EAT: Eat Mexican for Earthquake Relief, Oktoberfest, Oysters at Equis, Raw Pop-Up at Mosto

There's a popular saying in China that goes "you gain 1.5kg during every festival." Whether or not that has been the case for you during the October holiday, there are plenty of good reasons to keep eating this week.

Two of Beijing's best Mexican restaurants, Taco Bar and Pebbles Courtyard, are coming together this October to raise money to support earthquake relief in Mexico. They will be hosting two meals – lunch at Taco Bar on Oct 14 and dinner at Pebbles Courtyard on Oct 19 – with a collaborative menu of chips and dip, fresh masa cakes (sope) topped with beef tongue, carnitas taquitos, chipotle chicken pastor tacos, grilled skirt steak (a version of which we recently enjoyed at Pebbles is pictured in the lead blog image), and churros with goat milk caramel. See the event listing for the full menu. The menu is priced at RMB 150 per person (a great deal, if you ask us), of which 100 percent of profits will go to the Mexican Red Cross. Email tacobarreservations@gmail.com to reserve. 

Fans of bier, schweishaxe, and all libations German in origin will know that October means Oktoberfest. And there is no better place to celebrate in Beijing than Paulaner Brauhaus at the Kempinski, where they still brew their beer on site according to Bavarian Purity Laws. On Sundays in October (Oct 15, 22, 29), they are offering a family-style Oktoberfest brunch including a wide variety of Bavarian dishes and free-flow beer for RMB 488 per person (or RMB 290 without beer). A great way to warm up as the temperatures drop. An a-la-carte menu and customized event packages also available.

If you prefer your cuisine a little more refined, head over to fancy new Equis Lounge in the Four Seasons on Tuesdays for their Tuesday Shucks deal. Alongside their usual menu of competent cocktails and tasty bar snacks, enjoy discounts on freshly shucked David Hervé oysters (RMB 108 for a half-dozen or RMB 198 for a dozen), complemented by RMB 78 glasses of Albarino Pazo de Senorans Rias Biaxas DO wine from Spain (bottles for RMB 428).

Finally, speaking of all things raw, Mosto is back with another edition of their popular pop-up Peruvian raw bar from October 13-14. The pop-up takes the following format: pick your favorite seafood from the Raw bar, choose your preferred serving style, such as ceviche, tiradito or carpaccio, and let chefs Daniel Urdaneta and Juan Mateus do their thing. We've always enjoyed the previous pop-ups so be sure to book early if you want to guarantee a spot. 

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Photos: Kyle Mullin, courtesy of the venues