EAT: Korean Pop-Up at Migas Mercado, Six Years of Mercante, Bargain Staycay at The Orchid, Australia Day Feast at Kerry

From now until Jan 28, Sanlitun-based Korean restaurant Dubujib will be popping up at Migas Mercado. Taking over one of Migas' "market stalls," Dubujib will be serving four classic Korean bulgogi dishes - beef, pork belly, chicken, and mackerel - cooked in charcoal-fired Josper oven. Josper ovens are renowned for the smokey taste they give dishes, which should prove to be an excellent match for the soy and chili flavors in the bulgogi marinade. The dishes are available to order daily from 11.30am to 10pm.

If you work in the F&B industry and fancy blowing off some steam this week, then be sure to head over to InfraRouge this Thursday, for the biannual Fizz and Baozi industry mixer. Pre-sale tickets are RMB 150 (including free-flow drinks from 8pm-midnight) or RMB 200 on the door. All proceeds from the event will go to the Beijing Roots and Shoots Community Center.

Over in the hutongs, Italian restaurant Mercante is celebrating six years in the biz (check out their vintage flyer, featuring owner Omar Maseroli, above). If you've never been to Mercante or just haven't been for a while, this is an excellent opportunity to head over and try their home-style Italian cuisine. They will be celebrating over the weekend of Jan 27-28 with off-menu old dishes and plenty of drinks promotions.

Sticking in the hutongs, boutique hotel The Orchid and on-site restaurant Toast are offering a frankly mind-bogglingly good value staycation deal. From now until Feb 28, you and a friend or significant other can enjoy a four-course dinner, a bottle of wine, and overnight stay, and breakfast for two for just RMB 888. Dinner includes plenty of choices from Toast's modern mezze-style menu, such as roast duck breast salad, hummus, and pumpkin-stuffed pasta. To book, message The Orchid on WeChat at TheOrchidHotel or call 8565 9295. More details here.

Over at the Kerry Center, they're bringing a splash of sunshine over from Australia to celebrate the national day for the Land Down Under, which falls on this Friday, Jan 26. The promotion, which is available throughout the week, includes traditional Australian a la carte dishes such as barramundi, fresh Tasmanian oysters, freshwater crayfish, Australian grass-fed Angus beef, milk-fed lamb, and king scallops. Don't forget to save room for a lamington or two, the classic Australian dessert that is humble in appearance but not so humble in beginnings given that its creation is credited to Lord Lamington, Governor of Queensland (1896-1901), when his French chef whipped up an on-the-spot dessert to satiate the Lord's guests using leftover French vanilla sponge cake, dipped in chocolate, and sprinkled in coconut shavings. Over 100 years on and they still do the trick.

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Photos courtesy of the organizers