To Try List: New Menus at Eastend and Refer, Breakfast at Dastaan + More

Vincent R. Vinci, Contributing Editor | Dec 14, 2023 2:33 pm | Add a comment | 206 reads

New restaurants, dining deals, drinks discounts, guest shifts, pop-ups, and more happenings on our to try list this week.

Turning away from all the good stuff that's coming or has already come for Christmas this year, we look at some goings on in the world of food in Beijing. Eastend Grocery and Refer both have updated winter menus, Chef Rabiul at Dastaan is cooking up breakfast this weekend, and, even though we're late to the menu drop by a week, we're very intrigued by Café Zarah's hot chocolates.

Eastend Grocery Adds More Sandwiches, Pasta to Menu

Following their grand opening a few weeks ago, Eastend is changing up their menu by splitting their sandwich section into three and adding some homey pastas to the list. Sandwiches are now categorized by bread or preparation type: Baguette (RMB 98 for half, RMB 188 for whole), Panini (RMB 78-98), Ciabatta (RMB 108 each), with each section sporting three sandwiches each.

Although it was difficult to choose, we opted for the Meatball Marinara Ciabatta (lead image). House made meatballs cooked in marinara sauce and plopped upon a soft yet lightly toasted ciabatta loaf with melted mozz. For pasta, we were eyeing the Penne Regatte with Red Wine Braised Oxtail and Herb Ricotta, but that’ll have to wait for another day.

If you head in soon you can enjoy a sandwich with complimentary coffee as part of Eastend’s grand opening special.

Eastend Grocery
1/F, Pacific Century Place (outside West Gate), A2 Gongti Beilu
朝阳区工人体育场北路甲2号盈科中心1层
Hours: Daily, 11am-10pm
Phone: 010 8599 9116

Refer Has a Shiny Brand New Winter Menu

Chef Talib Hudda draws inspiration from nature for Refer’s winter menu, incorporating rich flavors into the culinary journey offered by the restaurant.

New dishes include Trout (upper right in above image), in which Sichuan trout and salmon roe marinated in mountain pepper are encased in crispy sunroot with a bed of hazelnut cream, topped with fried white kombu, sunroot slices, and roasted hazelnut; Scallop, featuring pan-seared mollusk brushed with homemade fish sauce, garnished vegetables of four different colors; and Duck Breast (image below), the second main course on the menu, in which smoked and chargrilled duck breast and tenderloin is coupled with beetroot made two ways with an accompanying sauce.

To try the new options, you can make a reservation via Refer’s official website (restaurantrefer.com) or WeChat (ID: restaurantrefer). Check this post for more winter menu options.

Refer
5/F, Bldg N8, Taikooli North, 19 Sanlitun Lu
三里屯路19号太古里北区N8号楼5层
Hours: Wed-Sun, 6-10pm
Contact: 132 6033 7668

Zarah’s Winter Drinks Menu Has Some Nice Hot Chocolate Options

So, we’re a bit behind by a week considering Café Zarah unveiled their Winter Drinks Menu a week ago, but now that we can slow down and take a look, we’re impressed by the hot chocolate options available.

These include the Black Forest (RMB 60, pictured above), hot chocolate spiked with Schwärzwaller Kirschwasser – a rare Schnaps made from cherries grown in Germany’s Black Forest region – topped with whipped cream, sprinkles, and a Marschino cherry like a Black Forest cake; Red Velvet (RMB 50) a vegan option made with red velvet hot chocolate, oat milk, and rimmed with vegan chocolate sauce; Homemade Spiced Rum (RMB 60, pictured below), hot chocolate spiked with Christmas spice – cinnamon, clove, and other spices – infused-rum, topped off with whipped cream and ground cinnamon.

Try these today at Zarah for a bit of escape from the cold snowy weather, and check out their recent post for a look at more of their winter drink options.

Café Zarah
46 Gulou Dongdajie, Dongcheng District
东城区鼓楼东大街46号
Hours: 10am-midnight
Contact: 010 8403 9807

Breakfast at Dastaan This Weekend Only

If you’re up a little earlier this Saturday morning, Chef Rabiul at Dastaan has breakfast covered with a one day menu of first meals of the day as found in states and cities all over India. Highlights include Idly, Sambar, and Medu Vada (RMB 48), South Indian-style rice cake with veggies and lentil curry; Chole Bhuature (RMB 78), braised chickpeas with deep fried Indian bread and chai. Can’t decide? Get the South Indian Breakfast Combo (RMB 128) for two!

The menu is available for one day only – Saturday, Dec 16 – so reservations are recommended.