In Nibbles, a weekly series, we serve up a run-down of the best dining deals, food & drink events, and restaurant/bar openings and closings.
During the three years I’ve spent eating, drinking – and writing about eating and drinking – in Beijing, the enduring trend has to be the hipster indie place transitioning to the Sanlitun big leagues. Home Plate, The Rug, Great Leap… there are many – the latest is Palms L.A. Kitchen and Bar. We had doubts initially about the Korean Mexican fusion, but it’s proved unbelievably popular. Deservedly so. They’ve announced a new branch in Sanyuanqiao. Just think, 20 years down the line these brands could be household names all over China…
Is the popularity of these places helped by a lack of big Western chains arriving in the PRC? Many are nowhere to be seen in Beijing (Taco Bell? Pret a Manger?) but some are trying. Like Pizza Express, which is following up on its Taikoo Li branch (pictured below) with a new restaurant in Raffles Mall, Dongzhimen.
Can Mr. Shi’s Dumplings be considered a chain yet? He’s opened a store on the Xindong-Lu-to-Taikoo-Li back alley, where we hope the alfresco bootleg booze peddlers, like Jazz Graden [sic], will open up again for the summer. Just around the corner, opposite Yashow, Tavalin Bagels make a triumphant return, while in Taikoo Li North the Bao House truck is back at The Opposite House. Finally, the Meatball Company is opening a store next to 4corners in Houhai (Sanlitun branch: late 2017, we expect).
Off the beaten plate
You know how at Starbucks they sometimes write a ridiculous (and incorrect) name on your coffee cup? Apparently it’s so you photograph it, share the confusion/hilarity with your friends on social media and inadvertently give Starbucks free advertising. That’s exactly how we found this ‘drink’: the absurd Cotton Candy Larimar Corona (RMB58). Found at Korean chain Nine Road Pizza, it’s a cotton candy shandy (beer dunked in lemonade) with blue coloring. Imagine walking into a tough Shaanxi boozer with one of these in your hand…
Available at Nine Road Pizza, Solana Mall, Chaoyang 朝阳区蓝色港湾速度披萨 (5905 6369)
New Bites
Whisky from Taiwan named world’s best single malt
Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique, from Taiwan’s Kavalan distillery, has been named the world’s best single malt in this year’s World Whiskies Awards, trouncing contenders from Scotland, Japan, Ireland and a host more. Reportedly China’s sole distillery, Kavalan only began distilling nine years ago and reported a 50 percent growth in exports last year due to its fast-growing popularity. Master blender Ian Chang says that heat from a tropical island such as Taiwan can speed up the maturation process and create a mellower whisky. (Good luck with that, Scotland.) Bottles of Kavalan can be purchased from jd.com, starting at about RMB400.
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