Former Maison Boulud General Manager Ignace Lecleir is preparing to open his own restaurant in a "Ming dynasty temple compound to the north of the Forbidden City." We're told to expect "French-inspired contemporary" cuisine.

Given Lecleir's track record - he played a key role in establishing Maison Boulud as one of the major success stories to come out of the Legation Quarter project -  this is one development to keep tabs on in the months to come. Details are scant at the moment, and it sounds like it'll be a few months yet before Lecleir's new project is ready for opening, but we're chasing him for more information. We'll let you know when there's more on this.

Contrary to the noise being made on Twitter and the rest yesterday about Robert de Niro being in town for Nobu's "opening party," the Hollywood legend was not there. Nor was Jackie Chan celebrating his birthday at the new restaurant. Probably because Jackie Chan's birthday is on April 7 - that's when Nobu hosts its official opening party, and when de Niro is tipped to attend. Do you think Robert de Niro gets on a plane for a soft opening? Of course not. Anyway, see our review of Nobu here.

Former Annie's manager Giuseppe is opening his own restaurant, Alio Olio, beside Black Sun at Chaoyang Park West Gate. The new place is a stone's throw from Annie's Chaoyang Park branch, and looks to be a pretty large space. Alio Olio should be open very soon - expect a confirmation within the next week.

Finally, on Lucky Street, the old White Rabbit space is now occupied by a trio of venues. Motsunabe Izakaya Gozou Roppu, a Japanese-style beef hot pot restaurant on basement level 1, is another venue from the people behind the serviceable Lagoon. Down another set of stairs, and you're faced with two doors either side of a narrow corridor. Take the door on the left and ... on second thoughts, don't - Salon Bubble is, to put it in simple terms, a ladybar. Instead, enter the door on the right to discover Maiden Voyage, a Japanese-run whiskey bar with a good drinks selection, a limited menu and the biggest speakers owned by any Beijing bar of this size. They have a decent collection of jazz CDs and invite customers to choose the music.