EAT: Venetian Cuisine at Frasca, King Cake Continues, Sherpa's Launches Dine-in Deals, New Brunch Dishes at Jing-A Longfusi
EAT: Your bite-sized guide to the best eats to be had in Beijing this week.
Venetian menu at Frasca
Frasca at the Opposite House is starting the new year by exploring a new regional Italian cuisine: Venetian cuisine. Their new limited-time menu includes dishes such as cod mousse with olive oil, squid ink tagliatelle with clam and crab sauce, and mixed seafood in a spicy tomato sauce served with polenta. Enjoy a sharing menu for two including two Veneto Spritzes for RMB 388. Head over to Frasca on Wednesdays to try one of Frasca's Roman-style pinsa (a lighter, lower-calorie style of pizza with a dough made from organic soybeans, rice, and wheat flour) and a glass of beer or wine for RMB 100.
Missed King Cake on Epiphany? These venues are still offering it
King cake is a cake or pastry associated with epiphany (Jan 6) that is served in many countries around the world. The King Cake usually has a porcelain object or figurine hidden inside and if you find it in your slice, you're supposed to enjoy good luck in the year ahead. If you missed your chance to enjoy King Cake last week, several Beijing venues are breaking with tradition and offering it through Jan and Feb. Most venues here serve the French-style galette des rois, a puff pastry treat filled with fragipane. French restaurant Maison FLO have galette des rois available to order via their WeChat mini-program (search for 福楼精选FLO) while Rive Gauche at the Puxuan Hotel is offering all guests a complimentary slice after dinner (Mon-Fri only); if you get the slice with the hidden chestnut, you will win a voucher for weekend brunch for two.
Sherpa's launches dine-in deals
Yes, you read that right, delivery company Sherpa's has just launched a series of dine-in only deals at restaurants around Beijing. With various set menus for two, four, and more available, the deals actually represent significant discounts on regular pricing. For example, you can enjoy a two-person set menu including stir-fried pork and Thai basil and king prawn yellow curry at Pak Pak Thai Kitchen worth RMB 408 for just RMB 238. We've also got our eye on the early bird set menu for six at Great Leap Brewing's #45 Brewpub or Lido Brewpub, which gets you a bunch of shared starters, six entrées (including their famous burger and the extremely excellent Rueben sandwich), and six beers for just RMB 498 (usually RMB 820). You'll need to purchase the deals via the Sherpa's mini-program — check out all their current deals in this WeChat post, and check their official WeChat account frequently for new offers.
New brunch dishes at Jing-A Longfusi
Brave the cold for a tempting selection of new brunch dishes at Jing-A's Longfusi Taproom. Warm up with a hearty bowl of spiced chia oat porridge topped with fruits, nuts, and pecans, or tuck into two new savory options: croque madame on sourdough dough bread or spiced corn fritters with poached eggs, coconut Hollandaise, and a choice of smoked salmon or bacon. This weekend (Jan 16-17) only, they're offering one free tasting flight per table for any advance brunch reservations — call 8400 1058 to book. You'll get tasters of some brand new beers: Hokkaido Lager, the fresh A'Chen, a funky [Untitled] IPA #1, and Imperial Yunnan Coffee Stout.
Images: Wikimedia, courtesy of the venues
