Capital Bites: New Sichuan Dumplings, Closures and Pop-up Juice Bar

Some sad news in the last few weeks, with Sanlitun/Gongti stalwarts Terra, Green T. House and Saddle Cantina all hanging up their hats. But as usual, there are also new spots to check out, like whiskey houses, Sichuan dumpling shops and a pop-up juice bar.

Smile Dumplings over at Lady Street is serving up Sichuan-style noodles and dumplings. The restaurant is opened by the wife of Julien Gaudfroy, also known as "the French Dashan" and owner of Chez Julien at Lucky Street. We'll be checking out the spicy dough-treats soon.

At Ch'ienmen 23, the posh whiskey culture salon Johnnie Walker House will be taking over the space once occupied by Ristorante Sadler.

Green T. House harks back to another era of Beijing's dining scene, when the first few upscale venues changed the world of eating in Beijing. Sadly, the folks behind the restaurant have decided to close up shop at their Gongti location and focus all their energies on the more holistic getaway, Green T. House Living in Shunyi. When we visited earlier this year, we were quite entranced by both the setting and the food. They are by no means irrelevant at this point, just a little farther away now. So the next time you're looking to get away, keep them in mind. They have a gorgeous spa, lots of cultural programming and still some of the most refined Chinese cuisine in the city – with prices that have stayed fairly steady, meaning they're no longer one of the most expensive players in the game.

The CourtYard near the Forbidden City was another one of the early heavy hitters, though less talked about of late. According to Sienna at City Weekend, chef Brian McKenna (formerly of ROOMbeijing) will be taking over the reins. McKenna's name has been attached to many a project in the last few years, including his own private chef's table and Ricci Cafe, but none of those seemed to materialize as expected, so we're curious to see how this one pans out.

The Banana Leaf neighboring The Bookworm seems not to have closed after all, according to a sign they've posted outside their restaurant. They seem to be starting fresh on the second level with an opening date later this December.

You might have noticed those funny wedge bottles of juice popping up at April Gourmet and deliberated over using them for your next detox. They're called Preshafruit and you may have also noticed that they don't come cheap. It's mostly because they use a pressurized system to pasteurize their juices without heat, preserving the nutrients and flavor better than most bottled juices. We can't confirm or deny, as we're saving up before we can afford a bottle. This weekend, they're doing a pop-up juice bar at the Xingfucun location of April Gourmet. They'll be serving up mimosas, bellinis and juice from 10am-7pm Friday through Sunday. Good way to give 'em a try first.

Happy eating.

Photo: Smallwerld.com