The Beijinger Blog - John Brennan

New Openings: Turkish Mom

thebeijinger — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:00:26 +0800

At Turkish Mom, there really is a Turkish mom. She’s shy, 49 years old, newly arrived from Istanbul, and is adding a new Turkish delight to the menu every day. Turkish Mom used to be the Ambassador, a little-visited Russian-owned outpost of French culture sandwiched between 1001 Nights to the west and the Rumi Persian empire to the east. Now the Ambassador is reborn as Turkish Mom, and the three restaurants form a little kebab corridor on Gongti, just west of Tuanjiehu. If you love Turkish cuisine, you’ll be thinking dolmas: RMB 48 will get you a plate of them at Turkish Mom. Naturally, there are kebabs galore (RMB 55-78), or you can choose from other mouth-watering mains (RMB 35-98) like sultan’s delights (slow-cooked eggplant and lamb) or a wonderful chicken stew with plums and apples on basmati rice. Try the soups (RMB 15-30) – the Turks love them. There’s a good wine list as well.

Dine Like a Local with Beijing Eats!

thebeijinger — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 15:00:08 +0800

The ultimate English language guide to Beijing's Chinese restaurants is finally here! It’s called Beijing Eats – A Food-Lover's Companion to China's Culinary Capital, and it guides you to 140 of Beijing’s best Chinese restaurants, covering 31 regional and historic cuisines.

Where the wild things are … in Beijing

thebeijinger — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 11:55:45 +0800

If you think office cockroaches are the only wild animals in Beijing, think again. Nature finds its way into most big cities, and Beijing is no exception.

The capital’s winding hutongs are a long way from the steppe, but they still seem to appeal to Siberian Weasels. Known locally as huangshulang (“yellow rat wolf”), these night prowlers terrorize Beijing’s rodents after dark, and are relatively common inside the Second Ring Road: the Confucius Temple is a popular weasel hangout. (To read more on the huangshulang, pick up the 2009 edition of the Insider’s Guide to Beijing: Gabriel Monroe has the full weasel scoop on page 577.)

The 2009 edition of the Insider’s Guide to Beijing is Out

thebeijinger — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 14:22:45 +0800

This is the book that plugs you into Beijing like no other guidebook can. It’s fully updated every year, which means that the 2009 edition is about Beijing today – not the pre-Olympics capital, but the city outside your window right now. Every listing (hotels, restaurants, galleries, tourist sites, bars, shops, businesses and more) has been individually checked and updated.

Milk Update: Melamine FAQ

thebeijinger — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:00:48 +0800

From Sep 12 when the scandal first broke to the start of this week, more than 180,000 free examinations of infants have taken place in the capital’s hospitals at a cost of millions of RMB. The tab has been covered by the city’s medical institutions but the city government haa set aside emergency funds to reimburse the medical institutions so that free checks can continue to take place until Sep 23. Among the 180,000 infants examined, 30% of them have Beijing residence papers and 30% are children living in Beijing without a Beijing hukou, the other 40% came to the capital especially for an examination. According to the official statistics, of the 181, 320 health checks that have been under taken in Beijing’s hospitals from Sep 12 to Oct 6, 3,159 resulted in patients being diagnosed with kidney stones. Currently there are 54 infants receiving medical treatment at Beijing hospitals. No deaths have been reported.

On Wednesday the Chinese government released strict new standards for melamine levels in milk and associated food products, while six more people were detained on Tuesday over the milk adulteration scandal. It seems that melamine, the chemical villain of the piece, just can’t stay out of the headlines. Here are some questions and answers for the worried or the just plain curious.

New Openings: Maxim’s

thebeijinger — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:00:03 +0800

Maxim’s, the iconic Paris restaurant synonymous with la Belle Epoque, is today Maxim’s de Paris, a brand owned by Pierre Cardin, with nine branches around the world. The latest is Maxim’s de Paris at the Solana Mall.

New Openings: Latin Grill

thebeijinger — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:00:00 +0800

Pulsing with Brazilian music and decked out in green and gold, the Latin Grillhouse has an all-you-can-eat offer of roast meat, buffet and unlimited Yanjing draft (RMB 98). Bar drinks are extra and include a caipirinha (RMB 48) so lethal it should come with a carry permit. Waiters dressed like gauchos bring hunks of bullock to your table and slice a month's worth of protein onto your plate. On the table is a plastic disk saying "Yes Please." You can flip it to say "No Thanks," so after two caipirinhas and half a cow, you can point languidly at "No Thanks," as if to say, "I could speak, but I choose not to, and now I shall admire that plastic parrot." The Latin Grill is no date restaurant, but it's perfect for the office blowout or after-match party. Afterwards, check the musical fountain outside. It plays "We Are the Champions." You'll love it … after a caipirinha or three.

New Openings: 25 Degrees

thebeijinger — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:30:24 +0800

Now pay attention: I'm recommending a restaurant where a hamburger costs an unbelievable RMB 110. The offshoot of a Hollywood outfit by the same name – 25 Degrees – it's identical in everything, including pricing. They market the uber-burger, served in an upscale saloon setting – red flock wallpaper, leatherette booths, gleaming central bar. Customers build their burgers from nine ritzy cheeses, 11 gourmet extras (arugula, caramelized onion, etc), and 12 sauces. The burgers were an inch and a half thick and perfectly cooked. I ordered a root beer float (RMB 60) and suddenly I was 10 again. Bar offerings are good but murderously priced (Tsingtao RMB 50). You can't justify the cost of food and drink at 25 Degrees, but it does sell an experience. It's open 24 hours, and you might call in there in the middle of a roaring evening on Gongti Xilu when suddenly money's not important. Then the smart ambience, knowing soundtrack and cool menu will work their magic.