Nibbles and Sips: Beijing's Food and Drink News Round-Up, July/August 2018 Edition
Nibbles and Sips is a compilation of Beijing's F&B news, rumors, and tidbits to keep you abreast of all the best foodie happenings around the capital.
Now that the sweltering summer is upon us, we’re left screaming for either light and healthy food or a cold glass of something alcoholic. In the former category, Obentos have recently launched a new breakfast menu, including health-giving options like scrambled eggs with kale and fruity smoothie bowls. Our favorite is the Okayu congee (RMB 22) – a Japanese-style rice porridge – with its combination of brown rice, avocado, shredded carrot, kale, shiitake mushrooms, ginger, sesame seeds, and onion, all topped off with a poached egg.
Speaking of breakfast, Rollbox is also now open daily from 8am. Expect fried egg rolls with or without bacon (RMB 35 and 25, respectively, pictured above), cheese toasties (RMB 30), and coffees and teas, with more planned for the future. Also in International Wonderland, Beijing bar scene veteran Jeff Ji’s latest project, Mai Steakhouse, is up and running. Sharing the same space as Parlor before 10pm, the restaurant serves a simple steakhouse menu with a selection of cuts, including Australian rib-eye, foie gras and black pepper steak (RMB 178), blue cheese filet mignon (RMB 168), and their signature indulgence: homemade beef wellington (RMB 288).
In Shunyi, California-style restaurant Napa announced that they had to close their new restaurant “due to strategic and operational disagreements with our landlord,” as described owner Andrew Hsu via WeChat. We reviewed the restaurant just a couple of months ago, praising their creative dishes such as sambuca mussels and clams and mapo burrata pizza.
As for openings, Seattle coffee giant Starbucks christened its biggest flagship store in China at the end of June in the Qianmen area. The three-story café occupies 1,040 square meters and is home to a Starbucks Reserve, Teavana, and – if you do fancy a drink – a bar serving cocktails with a caffeinated twist.
Finally, look for Pachakutiq, the innovative Peruvian restaurant that made a major splash with its pop-ups at Sanlitun Soho last year and China Central Mall before that, to re-launch in the same Xinyuanli complex that houses Bottega and Q Mex Taqueria in August. The addition of a little extra spice should cement the building’s reputation as one of Beijing’s top grub go-tos.
Photos courtesy of Rollbox