Fatburger has opened up a new front in Beijing's burger wars with their first Mainland China branch in The Grand Summit complex just north of the Kempinski Hotel. We dropped in for lunch today (hat tip to Beijing Boyce for his timely twitter post) and found the place hopping on this, its first official day of business after a slight delay due to some issues with sourcing their beef.  Business was so brisk, in fact, it was hard not to feel a bit sorry for the forlorn O'Brien's counter (owned by the same management) in the corner.

Settled in wood and wicker booths overlooking a warren of hutongs, diners straddle the border between Beijing and Bangkok at this refined Thai restaurant. With decorations, key ingredients (like galanga and lemongrass) and a chef imported from Thailand, Patara is rigorously authentic.

It’s been an age coming, but the CBD’s luxury Fairmont hotel is up and running. Lunar 8 is one of its food outlets – a large, pan-Asian a la carte restaurant in the vein of IFW and Made in China.

This folksy restaurant near Houhai joins a tiny number of places in the capital serving barbecued meat the old Beijing way.

Curious carnivores seeking to sample Turkish food would do well to seek out this cozy tavern a short stroll south of Hooters.

Beijing’s been pretty quiet over Spring Festival, which perhaps explains why so few met out last Food Fight challenge. Before the break we said the first five users to post reviews of Sanlitun venues THAT HAVE NOT BEEN REVIEWED BEFORE would each win themselves a copy of Eileen Wen Mooney’s Beijing Eats, the essential guide to dining in the capital. Two users have scored themselves books – which means there are still three prizes up for grabs.

Spanferkel in Germany, lechon in Spain and ruzhu over here … nothing says Winterval like a hearty hog roast. Here are five spots to feast on roast suckling pig.

This time of year, Comptoirs de France bakeries around town become veritable Santa’s grottoes. We called in on jolly owner Benjamin Devos for a cup of seasonal cheer in his Ritan store.

the Beijinger: Sure are a lot of chocolate Santas in here …
Benjamin Devos: They’re really traditional, huh? The biggest Santa is 70cm high, around 3kg of chocolate. Parents like to buy it for their children so they can destroy it then eat the pieces.

It's the third Thursday of November, which means Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrive! Originally made to celebrate the harvest in the Beaujolais region north of Lyon, this lightweight red wine is now a genuine globetrotter. A brief fermentation period means very little tannin and a dominance of fresh fruit flavors - think of it as a fading taste of European sunshine to be enjoyed now before the Beijing winter closes in. Here’s where to imbibe:

Do you know the muffin man that lives down Guanghua Lu? It’s Frank Siegel, and he’s just opened a new branch of Sequoia Café in the Kerry Centre next door to Papa John’s Pizza. They’re giving away free muffins from now until the end of November, so pop down for a bite and one of Beijing’s better cups of Joe.