the Beijinger

San Yang Cai’s name refers to three Chongqing specialties – dry-braised eels, loach with pickled mustard greens, and spiced frog stew – belonging to the jianghu cai (江湖菜) branch of Sichuan cuisine. Jianghu cai is characterized by three main traits – it’s folksy, rustic and eclectic. Spicier fare prevails at San Yang Cai, but the cooks display a talent for balancing flavors and creating quality dishes. The ingredients and seasonings are all imported from Chongqing, with vegetable oil (菜籽油) brought in from Sichuan.

Last night Avril Lavigne became the first performer to give the Wukesong Stadium a work out as a live music venue and, according to reports in today’s Beijing papers, the Olympic Basketball venue saw quite a show. Lavigne kicked off the performance, the last of her six-city tour of China, with her popular “Girlfriend” and the audiences responded by rushing forward to the VIP area in front of the main stage. Three songs in to the 70-minute performance, things became a little chaotic with barriers in front of the stage being bent out of shape by crazed fans. The stage lighting was turned off and the concert was forced to pause for eight minutes as staff standing on the stage asked the crowd to return to their seats. After fans had returned to the stands, the Canadian punk-pop princess continued on with the show. Reports suggest that the crowd control problems stemmed from more than just excitable fans but were also exacerbated by the poor lay out of the venue. The crowd simply filled the large amount of empty space at the center of the stadium and little security had been set up to prevent them from doing so. You can take a look at a video of the chaotic scenes here.

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.

There has been lots of musical excitement going on around town lately; big acts keep coming one after another. But that doesn’t mean we should overlook the young powers-to-be. The ongoing event which is aiming to find the best out of the young bands, Tiger Translate Battle Of The Bands, just finished its third round and already some new talents have been discovered.

Sooner or later (better later), all of us encounter one of those irritating foreigners who speak in an affected, cartoonish hutong croak. You’ll probably run into that guy here. But that’s a risk worth taking, because this looks like it may become a favorite of Gulou regulars. Located at the top of a rickety spiral staircase, this bar and restaurant uses a good space well and serves some good cocktails (RMB 40-50).

As Chinese shoppers grow more trend-conscious, the concept of fast fashion is taking off. The main suspects, of course, are H&M from Sweden, Zara and its strengthening empire (Bershka, Pull and Bear, Stradivarius) from Spain, and Uniqlo from Japan. But what they all have in common is that none of them got its start in China.

Me&City has high hopes of snaking in and securing that spot. The homegrown label first launched three years ago; as of last summer, it had already opened over 85 stores throughout China. Many of you (as well as the rest of the world) failed to notice the brand – that is, until its prominent ads featuring British stars Orlando Bloom and Agyness Deyn came out last spring.

Fish and chips is a dish close to this Brit’s heart. A slab of steamy (sustainable) cod in golden batter; a heap of fluffy, crisp-edged potatoes. Best eaten with fingers, by the sea, in the rain. The Big Boss platter (RMB 79) has hand-cut chips, but they fall well short of Fish Nation’s for flavor. The fish tastes like a frozen fillet, which at this price, may just be forgivable.

When your claim to fame is a single English song, putting on your first concert in a country halfway across the world might be a little nerve-wracking. In terms of the American music scene, indie band Neon Trees is a relatively new sensation. After a lucky discovery by The Killers and a few opening gigs for the band, the wild success of their first album propelled the band to mainstream recognition—enough, apparently, to lure a full house at Tango last night.

The restaurant’s name, Xiangxia Cai, punningly refers both to Hunan cuisine (xiang 湘) and rural cooking (xiang 乡). On the tables, old photos of Longtang Village point to the common hometown of the entire kitchen staff. These Hunan country folk have brought the recipes of their village to the white-collar crowds who fill the modest two-floor space for lunch and dinner. Owner Jin Pengyuan is frank and sincere. He displays sample ingredients near the entrance, bans the use of MSG and dodgy oils, and makes marinated diced chilli – key in Hunan cuisine – from scratch.