2-for-1 cocktails at RMB 68. I highly recommend the ‘Irresistible’ (a suiting name) – Grand Marnier, Fresh Strawberries & Apple Juice and the Washington Apple – Whiskey, Apple Pucker & Cranberry Juice.

Ok, foodies, let’s get to the good stuff-

*Note -  The 4-course set menu we ordered was RMB 150 + 15% service, available only as part of CW’s April 2010 Gourmet Month.

The first part of the 4-course menu was the Cream of Pumpkin with Crabmeat & Creamy Pea & Ham Soup. Both were smooth, creamy and a perfect starter complemented by an assortment of freshly baked buns. Soups on their a la carte menu are all available between RMB 68-78.

Next, the second course got interesting with Emu Fillet Carpaccio (RMB 108) and Timbale of River Trout. Both dishes were out of this world. Emu Carpaccio was perfectly paired with mustard sauce and just the thought of the flavor of the smoked trout gets me salivating all over again. A few other appetizers worth noting from their a la carte menu include Paupiette of Smoked Salmon with Asparagus & Citrus Dressing (RMB 98) and Baked Tasmanian “Casino” Oysters with Fish Roe (RMB 138).

For our main course, we ordered both the Kangaroo Loin with Carrots, Polenta, Spinach & Hollandaise sauce and the Crocodile Fillet with Roasted Veggies & Lyonnaise Potato. Trying these exotic Australian imported meats for the first time, it was so much fun going back and forth between each dish trying to analyze and find the proper words to explain the taste and texture of both kangaroo and crocodile meat. If you’re never tried it, I can best explain kangaroo meat as having a similar texture to beef, but with a smokier flavor and crocodile meat as a cross between chicken and fish with a taste of prawns but with the texture of tougher fish meat.

…I can keep going, but I think you get the picture.  If not, I took pictures for you.

While we were blown away by the meal thus far, we were not so impressed with the desserts – The Australian Lamington with coconut sauce was 3 dense cakes covered in a thin layer of chocolate and coconut sprinkles with coconut cream served on the side. And the Berry Pavlova was really just a mountain of cream topped with passion fruit sauce and some berries.  The desserts were definitely the weakest link of this meal, but it didn’t really matter considering how exquisite the first three courses were.

Overall, I highly recommend for people to make the trip out to the west side of Beijing if they ever have had an itch to try something totally different. Describing to you the taste and texture of crocodile, kangaroo, and emu can only get you so far.  You gotta bite the bullet and try for yourself.

If you are not the adventurous foodie, then there is a vast assortment of other enticing entrees available including Lobster Baked with Hollandaise – 350g (RMB 380), 200g Waygu Beef (RMB 488), 200g Australian Angus Beef Tenderloin (RMB 258), Australian Lamb Rack (RMB 318).

If you can’t decide between species from the sea and land, then Astral offers a few surf ‘n turf combo dishes – Grilled Beef Tenderloin & Ocean Prawn (RMB 288) and the Australian Lamb Rack with a Seafood Skewer (RMB 288).

Based from my dining experience tonight, I think that regardless of what you end up ordering, you won’t be going home disappointed.

Review of Astral Restaurant: Located in TANGLA Hotel, 19 Fuxingmenwai Dajie Xi Chang’an Jie, Xidan/Financial Street (Across from the Capital Museum. Subway: Line One to Muxidi Station, Exit B, and walk east for 2 minutes.)  复兴门外大街19号,北京唐拉雅秀酒店 出租车：首都博物馆正对面；乘坐地铁：一号线，木樨地站B出口，东走2分钟。Tel:  5857-6688 ext. 6611

Best Part:

• Beijing’s only establishment serving Australian-imported meat like Emu, Kangaroo, and Crocodile (not only serving as an adventurous dining experience, but a great talking point)
• Quality, taste and presentation of dishes were exceptional
• Australian manager & chef are both very knowledgeable and friendly
• Extensive Australian wine & beer selection along with fantastic cocktails like the ‘Irresistible’ with fresh strawberries
• Great Drink Promotions: Month of April-June, cocktails are 2-for-1 at RMB 68. Every Thur-Sat, pay 100rmb +15% to sample their selection of Australian beer. Special runs from 8pm till 11pm.
• CW Gourmet Month Deal is unbeatable in terms of value and overall dining experience.

Comments:

• As stated in the review above, the desserts were the weakest link of the meal. Too much cream or too much dense cake, it gave too much fluff and lacked the richness of flavor that we, sweet-tooth lovers, crave at the end of a meal.
• It’s location on the west side of Beijing is no doubt an obstacle. Considering it’s proximity to the subway station, I would highly recommend going by subway for transport.
• The design of the venue is more Chinese than Australian.  The bar may be in the shape of a boomerang, but the flashing colored lights are just tacky and resemble BabyFace Club more than Aboriginal design. The clear beaded strings enclosing a section of seating also resembles Ding Ding Xuan Hot Pot more than anything I’ve ever seen in Australia.
• One waitress actually came up to each person at my table every time a dish was served to ask how we liked it. It was cute and considerate the first time around, but got old pretty fast.  Staff is friendly and attentive, but clearly just following protocol more than common sense.
• Live Band (2 girl duo with one on the keyboard singing everything from jazzy to pop beats). They were quite talented and the volume was perfect (not too loud), but near the end of our dinner, they sang a Chinese Country song that made my ears bleed. In their defense, it could have been a request from the audience? For their sake, I hope this was the case.

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

• Food: 9
• Atmosphere: 6
• Service: 7
• Overall Experience: 8

CW Gourmet Month Review: Village Cafe

The Opposite House’s Village Cafe is a participating CW Gourmet Month restaurant and their  Gourmet Month Menu (RMB 99) offers a three course menu with three choices for each course (choice of soup, main, & dessert).

By coincidence, I came to try the menu in a party of three, so each of us chose a different dish for each course and were able to share and sample it all. And of course, all in the name of in-depth LumDimSum reporting.

The beginning of our meal had great potential. The first course was a selection of three soups (Minestrone, Pumpkin and Mushroom) and while all three were delicious, the Minestrone came out on top. I am normally not a big Minestrone fan, but this one was exceptionally good with big chunks of various veggies for a very fresh taste. But all three were very well-made and were complemented nicely with a big bread basket.

The main course selections were a Grilled Rib-Eye Steak in Red Wine Jus, Baked Vegetarian Moussaka with potatoes, eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes, or Grilled and Baked Chicken Breast with curry sauce, pickled vegetables and rice. The chicken was dry, the rib-eye was mediocre and the vegetarian moussaka came out on top with its rich, cheesy flavor.  But alas, the main course was the weakest link of the set menu.

Dessert picked back up again with a choice of Pavlova with fresh strawberries, passion fruit & house made vanilla bean ice cream, baked white chocolate cheese cake with caramelized banana, or a Fruit Platter. The pavlova’s meringue was a bit too thick and to be honest, it pales in comparison to Capital M’s pavlova. However, the white chocolate cheese cake with carmelized bananas was the winner of the meal. This alone made the meal worth the trip.

Review of Village Cafe’s GM Menu:

Best Part:

• Out of the three choices, I would recommend ordering the Minestrone Soup, Baked Vegetarian Moussaka & White Chocolate Cheese Cake with Carmelized Bananas
• A nice, 3-course set menu for RMB 99 is Great Value.

Comments:

• Gourmet Month Set Menu is only available for dinner and they tack on a 15% service charge. Normally I would happily pay the additional service fee, but this was bull considering there was literally 1 staff in the entire restaurant and she was never to be found.
• By 9PM, the entire restaurant seemed to have disappeared with no customers, no waitstaff and no chefs in the kitchen. Very odd.
• Service was a major issue during this meal and the place was just empty.
• The decor of Village Cafe is quite night, but the fact that it was so empty was a buzz kill. Throughout the night, there were only 2 others tables in the entire restaurant (9 people total including our table).
• I am glad I tried this set menu at RMB 99, but I honestly would not return for it again.

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

• Food: 7
• Atmosphere: 3
• Service: 3
• Overall Experience: 5

For a list of all participating restaurants in CityWeekend’s Gourmet Month, click here.

Sundays at Sureño

If I’m not recovering from a rough weekend in bed, chances are you’ll find me at Vineyard Cafe, The Orchard, Chef Too or SALT.

For the first time this past weekend, we switched it up for Sunday brunch at Sureño (The Opposite House).

On Sundays, Sureño offers a Mediterranean 4-course set menu (RMB 188 or RMB 298 with free flow bubbly):

Veal Tenderloin

1. Antipasti Selection (fried mussels, swordfish sashimi, egg omelet, fried rice ball, diced oxtail and white beans) – 1 of each appetizer per person, and still quite filling. While the mussels were dry, the swordfish sashimi was the highlight
2. Minestrone Soup – standard minestrone soup
3. Choice of 6 different main entrees (seabass, risotto, veal tenderloin, cheese & spinach capelle, suckling pig, etc.) – Veal Tenderloin was served with cheese sandwiched in between two slabs of meat with mashed potatoes and veggies beneath.
4. Choice of Cheese Selection or Dessert Selection (Apple tart, lemon tart & tiramisu) – I recommend cheese selection over desserts (soft brie and blue cheese were delicious)

Review of Sunday Brunch at Sureño: Located next to Punk & Bei, B1 floor of The Opposite House, Sanlitun. 三里屯路11号三里屯Village1号楼; Tel: 6410-5240

Best Part:

Risotto

• Venue design – Sureño is stunning with its wood-fired oven and open kitchen.  The space is absolutely beautiful.
• Veal Tenderloin was excellent – well-cooked, nice presentation, and great quality & taste
• Cheese platter was a nice ending to the 4 course meal
• A great brunch for those who want to escape a big hotel all-you-can-eat brunch

Comments:

• Sureño is always full, if not packed.  But this Sunday was relatively quiet, which was a bit unexpected and the empty atmosphere took a bit away from the experience that I know Sureño normally has to offer.
• Cheese portions were a bit skimpy and call me crazy, but I do not like Sureño’s desserts (in my defense, I just don’t like tiramisu dessert, but people do rave that Sureño’s is the best in town).
• Quality and quantity of the Sureño Sunday brunch menu was satisfactory, and I love the restaurant (pizza is great), but Sureño will remain at the bottom of my list of Sunday brunch destinations because there was nothing in particular about this Sunday brunch experience that was worth returning for in comparison to other Sunday brunch venues around town.

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

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

Cheese Platter

Dessert Platter

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.

Hotel Outlets: Another Beijing Paradox

Tamarind Indian Restaurant, Marriott Northeast

I had made an exception for Tamarind.

In my list of top destinations for CW Gourmet Month (the two best months of the year for dining in Beijing), I made Tamarind a priority even though it is a hotel restaurant.

I have nothing against hotels restaurants, I just think that for the most part, they don’t work in Beijing.

I’ll break it down for you:

With the exception of very few, hotels have one sole purpose – to provide a nice bed for incoming travelers. Now that the Beijing Olympics is history, we are left with how many ridiculously massive, not mention EMPTY hotels scattered throughout Beijing?  Regardless of the number, it’s too many.  And too many have tried to make up for their lack of occupancy with restaurants and bars targeting the masses…and still remain empty.

I know this concept works in places like Dubai, where the best venues are often in hotels, but Beijing is another animal.  With the exception of Weekend Champagne Brunches, Centro in the Kerry Center, Touch at the Westin Chaoyang and of course boutique hotels like The Opposite House & Hotel G, hotel F&B venues in Beijing are pretty weak.

Just Imagine an Irish Pub in this Hotel

Perfect example: Molly Malones in the Legendale Hotel.  It’s a newly opened, gigantic space with beautiful interior design in a ’5-star hotel’ and it just won’t work. Why? Because it’s an Irish Pub opening in a 19th Century Parisan Hotel serving Japanese sushi.  Confused much?

And from my experiences last Gourmet Month in April, I found that each and every time I dined in a hotel restaurant, it was very, very empty.  It’s just creepy to be the only customers in a restaurant.

And I feel bad because all hotels try really hard – lots of marketing, lots of advertisements, lots of promotions, and often times, they have an amazing product, and yet they still seem to fall short.  Something is missing.  That something is more of than not: People.

Having read so many good reviews about Tamarind (Marriott Northeast), I made it a point to go during Gourmet Month. I read that Tamarind’s Chef Kurly is from Mumbai (interview here), that he is Bollywood’s finest, and that this is Beijing’s best Indian restaurant.

For Gourmet Month, it was a fantastic deal: for only RMB 150 per person, you were served 9 dishes plus nan bread plus rice PLUS dessert. The food quality and quantity was great value, the open kitchen was impressive and service was attentive. But at the end of the day, it was very much a ‘hotel restaurant’ with hotel service and a hotel vibe for a typical, overall unsatisfying hotel experience.

Review of Tamarind: 2nd floor of Marriott Northeast, 26A Xiaoyun Lu,Sanyuanqiao 海航大厦万豪酒店, 霄云路甲26号, Tel: 5927-8888

Best Part:

Tamarind's Open Kitchen

• Fresh Quality & Generous Quantity of the dishes: I recommend their Mushroom Kurkure (Spring roll stuffed with finely chopped and sautéed mushroom, served with spicy tomato chutney) and Butter Chicken (Juliennes of Tandoori chicken, finished in creamy tomato gravy, flavored with dried fenugreek leaves)
• Massive Open Kitchen (pretty unique to an Indian restaurant)
• They have hired a chef from Mumbai and this is the first Marriott Indian restaurant outside of India
• They cater to vegetarians with half of their menu meat-free
• Prices are reasonable with a kebab bar special (all-you-can-eat kebabs for RMB 140, RMB 100 for vegetarian kebabs)

Comments:

• Even if the food was excellent, it was pretty empty on a Sunday night, which I guess is expected considering the Marriott Northeast is out in the boonies (North of Nuren Jie)
• I really think that if Tamarind was in Sanlitun and not in a hotel, it would do really well.

The service was attentive, but similar to most hotel service, its quite overdone and forced rather than comforting. Also, at the end of the meal, the restaurant manager Sudeep Menon was about to only give my friend his business card until I shot him a glare and even after that, he proceeded to only ask for my friend’s business card upon leaving. Not Cool.

A Tour of ‘The New Beijing’

It seems like a lifetime ago, but when I first moved to Beijing in 2006, I came as a student to study Mandarin at World Link Education.  Back in those days, everything was all play and stress-free – ah, the life as a student.  My crew’s regular hangout spot was Together Bar (which was recently demolished this summer and replaced with a park) and our regular party spots included none other than Babyface, Cargo, Bar Blu, Kai Bar, Suzie Wong’s and Vics (before the re-model).

Since then, so much has changed in Beijing pre and post the 2008 Olympics.

This October holiday, my best friend from World Link, Sophia Gericke came back to visit for 10 days – a visit that has been both refreshing and eye-opening.  It’s so easy to get caught up in all the small things and forget to see the big picture.  It’s hard to imagine that only a year ago, there was no Sanlitun Village, there was no Opposite House, no Bling, no Solana, no Legation Quarter, etc. etc.

With Sophia back in Beijing after a 3 years, I wanted her to experience the best of what I like to call, ‘The New Beijing’.

Having already lived in Beijing, Sophia had no interest in seeing any tourist attractions, so I was able to really give her a taste of Beijing’s new and improved dining and nightlife scene.

Here’s what the 10 day tour consisted of:

1. Sanlitun Village (Hatsune, Karaiya, Blue Frog for drinks, Panino Teca)
2. Opposite House (Alan’s Hotel Party in one of the suites, Mesh & Punk)
3. Solana (All-Star & Bling)
4. Legation Quarter Tour & dinner @ Capital M (Qianmen Pedestrian Street)
5. Park Hyatt’s Xiu
6. Olympic Green (complete with attending the Turandot Opera in Bird’s Nest)
7. 1949-The Hidden City: Club Décolleté, Club Glen, Sugar Cafe, Well Bar
8. Scarlett (Hotel G)
9. Glen Boutique Bar & Oden
10. d lounge
    

    Keep it Gangsta Party @ BLING

11. Vics (renovated)
12. Block 8‘s Ruby Khi (renovated)
13. Suzie Wong’s (unchanged)
14. Chocolate Club
15. Vineyard Cafe (best Sunday brunch)
16. Chef Too (Sunday brunch)
17. Regency Taipan (massage)
18. PurpleJade Country Club (spa)

Bei: A Beijing Paradox

In my opinion, Bei‘s cuisine blows The Opposite House‘s other dining outlets Sureno and Village Cafe out of the water.

As a restaurant that continues to win awards for its innovative, creative cuisine, conceptualized by chef entrepreneur David Laris and inspired by cuisines from Northern China, Japan and Korea, Bei serves up delicate yet flavorful and exquisite dishes creating a true dining experience.

The service is not only attentive and professional, but it’s all the small details throughout the meal make a world of difference.  From the moment you step in to the in-house chocolate fortune cookies you receive at the end of the meal, you are so pampered that I could even compare the service to Maison Boulud’s (which is, in my opinion, hands down the restaurant with the most impressive sequence of service standards I have ever experienced).

And yet, we were the one of the only 3 tables in Bei throughout our 2 hour dinner. Despite Bei’s incredible cuisine, awesome chef Max, and great service and location, Bei still seems to be overlooked and continues to remain in the shadows of its neighbor, the Opposite House’s flagship restaurant, Sureno.

So I raise the question – why aren’t people flocking to Bei as they seem to do for Sureno? Is it the venue design?  The food quantity? The pretty price tag? The lack of buzz or liveliness in a busy restaurant?  Perhaps there isn’t one single reason or answer, nothing is ever that simple. But it does goes to show that Beijing is a very complex market and quite unpredictable.

Unfortunately, there is no secret formula that will make a venue work, especially not in Beijing. Even if a venue has delicious food, perfect service, beautiful design, it does not mean that the place will be a hit. It’s interesting that so much depends on the location, on the price, on the way the menu looks, on every aspect of your dining experience from the minute you walk in the door to the satisfaction you feel as you leave. I’ve had experiences where I’ve dined at packed out places that are ‘the talk of the town’ and I just can’t see what the fuss is all about.  And I’ve also dined at gems that continue to be overlooked.

I’m not saying that Bei is perfect, but I am perplexed that it isn’t more popular. Bei is a prime example of a venue that reveals how truly complex and unpredictable the Beijing market is.  Bei isn’t cheap, but neither is Maison Boulud. It’s centrally located in the Opposite House in the Sanlitun area (a hotspot for dining/nightlife in general) and they serve chocolate fortune cookies with funny fotunes inside for goodness sake!

Bei: Basement of The Opposite House. Building 1, 11 Sanlitun road, 三里屯路11号

Best Part:

• The Quality and Presentation of all the Food
• Attention to Detail in Food & Service
• The Location (anything in Sanlitun is easy to find and very accessible)
• Witty fortunes inside chocolate fortune cookies
• Lighting and Design (a great venue for a date)

Comments:

• Quite empty and quiet atmosphere (especially compared to neighbor Sureno)
• Seating tables and arrangements should be switched around (cafeteria style)
• Definitely quality over quantity (delicious dishes, but portions were quite mini)

The New Kid on the Block: d. lounge.gallery.food

C-Dice & I @ d.lounge

For over a month now, I’d been hearing about the new kid in town – d. lounge (not to be confused with D-Bar in the Renaissance Hotel). After celebrating my birthday dinner at my favorite restaurant Kagen Teppanyaki, I was eager to check out the space and pay a visit to my dear friend Warren Pang (former manager of Punk in the Opposite House), especially after hearing so much about this new bar and considering Tuesday nights are not exactly the most bumping night of the week.

Unsure if it would even be open on a regular Tuesday evening around 11pm, C-dice & I poke our heads inside and walk down a long corridor to find an intimate, high-ceilinged space covered in red brick with a tall, elegant bar against the back wall and funky leather croc sofas and modern furniture throughout.

After speaking to Warren and seeing their drink menu, I was quite surprised to discover that d. lounge has not even officially opened yet!  According to Warren, for the past month, d. lounge is still in its soft-opening stage, offering private gatherings and inviting limited guests while they are still working out some pre-opening kinks and are in the process of finalizing two other sections that have yet to be open to the public.  Warren may call this an “extended soft-opening period,” I call it a brilliant marketing strategy.

In the meantime, d. lounge is now open daily featuring various artwork on its high brick walls that will be changed on a regular basis and a basic drink list with 9 cocktails and 4 regular well drinks priced RMB 50-60.  In the future, the space will serve a bistro-style menu with mini burgers and tapas and the space will also be a hub to feature designer clothing/street wear.

By the same owners as Jazz-Ya and Izaka-ya, d. lounge is located just behind Nanjie on Sanlitun Nanjie and is set to officially open Mid-October 2009.

Best Part:

• The Bar – its design is original, classy and its very impressive without being imposing
• Their Kiwi & Strawberry Caipiroska is my new favorite drink
• The design of the venue is modern, fashionable, and very New York without being pretentious
• A small space with super high ceilings makes it easy to fill with a cozy, intimate vibe without feeling claustrophobic (I love red brick walls)
• Warren is a fantastic host & bar manager, it’s no surprise he’s got such a loyal following from Punk – he’s personable, welcoming, and his concept of keeping d. lounge in this “pre-opening stage” while being open to public is ingenious PR. Well-done mate!

Comments:

• In my 2 hours stay, my legs were eaten alive by mosquitos
• I am eager to see d.lounge officially open – to see the rest of the unopened space, to taste their bistro menu, see what type of designer clothing they choose to feature, and above all, the type of music they will play (As much as I like the crowd and design at Punk, I never cared for the music).