Capital Bites: Discounts on Baked Goods, Sushi and Thai Food
Cold, rainy and gray – it was a perfect morning for lazing around in bed and indulging in the first day of the week-long holiday. The serendipitous showers cleared the skies of the awful pollution and, as every year, it looks like we might have another lovely week of National Day holiday. If you're still in town and enjoying the emptied-out city, remember to call ahead to restaurants as hours may vary from the usual.
Beijing Design Week is getting on in style. While a number of events and exhibitions wrapped up over the weekend, there is still a lot to be seen. I went by yesterday and can vouch that The Orchid's "courtyard in transition" is a gorgeous space deserving of a look. Check here for more info on what they're doing.
Sadly, last night was the final evening of the temporary Taco Bar for reasons behind the organizers' control. If you missed out on the pig ear fries, you'll have to wait until the new permanent location of The Taco Bar eventually opens. The 38 Paizi Hutong space be switching modes into finer, multi-course Italian dining, with a private dinner tonight and possibly a few public dinners offered on the evening following. I'll keep you posted as I hear more.
There are some good discounts around town from recently opened ventures. I was remiss in noting in last week's post that Sweet Tooth Cafe is offering 20 percent off the total bill for the first month. They've also drawn up a map to help curious sweet (and bagel) lovers find their spot.
In Wangjing, Obentos is offering 30 percent off all bento boxes for the month of October when you Instagram with @obentos. Just show the staff when ordering.
Though Pak Pak Thai Kitchen is closed from October 1-4 for the National Day holiday, when they reopen they'll be offering 22 percent off orders from October 5-7.
If you're looking for some skill-building opportunities towards the end of your holiday, The Hutong has a couple cooking classes on Sunday October 6. From 11am-1.30pm, their "Brit-in-Residence" Chef Liz Ashforth will be teaching a course on two 19th-century dishes: spotted dick and Toad in The Hole (for those of you learning with me, that's sausages in a raisin pudding and vanilla custard). The class is RMB 280, RMB 220 (members). Sign up here.
Sunday is also the first day of The Hutong's Tour of China Noodles series. Over the course of four weeks, you'll learn how to knead, roll, pull, and slice four different types of noodles including: Shanxi rolled noodles, cat-ear noodles, Yunnan rice noodles and Xinjiang-style noodles. The classes run from 3-5.30pm weekly for the month of October. The series cost RMB 1,000, RMB 800 (members). Sign up here.
Finally, starting today, Pyro Pizza and Lush will be non-smoking during daytime hours (10am-4pm). With the past two days of terrible pollution, this doesn't seem like a terrible idea. (And isn't it also a national law or something?)
Photos: the Beijinger, Sweet Tooth Cafe
Email: catnelson@thebeijinger.com
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