Nibbles and Sips: July/August Edition

Margaux Schreurs | Jul 20, 2016 8:30 am | Add a comment | 1245 reads

As always, Beijing’s summer is when the city’s food and beverage industry undergoes a sort of revival, with restaurants and bars popping up all over the place, and innovation reaching peak levels.

These last two months, we’ve seen the team behind the culinary incubator Hatchery reintroduce their earliest pop-up concept Buena Onda, a Peruvian cevicheria and bar. Ceviche and pisco sours went down well in its earlier reincarnation, and the winning formula is stil going strong in Tuanjiehu.

The newest Cafe Flo branch, from the team behind Brasserie Flo, has moved into Sanlitun’s Taikoo Li with an atmosphere that harks back to 1940s France chic and a menu to match; think big cuts of meat and dainty pastries. That isn’t to stay they’re stuck in the past, also looking to introduce a range of cold-pressed fruit juices and cleanses soon.

We’ve also been enjoying a new Italian wine bar Buona Bocca just off Xindong Lu. Although we were disappointed with the size of their cheese platter; large salads, generous pours of Italian wines, and plenty of al fresco space will undoubtedly keep us coming back for more.

A similar concept, Annie’s Antipasteria, has opened on Guanghua Lu, offering even more nibbling on antipasti platters and deep-fried Italian treats, for which we wholeheartedly approve.

However, on a sad note for wine lovers, this month we saw the closure of Cheers at Yashow, leaving the shopping center even more destitute than before, and giving us one less reason to go there.

Summer menus are appearing throughout the city to keep the sunny vibes going. Q Mex have introduced a number of new items hailing from the oceans, including sumptuous fish tacos. Bottega has also introduced a new summer lunch menu, that is sure to please just about everyone with affinity for pasta and pizza.

On a seafood trend, new power bowls at Moka Bros are certain to guarantee that midday boost, while Modernista’s exquisite new summer seafood specials (pictured at the top) will make you drool – think scallop carpaccio with truffle oil and volcanic black salt.