EAT: Irish Lunch at Beersmith, Springtime Bee Brunch, Schnitzel Mania, Pre-Hispanic Mexican Food, LMPLUS x Cinker Pictures

EAT: Your bite-sized guide to the best eats to be had in Beijing this week.

Until Mar 21: St. Patrick's Day lunch specials at Beersmith

If green beer isn't your thing, why not celebrate St. Patrick's Day with your stomach at Beersmith? All week long, they will be adding a selection of Irish-inspired specials to their lunch menu, including a corned beef sandwich, a Beersmith Porter beef stew shepherd's pie, Irish stew, and an Irish pub breakfast featuring Irish veggie roll, Ayrshire bacon, potato farl, and sausage. All the dishes are priced at RMB 98 (expect the Irish stew, which requires an extra RMB 15), and includes a beer or soft drink. 

New Bee Brunch menu items at Char

Char at The Intercontinental Beijing Sanlitun is picking up speed and adding new menu items to their Bee Brunch menu – seemingly every week at this point – in celebration of the vibrancy of springtime. We tried their latest menu and came away with a few recs. 

First off, there are a couple of new egg skillets to satiate your protein needs (equally as useful for fighting hangovers alongside the hair-of-the-dog method if you've opted for the free flow as well). We tried the truffle skillet, and believe us, you won't need any swine to sniff out the truffle, as this fancy tuber is spread out over the egg in thick leaves that are packed with flavor.

Another welcomed addition is the prawn cannoli – prawn and lobster served in a crepe-like pasta and topped with asparagus. The dish comes steeped in a sauce that's as creamy as the seafood inside. Continuing in the vein of seafood, the tuna tartar is another fine option with tuna and yuzu lemon on crispy bread, topped with detox garden veggies, and served with avocado. 

Mar 19: Guest chef, Chef Roberto of LMPLUS, at Cinker Pictures

Join Cinker Pictures for a guest chef event with chef and co-owner of LMPLUS restaurant, Roberto. Sample dishes like homemade gnocchi with fresh crab, cauliflower, black garlic, and ricotta, and sous-vide lamb rump with crispy onions and chimichurri sauce. Dinner is priced at RMB 690 per person, including four courses and a pairing of six wines prepared by China Wines and Spirits.

Mar 19: Mexico's Pre-Hispanic Food Chef's Table

The Hutong invites you to join an intimate dining experience, giving you the opportunity to learn about pre-Hispanic Mexican cuisine, Mexican history, and the secrets behind some of the most common dishes from this period, paired with two of the most traditional Mexican spirits: tequila and mezcal. Pre-Hispanic Mexican food is understood to be that which existed in Mesoamerica before the arrival of the Spanish in 1521. In this historical period, the indigenous people ate mainly corn, chili, beans, squash, nopales, cocoa, among others staples, as well as rabbit, turkey, and some insects for proteins. The menu will include some of the main ingredients of this special cuisine, featuring dishes such as green mole with chicken and white rice and red berry tamales infused with tequila and spices. Dinner is priced at RMB 398 per person; see the full menu details here. 

Schnitzel mania at Paulaner Brauhaus Kempinski Beijing Lufthansa Center

Celebrate spring with a seasonal German specialty at Paulaner Brauhaus. Choose from a menu of four different types of schnitzels (RMB 168-188), ranging from a Beijing schnitzel with a local twist topped with mildly spicy barbecue sauce to a “Hunter” schnitzel topped with a creamy forest mushroom ragout (pictured above). 

READ: Where to source the best pies in Beijing

Images courtesy of the venues, Pixabay