EAT: New Menus at Cours et Pavillons and Chao Hotel, Obentos Lidu Gets Outdoor Seating, Qixi Dining

EAT: Your bite-sized guide to the best eats to be had in Beijing this week.

Summer dining deals at Cours et Pavillons

Cours et Pavillons, the beautiful hotel and restaurant set in a restored courtyard just southwest of Zhangzizhong Lu, is currently offering diners a special deal on a selection of chef's signature dishes, with a different dish featured at half price every day of the week (Monday-Saturday, 11.30am-2pm and 6.30-10pm). The space suits everything from romantic dates to formal business dinners, with a menu that includes both favorite French dishes and contemporary takes on classics, spanning everything from seasonal salads with fresh fruit and vegetables to classic French-style baked snails with garlic and herbs.

Chao Hotel overhauls its menu

Sanlitun's Chao Hotel, meanwhile, has completely overhauled their menu, adding hearty Western dishes like salty chicken with shallot oil (RMB 78), crunchy kalimeris flowers with morel mushrooms (RMB 68), and one of our favorite desserts of the summer so far, red bean and vanilla chocolate mousse. With an emphasis on seasonal ingredients, Chao says that their head chef found inspiration from a trip to Guangdong, using southern Chinese cooking methods on Western dishes to create that have "a richer taste" while preserving the original flavor of each individual element.

Obentos Lido gets new alfresco space

Obentos' Lido location has finally got the go-ahead for its outdoor area, the perfect complement to its light and airy inside space (read our full review of that here). Use the launch of the terrace as an opportunity to head over and sample some of the dishes from their latest summer menu, such as the Thai prawn cocktail summer bento (RMB 68), which is absolutely bursting with the piquant notes and hearty crunch you'd expect from a Thai salad, as well as plenty of juicy prawns. There is also a cute new kids' corner inside complete with Lego table and blackboard.

20-plus events to help you embrace romance this Qixi

There is an event for everyone this Qixi (AKA Chinese Valentine's Day) on Wednesday, Aug 7, whether you're looking to dine on a romantic rooftop overlooking Tiananmen Square or smooch it up for a free smoothie. Celebrating two Valentine's Days per year might be hard to stomach for some but for others, it can make for the perfect occasion for a declaration of love (or a chance to get yourself out of the doghouse for missing Valentine's Day back in February). Click through above to see the 20-plus events lined up for this year's special day or click here to see our top seven picks (in homage to Qixi falling on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar).

READ: Quizzing Qixi: The True Meaning of "Chinese Valentine’s Day"

More stories by this author here.

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Images courtesy of Cours et Pavillons, Chao Hotel, Obentos, Speaking of China