Capital Bites: d lounge Goes Yum, Laetitia Does Jam, Bagels Go Bust

The team behind d lounge have just opened their new spot, called Yum, directly above d lounge. It's still in soft opening mode, but we hear it's looking good, although the menu of Thai food will be undergoing tweaks in the coming weeks. Cocktails are available at the bar, with some of the very capable staff from d lounge helping out right now.

Frenchwoman Laetitia De Keyser has been selling her homemade jams for some time in Beijing, and has done a couple of events recently at Beer Mania. She offers a range of flavors featuring pomegranate, mango, onion and even Sichuan pepper, with pots starting at RMB 40. Find out more at Laetitia’s blog.

The Kempinski hotel is running a Turkish promotion starting this weekend, in recognition of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Turkey and China. Two Turkish chefs are being flown in and will be cooking up all sorts of Turkish fare at Kranzler’s.

One of our number was mildly irritable this week at the discovery that McDonald’s has removed hot cakes from their breakfast menu. “An abomination,” I’m told.

Not a moment after introducing a new range of wraps and poutine, Grinders boss Trevor Metz has a new creation lined up. We hear he’s set to unveil a new burger with a pizza twist, named “The Big Metz.” Look out for a guinea pig from the Beijinger putting this to the test in the coming weeks. Just up the road from Grinders, The Brick is now also serving food.

On a low note, Moss Bagels at Chaowai Soho is set to close in less than a month. We were enthusiastic about this spot when it first opened, as you can read here, but it seems things haven't worked out as planned. Get down and enjoy the bagels while they last, and while you're at it, ask yourself this: With Hegel's Bagels recently departed, and Moss the latest casualty, why is it that bagels don't seem to work in Beijing? Or is this all just a figment of my imagination?