Capital Bites: Hot Hot Pots, Ladies Drinking, English Breakfasts
We are well into hot pot season, so we'll be in the habit of throwing lists of any new offerings your way as we hear about them. Also, new spots for sandwiches and English breakfasts, plus winter eats with A Christmas Story and an 85 Broads get-together.
We'll start with the hot pots. We've discovered a place called Aura Hot Pot and we love it. It's up near where subway Lines 8 and 10 meet, which isn't the greatest of locations, but this place is delish. The food is super fresh and they've got a robot making your daoxiao noodles. They have over a thousand reviews on dianping and they're pulling five whole stars. Check it out if you're up for the trek.
Lumdimsum has snapshots of the new seafood hot pot being offered at Karaiya Spice House. If it's anything like Kagen's hot pot, it should be quite the meal. Check it out at her blog here.
If you want to go upscale, Nobu and the Choy's Seafood at the Beijing Marriott Northeast are both running winter hot pot specials, too. The Nobu one starts at RMB 150, which, considering their usual prices, definitely piques my interest.
Couple new spots in town. Austen is serving paninis in the hutongs (SmartBeijing have a first look here), while Full English is just what it sounds like: full English breakfasts. Only right now, they're not offering this very full-time. They open this Saturday (Dec 22) and will only be running Saturdays for the time being. If you're in the Wangjing area and are hankering for some beans with your brekkie, give them a call to find out more (150 1035 0681).
The Westin Beijing Financial Street is running a pre-Christmas Sunday brunch this week. Many have said this is the best brunch in town, so this might be a good time to go and see what all the fuss is about. The usual spread plus seasonal fixings like turkey, puddings and mince pies. It'll be RMB 428+15%. Call 6606 8866 to reserve.
The Hutong and Electric Shadows are hosting a winter-themed Food, Film and Friends event this Sunday. Chinese winter comfort foods (I'm imagining a lot of roast sweet potato here), plus a screening of A Christmas Story. It starts at 5pm if you want to take part in the food (RMB 240, or RMB 200 for members), or 7.30pm if you just want the screening (RMB 30). Call the venue for more info (6404 3355).
85 Broads is having their last get-together of the year, tonight at Bar Veloce. Celebrate a year of successful women in Beijing over a glass or two of wine. For prices and more, check out their website.
Also, Beijing Boyce has tons of news, including a tip that Chef Billy has left Pavillion Grill. No comment yet from the restaurant's owners but we'll keep you posted. His earlier restaurant, Chef, Too, is still humming along nicely.
Photo: Dianping.com user 熊猫晶晶
