EAT: Ichiban Street Turns 4, Guest Chef at TRB, Sweet Spot+ Rebrands, Japanese Ramen Master Visit

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

Nov 8-10: Ichiban Street anniversary and launch of Ichiban Yokocho

Tucked away just next to Vin Vino in Maizidian, Ichiban Street is one of those hidden dining treasures in Beijing that you may simply walk past and never know existed. This weekend, following a temporary closure for renovations, the two-floor Japanese dining street hopes to change that, with a celebration of four years of noodles, yakitori, and some serious highball action. To make it even more difficult to miss, the street has expanded and now also takes up the adjacent building, dubbed Ichiban Yokocho. A chindon-ya, or traditional Japanese marching band, will open the festivities on Friday, 5.45pm and play intermittently throughout the weekend. Then on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, there'll be shops and performances outside of the venue as well as stalls from each of the restaurants within, offering items for RMB 11.

Nov 8-10: Belgian guest chef Martijn Defauw at TRB Forbidden City

Continuing their run of successful guest chef events, from Nov 8-10, TRB Forbidden City will welcome Belgian chef Martijn Defauw into their kitchen (one of his creations is pictured at top). Chef Defauw is the chef and owner of Restaurant Rebelle in Kortrijk, Belgium. In his words: “Our kitchen is contemporary, young, and innovative with an eye for detail and balance. We strive to create dishes that are packed with flavor and find the necessary finesse to make them shine. We are so grateful to Ignace [Lecleir, founder of TRB] and the TRB team for this unique opportunity to showcase our culinary philosophy and at the same time we are looking forward to broadening our own culinary repertoire with local culture, ingredients, and techniques." Defauw's four-course lunch is RMB 488 (RMB 816 with wine pairing), while a five-course dinner will be priced at RMB 888 (RMB 1,318 with wine pairing).

The Sweet Spot rebrands at The Sweet Spot+ with new "bowl food" concept

The Sweet Spot, long a favorite of China World Mall visitors in search of a quick lunch bite, has recently rebranded as The Sweet Spot+. With the new name comes a new concept, focusing on nourishing "bowl foods" such as noodles, rice, and salads. Created by two chefs from China World Hotel (which operates The Sweet Spot+), the menu includes dishes like salmon fillet with instant noodles (RMB 68), curry chicken leg with vegetable rice (RMB 48), and steak salad (RMB 88), available to eat in or take away. They also sell a wide selection of cakes and pastries such as croissants and muffins, as well as juices and coffee. The dishes we sampled on a recent visit were pretty straightforward but also offer good value for those looking for an easy lunch option.

Nov 8-17: Japanese ramen master visits Nishimura, Shangri-La Hotel

Japanese ramen master Masayuki Syoujima will visit Shangri-La Hotel, Beijing’s Japanese restaurant Nishimura from Nov 8-17, offering noodle lovers in Beijing four different types of ramen. Hailing from Fukuoka Prefecture on Japan’s Kyushu Island, Chef Syoujima has honed his ramen expertise through years of experience and is proud to showcase four of his specialty ramen: lobster, spicy red beef, oyster cream, and mentaiko herb soup. A la carte ramen starts from RMB 173 and set menus start from RMB 606.

READ: Spiked Coffee and Pumpkin Pastries Pair Beautifully at New Fall-Themed Café Duet

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Images courtesy of TRB Hutong, Tom Arnstein, The Sweet Spot+, Robynne Tindall, Flickr