Opening Curtain: Collected New Eats and New Experiences
How long has it been since you ate something really good, something new? Something revelatory? Something that changed your opinion about, oh, raw tomatoes, or fried oysters, or how x food is “supposed” to taste? If it’s been awhile since you’ve had a moment of food "wow," and you’ve exhausted all your old food haunts, we’ve got a few new eats for you to investigate. And if you remember your last food "wow", give us a shout in the comments. I'm still waiting for someone to explain the appeal of douzhi to me.
The newest addition to Beijing’s Thai scene, Spice Factory, is now open above d lounge and in very, very soft opening mode: 6-10pm only. Situated above d lounge, the décor is stripped back and the food contemporary. Prices are reasonable, and on par with other Thai joints in the city with most curries priced at the RMB 58 mark. They also offer Thai-inspired cocktails – though sadly, none named “the Ladyboy.”
A hot dog probably won’t shift your gastronomic paradigm, but for homesick Americans, Nathan’s Famous is opening their third outlet in Raffles City, Dongzhimen this Saturday, September 10. The new location offers Wi-Fi and free weekend hip-hop classes for kids.
Mei Ming’r Shengjian Bao (No Name Pan-Fried Soup Buns) is open on Gulou Xidajie, near Ganlu Hutong. I have it on good authority that they are indeed tasty, though perhaps not quite up to an authentic Shanghai shengjian. Beware that these puppies have superheated soup inside – snack safely!
A new Ganges is will open in coming weeks on the second floor of Paddy O’Shea’s, possibly to facilitate the easiest night out ever in the one building.
And speaking of Irish-bar-and-food combinations, we hear that the old Swensen’s space on Xindong Lu will now house a 24-hour chuan’r bar plus a new Irish pub called The James Joyce. Always with the “the” – just once, I’d like to see a pub called “A James Joyce.” Make it happen, Beijing.
And finally, I wanted to mention my last revelatory moment: Boulud’s fettucine carbonara, topped with a plush egg yolk and chunks of pork belly. Redefining all my previous expectations for carbonara, this dish defeated me. Couldn’t finish it. Boulud is not a new opening, but they have revamped their lunch menu; three courses for RMB 188 + 15%. Daniel Boulud is also in town today – watch this space for more on him soon!
