Take a hereditary love of gastronomy, a childhood spent playing in vegetable gardens and add a sprinkling of summers spent catching fish off the south coast of France. The result is a talented chef dedicated to using local and seasonal produce to create authentic French cuisine. We spoke to Brasserie Flo’s Chef de Cuisine Bertrand Combe about what it means to him to be part of the culinary tradition at Flo. Throughout September Brasserie Flo will be celebrating their 11th Anniversary of doing business in Beijing with a special menu for RMB 288.

Thanks to now-classic shops like Plastered T-shirts, Nanluogu Xiang is firmly established as a shopping destination for cool gifts and Beijing souvenirs. The neighborhood’s commercial sensibilities are endemic along perpendicular Gulou Dongdajie, lined with jostling boutiques and vintage shops. These are some of the best to check out.

As China’s art capital, Beijing boasts a bounty of gleaming galleries and art districts that exhibit the works of world-class artists. Below is a roundup of a few of the most interesting galleries and art spaces the capital has to offer.

Don’t overlook the shopping potential of Dongsi, once one of Beijing’s premier mercantile destinations, known as Silver Street (Yin Jie).

This grand two-floor pastry school and café offers informal and fun classes where you can learn to make a supremely indulgent chocolate cake, delectable rum truffles or a savory quiche.

The self-proclaimed “drinking group with a running problem,” the Hash House Harriers (or HHH) experiment with a less conventional approach to exercise – combining running and beer, both in often immoderate quantities. Agenda hit the trail with the “man in charge” of the Beijing kernel, Thomas Moore, to chat about running in Beijing, HHH rituals and stories of romance.

In 2008 Rania Ho and Wang Wei, along with curator Pauline Yao, chose an unassuming hutong in which to house one of Beijing’s most innovative art spaces, Arrow Factory. Besides working as curators of exhibitions and creating their own interactive installation art pieces, the pair also design interiors via their boutique design firm, Kupa Studios – they conceived the chic space that is Apothecary, among others. The couple took some time to have a chat with Agenda about their projects and the art scene in China.

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

Multicursal mastermind Leon Lee, previously of jazz-spot OT Lounge, has opened a new bar, Apothecary, in Sanlitun’s Nali Patio. His partners in the venture comprise a dedicated team of fellow Beijing food and drink impresarios (Max E. Levy – Chef du cuisine at The Opposite House’s Bei, and the duo behind Er whiskey bar: Motonari Uchiyama and Daisuke Onishi). Together, this brain trust has created a contemporary cocktail bar infused with the buzz and vigor of a vintage New Orleans joint, boasting a vast selection of fine beers, liquor and Creole food. Agenda sat down with Leon to discuss cocktail crafting, the inspiration behind Apothecary and jazz in Beijing.

As the Gongti branch celebrates five violaceous years of business, the new incarnation of this Beijing Thai institution has opened in a renovated traditional courtyard dwelling.