Sanlitun stalwart Aperitivo has closed its doors to undergo what looks like a major renovation. Presumably the intention is to freshen things up and keep pace within Sanlitun's ever-competitive bar scene. Or maybe they've decided to rip out their popular patio on the basis that in a city where winter now lasts for six months and snow has fallen for the last three Sundays in February/March, having an outdoor terrace as your top attraction just doesn't make sense. Probably the former. Anyway, look out for more on Aperitivo's renovation - posters on the windows say the bar's new look will be unveiled by the end of March.

Just received received word from the people at Yugong Yishan that Pet Conspiracy's March 26 show at the venue has been canceled. At present, the YGYS gig was the band's only confirmed date this month, so it looks like fans may have to wait until April for their next chance to see Helen Feng and her gang in action.

Celebrity Chef Rey Lim has hung up his apron at Beijing's famous The CourtYard restaurant, leaving just after Chinese New Year to pursue other projects. And here's a tasty rumor - we've hard that maestro chef and Boston native Dan Segall might be getting involved at the near-legendary restaurant beside the Forbidden City.

As A.A. Milne said "You cannot tell a man by the lobster he eats, but you can tell something about him by the literature he reads, " so there you go. With that in mind we took a good snoop at some Beijinger's bookshelves and the results were, well, you can find out for yourself in the March issue of the Beijinger's Cover Feature. 

There's much more inside the magazine than that. For a start there's a cut-out-and-keep Guy Delisle comic (more accurately it's a cut-out-and-fold-into-a-mini-zine-and-keep comic). You don't see those everyday.

Beijing’s most famous culinary absentee, three Michelin starred chef Daniel Boulud, is gracing our humble town this Saturday to cook a decadent eight course feast. It’s a genuinely one-off opportunity to taste what arguably New York’s most famous chef has to offer, and a place can be yours for (you may want to steady yourself on a nearby piece of furniture)… RMB 2800.