Capital Bites: Awards Ahoy!

Have you got your glutinous rice balls in for today's Lantern Festival celebrations? Nope, me neither. But that doesn't matter because there's a much more important annual Beijing culinary tradition on the horizon: our Reader Restaurant Awards. Voting is underway, and Beijing Boyce has already started some in-depth analysis on the nominees - check it out here.

A Beijing chef well acquainted with our awards, Jeffery Powell will be hosting some unique food workshops at The Hutong in April. "Chef Jeff" is the culinary brains behind Element Fresh, Gung-Ho! and Flamme amongst others, and he's contributed to cookbooks along with foodie stars like Thomas Keller and Mario Batali. The day will begin with a market tour at Sanyuanli followed by a four-course culinary workshop. See www.thehutong.com for more details and booking info.

Kiko, a slick new Japanese restaurant is now doing business right at the top end of Nanluogu Xiang. It boasts a large inner courtyard and roof terrace, and an expansive menu featuring sushi, sashimi, a variety of BBQ, curry and rice and more.

A short hop north to Baochao Hutong is Dali Renjia (no. 80), a brand-new Yunnan restaurant and one of the best I've been to in Beijing in terms of price vs. quality. Check it out for yourselves or wait for our review in the March issue of the magazine.

Finally, ever wondered what would happen to you if you just ate crisps? Find out here.