EAT: New Dishes at on the El Barrio Terrace, New Brunch at Rive Gauche, Leo Birthday Deals
EAT: Your bite-sized guide to the best eats to be had in Beijing this week.
New seafood brunch at Rive Gauche
Elevate your weekend dining with the fancy new Le Brunch Des Fruits de Mer at Rive Gauche. Start with a buffet including a raw bar featuring imported seafood and house-made gravlax, then choose from a selection of appetizers and main courses, including smoked salmon benedict, crispy fried frogs legs with chimichurri, and steak frites. Sit on the terrace for views of Jingshan Park and the National Art Museum. Brunch is priced at RMB 498 — a bargain if you ask us — or RMB 888 including free-flow Perrier Jouet Blason Rosé and cocktails. The brunch is available on Saturday and Sunday from 11am-2.30pm.
New menu at El Barrio
El Barrio have introduced a series of new summer dishes perfect for enjoying on their terrace. Created by chef Manuel Gutierrez, many of the dishes have a light, summery twist that is perfect for hot days. Take the tuna taco bites (RMB 68), for example, filled with raw ceviche-style tuna and topped with a super complex zucchini-based green salsa. Eat them as soon as they hit the table so the crispy taco shells don't go soggy. We also loved the Mexican-street style fruit cup (RMB 48), tossed with a tamarind-based sauce that ticks all the sweet, sour, savoury, and spicy boxes, but if you do want something a little more indulgent, don't miss the chipotle fried chicken (RMB 75), which is marinated in chili, ginger, and beer before being fried.
Note that the third-floor terrace opens at 6pm — just in time to catch the end of happy hour, with 50% off selected wines, beers, and cocktails — but before then you can still dine alfresco on the second floor.
Discounts for July-August birthdays at Leo by Flo
Born between July 23 and August 22? That makes your star sign Leo, and it also means that you can get special deals during your birthday month at Flo Group's pasta-focused restaurant, Leo. You'll get 40% off Leo by Flo's signature spaghetti bolognese and rigatoni carbonara for the whole table, while the person celebrating their birthday will get a special birthday cake. More details of all the specials in this WeChat post.
Jul 31: Serbian chef's table at The Hutong
The Hutong are traveling around the world without leaving Beijing through their chef's table series, and this week they have touched down in Serbia. Serbian cuisine is characterized by highly diverse, solid, and spicy food, which can be roughly described as a mixture of traditional Serbian, Greek, Bulgarian, Turkish, and Hungarian cuisines. The use of meat, dough and pastries, vegetables, and dairy products is predominant. The chef's table will be hosted by Ana Veljkovic, who was born and raised in Serbia and moved to Beijing in mid-2020. Dinner is priced at RMB 398 per person.
READ: Seasons Eatings: Cooking With Versatile Fresh Figs
Images: courtesy of the restaurants, Robynne Tindall
