Capital Bites: New Indian at NLGX, Hunan in SLT and Beaujolais Nouveau

The theme of this week's news: spice and heat. We've got a new Indian place near NLGX, Hunan in Sanlitun and hot cocktails at The Hutong. It's also time for the 2012 Beaujolais Nouveau, marking the start of the new French wine season.

We're still awaiting the opening of Thai-flavored Greyhound Cafe in Sanlitun Village North, and now there's another new spot to anticipate: Mesa | Manifesto. Until a forced eviction last year, they were a dining and nightlife mecca in Shanghai, celebrated in the southerly city for good cocktails and modern Australian cuisine. We'll see if they try to repeat that here.

NLGX has had its share of duds but new restaurants in the area seem to show some promise. The latest is Santoor, a new Indian restaurant. Smart Beijing seem to have been impressed, but we'll be weighing in with a visit for you soon.

There's also a new Hunan spot in Sanlitun called Hefeng Xiangcai. Check out Kristen Lum's review on Lumdimsum.com here.

Over in Maizidian, it looks like Nasca Cafe has been replaced by a new Italian restaurant called Tomato. They do free delivery. As for authenticity: How do french fries in your vegetable calzone sound? Right. We'll let you know if we find someone bored enough to try it.

The Westin Hats Off events of the last few years have been some of the favorites for Beijing's gourmands, and this year has been no different. Today and tomorrow (Nov 13-14) will be your last chance to catch one of this year's visiting chefs. Gennaro Esposito will be cooking up his creative Italian comfort food over at the Westin Beijing Financial Street. Head over for lunch (RMB 400) or dinner (RMB 800), but don't forget to make a reservation first (6629 7815).

Beaujolais Nouveau: marketing scheme or another great excuse to party? The wine's not known for its supreme quality despite high-ish prices, but its arrival does offer a chance to celebrate the upcoming French vintage. So, if you're of the "Hey, any excuse to pour some out" camp, there are a few places in Beijing to join in on the fun this Thursday (Nov 15). Enoterra's doing a complementary buffet for anyone who purchases a bottle of the new wine (RMB 200/bottle). Give them a call (5208 6076) for details.

Cafe de la Poste's also celebrating the vintage, and you can bet they'll be doing it in proper down-home French style. It's not clear what their festivities will entail, but call the restaurant (6402 7047) for more info if you're thinking of dropping by.

And of course, Beijing Boyce has more info about a few other Beaujolais Nouveau parties in town in this post on his blog.

Last but definitely not least, we checked out Hagaki, EAST Beijing's new Californian-style Japanese place. That's where we enjoyed that beautiful agedashi tofu pictured up top. We'll have a full review for you soon.

Happy eating.

Photos: Marilyn Mai, Jonathan White