Capital Bites: New Brunches and Mosto's Supper Club Membership Card
The biggest dining news on our minds this week? The 11th Annual Reader Restaurant Awards. A glamorous awards ceremony took place yesterday afternoon at Conrad Beijing – quite the who's who of the Beijing food scene. We'll be covering the awards in depth on the blog over the coming weeks (see a round-up of the awards here), so stay tuned for that. For now, there's a few new things on the horizon from some of our winners.
The movers and shakers of Mosto, Modo Urban Deli and Moka Bros swept the awards (full report to come) with winning categories like Best Chef and Best New Restaurant for Non-Chinese Casual Dining. But they don't stop. With a new breakfast just launched at Moka Bros, the team has also introduced a membership card for Mosto's Supper Club (daily 6-7pm). The Supper Club presents a limited menu of select starters, mains and desserts culled from the regular dinner menu, priced at three courses for RMB 218 per person. A membership entitles you to one free dinner for every five purchased and can be used with friends over one or more visits.
Our Editor's Pick for Best Brunch Variation (on merit of their rotating Sunday "Brunch AttitudeI" this past year, VIC at Sofitel Wanda Beijing is refitting their Sunday brunch concept. I was by there this weekend and quite impressed by the quality of the buffet as well as the level of service. They rarely let a champagne flute go dry.
Nyonya Kitchen, who won Best in the Malaysian/Singaporean category, closed their Lido location on March 16 and are moving to a new, but as of yet undetermined, location.
Best New Restaurant for Non-Chinese Fine Dining and Best Italian Fine Dining winner Opera Bombana is looking to launch an a la carte brunch on Sundays beginning in mid-April. Details are still being hammered out, but the initial concept is sounding like starters and desserts for the table to share with mains served individually.
While the glut of a hotel brunch buffet is fun, I'll be happy to see another option in town with high-quality fare. Chef Marino D'Antonio bagged an outstanding for Best Chef yesterday – if you haven't been yet, get over to brunch next month to see if you think he's earned it. (Opera also won a Best Newcomer award from China Restaurant Week and will be joining the extended promotion from March 24-April 6. Reservations for the general public begin tomorrow March 19 at 11am. Visit the DiningCity website for bookings and more details.)
Photos: Cat Nelson
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