Feast Your Eyes On Beijing's Best Upcoming Dishes

Some of Beijing's most popular eateries are whetting our appetites with numerous forthcoming menu changes. Owners and chefs at The Local, The Garage, and other F&B hotspots have been teasing their WeChat followers with posts about that delicious, soon to be available fare. Many of those offerings will surprise regulars, such as bistro dishes at The Local and a greater focus on tapas at Cu Ju and Aria (which made their names as Moroccan and Italian venues, respectively). You can gobble up all the bite-sized details below.
 

All star trade: Michelin star chef passes up football affiliated gig, turns Italian eatery into tapas haven  
Puerta 20 has long been one of Beijing's most underrated restaurants, netting a fraction of the publicity heaped on other local fine dining spots like R and Opera Bombana. However, thanks to the intricate molecular gastronomy and mouthwatering tapas prepared by Michelin star Chef Maiker Valdivia, this Workers' Stadium eatery has become a hidden gem that counts Beijing Guo'an manager Gregorio Manzano among its regular customers. 

Now Valdivia has moved on to Aria, an upscale restaurant in the central business district's China World Hotel. His predecessor, Phillip Taylor, was well regarded for mostly serving Italian and various fusion fare. But Valdivia is revamping the menu to showcase his deep expertise in Spanish cuisine. By mid-March he will introduce a line of classic tapas akin to what he served at Puerta 20 (his tapas at that Workers' Stadium restaurant included stuffed artichokes with goat cheese wrapped in jamón; salty sardines with roasted cream, cogito tomatoes, and blood orange caviar; and marinated fried hake fish). 

Valdivia is also overhauling Aria's brunch, adding more family friendly dishes like Iberico ham croquettes, potato omelets, pastas, mini hamburgers and mini pizzas. There'll plenty of treats for the grown ups as well, like the addition of sangrias to a bar that is already famed for its wine list. 

Unique fusion of Spanish and Moroccan fare at Cu Ju
Speaking of tapas, Beijingers will soon have another prime destination to nibble on such delectable Spanish appetizers. Cu Ju mastermind Badr Benjelloun is preparing, within the next two weeks, to completely revamp the food and drink menu at this Xiguan Hutong F&B hotspot with a new focus on fusion tapas. Details are still scant, but considering Benjelloun's mastery of Moroccan cuisine, he is sure to bring a distinctive twist to this classic Spanish favorite. 
 

Ramo slays with tasty flatbreads 
Burgeoning pizzeria Ramo is unveiling a simple, but undeniably tasty new treat: RMB 45 flatbreads. Essentially half of a 12-inch pizza, these flatbreads already come in three varieties: spring (made with homemade pesto, rocket, cherry tomatoes, apples, and avocado); French (featuring caramelized onions, blue cheese, black olives, and fresh thyme); and hummus (topped with – fittingly enough – zesty hummus, roasted cherry tomatoes, onions, pine nuts, and fresh basil). Paca Lee, the restaurant's charismatic and creative owner, says Ramo will also have Greek and desert  flatbread varieties ready by month's end. These menu items are sure to tempt pizza fans looking for a healthier alternative to most restaurant's greasy pies. 

The Garage revs up with a top gear chef 
This fledgling restaurant is an oasis in Shunyi's otherwise dismal F&B scene. And it's about to leave its neighboring competition even further in the dust, thanks to the skills of newly recruited Chef Zach Lewison. Lewison is an unsung hero of Beijing's F&B scene. He arrived in the capital in 2008 to work as the opening chef of the then new Union Bar and Grille. From there, he became the culinary director of the The Kro's Nest F&B Group. Lewison was instrumental in turning both of those then promising upstarts into dining mainstays. Now, he's sure to elevate The Garage's game. “My plans are very simple,” he tells the Beijinger. “First I want to improve the overall quality, using fresh seasonal ingredients and cool new plating. I want to give Shunyi a nice, relaxing place to go have a drink and get some great food. We also have big plans to do weekend barbecues and cool events in the spring and summer.”

The Local’s temping new bistro fare
Last, but certainly not least, is the range of changes set to take place at The Local. This wildly popular Courtyard Four bar and restaurant has been making waves with its burgers and wings as of late, but its menu is about to get quite a bit more elegant.

Owner and manager Kenn Bermel is teasing a line of upcoming bistro dishes that have intricate recipes and unconventional ingredients. The restaurant's WeChat followers will be given regular updates about what's newly available in this experimental rotating section of the menu. And while Bermel is still finalizing those plans, he said the bistro items on offer will likely include coffee-encrusted beef tenderloin, sweet rose petal pastries, pork belly sliders, slow-roasted beef sandwiches topped with in-house horseradish, ceviche-stuffed avocados, Rockefeller oysters, and more. 
 

On top of that, The Local will also debut an entirely new menu in early March. Many old favorites like the restaurant's famous burgers and wings will remain, but there will also be a greater focus on smaller sharing options like parmesan risotto balls and Old Bay peel n' eat shrimp.

In the meantime, The Local will satisfy customers' cravings for something new with a host of "sneak peek lunch sets" (available for a limited time on weekdays from noon until 4pm, or until they are sold out). These sets will range from RMB 88 to RMB 118, and will feature: 

A sharing plate scaled to the number of diners including:

• Chicken Satay
• Portobello Fries
• Basil Pesto Hummus

Your choice of one (smaller portions than that on The Local's full menu):

• Spinach and salmon salad
• Sundried tomato and chicken soup

Your Choice of:

• Grilled shrimp po' boy (RMB 88 for a set)
• Ricotta gnocchi (RMB 88 for a set)
• 200g filet mignon with blue cheese herb butter (RMB 118 for a set)

And as if that wasn't enough, Bermel is also readying several new brunch items like yogurt, fruit, and muesli; ricotta pancakes; and short rib macaroni and cheese, which he will unveil in March along with the bistro items. He says those brunch items will range "from light meals to heavy hangover cures."

And there you have it: a vast array of coming attractions that Beijing foodies can hotly anticipate. Keep in mind that many of these items are in their planning stages, and could very well change before they are fully unveiled in the coming weeks. Stay tuned to the Beijinger blog for indepth reviews of these dishes when they are finalized and available. While some of those details may still be up in the air, one fact is certain: March is going to be a spellbinding month for F&B fans that are craving something new.

And don't forget, all of these restaurants are strong contenders in a number of categories in this year's the Beijinger Reader Restaurants Awards. You can vote for your favorites by clicking here.

Photos courtesy of the restaurants