the Beijinger

Are you a Friends nut? Ever wish you could sit on that famous couch and pretend you were Jennifer Aniston? Well Beijingers, it’s your lucky day – Central Perk, a dead-on copy of the café from the hit show, has opened in the Chaowai Soho complex.

Located at the top of Qianhai lake, in Houhai, this restaurant offers palatable Yunnan cuisine, to go with a stunning view of the lake. Predominantly wooden furnishings compose the minimalist decor, while service is friendly and helpful. The hand-written, hand-sewn menu presents a varied sampling of Yunnan dishes, such as the traditional steamed clay pot chicken (RMB 48), with rich, hearty mingling flavors of chicken meatballs, mushrooms and melon, and old Kunming’s braised beef (RMB 58), which provides a tasty kick of spice balanced with refreshing mint and spinach leaves. This is a great spot for escaping the Houhai bar scene to take in the view and enjoy a decent meal. Daily 9:30am-11pm. 10 Qianhai Dongyan, Xicheng District (8404 8710)云海肴.
西城区前海东沿10号(什刹海银锭桥头)

Meet Alexander Wang. This 27-year-old Taiwanese-American womenswear designer has already established himself as a cult favorite among Hollywood’s most stylish elite.

At age 24, he took home the coveted CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award; and last February, he opened up his very first flagship store in NYC’s trendy SOHO district.

No, they don’t sell monocles. Not the one-eyed corrective lenses, anyway. This exclusive boutique is the retail extension of Monocle, the super-stylish global culture magazine headquartered in London.

The first Monocle Shop opened in London in November 2008 as a pop-up for Christmas, but was made permanent due to its success. Beijing marks its sixth boutique in the world, joining London, New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Osaka.

To celebrate the sport’s growing accessibility, the Heyrobics team is offering all Beijinger readers free Heyrobics sessions at their new Lido location (at 3e International School) for the month of January.

We've been harrassing the owners of Let's Burger for months trying to find out when they'd be opening their new venture, Let's Burger Plus. Well, today was the day, as Let's Burger Plus opened in Sanlitun Village North this morning, just in time for US Independence Day celebrations. The restaurant is in the lower level of the Village North, opposite Colibri Cafe and Starbucks, with space for a couple of tables outdoors.

The words “Michelin star” are becoming more and more prevalent around Beijing’s dining scene. Not that the city has any Michelin-starred restaurants – we’ll need a Beijing Michelin Guide before that’s a possibility. With Michelin Guides available for Hong Kong and Macau, a mainland edition might not be too far off, but for now it’s an increasingly regular stream of visiting Michelin-starred chefs who are bringing star power to Beijing dining.

This elegant Japanese restaurant, a favorite of many Shunyi-residents, has opened a new branch in the heart of Sanlitun. The menu’s emphasis is on capturing the essence of quality ingredients, which in turn means higher prices. Each of the several small private rooms feature a teppanyaki grill as the centerpiece (hence the restaurant’s suitability for group dinners), and regulars give the entertainingly prepared (by a private chef) and artistically presented food high ratings.