Capital Bites: It's Grill Time, Chicken Parma at Mao Mao Chong, Nathan's in Sanlitun and Updates on QMex, Pavillion and More
Everyone's firing up their grills, from all-you-can-eat ribs at Switch to Latin BBQ buffet at Kranzler's in the Kempinski. Flamme's new menu also has some great summer eats and we've got a Nathan's Famous heading to Sanlitun. Read on for more updates, photos and food news.
First, some news: Niajo's sprucing itself up, so they're closed for renovations until June 23. Fans of their paella can return then to enjoy their socarrat in new environs.
We tried the new Latin Fever BBQ buffet at Kranzler's in the Kempinski Hotel and it was a good time. Our fave was the grilled chicken: lusciously tender with gorgeous crackly skin. Yum. They also had South American-style grilled pork tenderloin, lamb skewers (also very succulent) and chorizo with parsley aioli and of course, plenty of BBQ sauce. RMB 298 gets you all that plus free flow margaritas (the Paulaner margarita was fun, as was their kiwi margarita). This happens every Saturday night, so if you find yourself never waking up in time for brunch, this is a fun alternative.
We visited Flamme again yesterday and were, as usual, very happy with our meal. We tried their new Ahi tuna nicoise salad (good), the summer skewer with beef and shrimp (impressive-looking but the beef was a little tough) and dug into their organic baby back ribs (not a new item but oh so good). Our surprising love of the night was a sweet corn side with bacon and mushrooms. I have to say, every time I go to Flamme I usually walk away most impressed with their sides. And it works, cuz they always get me going back. Mostly for their signature fries. I'm a sucker for fries.
Going back to ribs, Switch! Grill is doing an all-you-can-eat ribs deal on Sunday nights. RMB 120 gets you unlimited ribs alongside broccolini and fries. Their ribs alone are usually RMB 140, so this is a phenomenal deal. Meat lovers should probably mosey on over.
Nathan's Famous is setting up a kiosk at the Sanlitun Megabox. Lumdimsum tells us they're aiming to have it up and running by early July. Unfortunately, building codes won't allow them to fry or grill so they won't be serving their fries, chicken fingers or burgers, which is a bit of a bummer. But hey, dogs are better than no dogs, right?
Lots of news over at Beijingboyce.com too. First, he's helping organize a week of Canadian eats, with plenty of poutine, maple syrup and "eh" jokes at restaurants all around town. He also gives us the skinny on chicken parma at Mao Mao Chong: They'll be serving it up this Sunday night, June 17. Regular parma (RMB 50), eggplant parma (RMB 55) and pancetta parma (RMB 60) all sound like things I want to eat. Be sure to read up at his website for more.
UPDATES:
Qmex is set to open at 9.16pm (a nod to Mexican independence) on June 21. We'll have a review for you as soon as we've stuffed our faces with burritos and enchiladas while washing them down with some of Echo Sun's class cocktails.
We've had a taste of Pavillion Grille. Chef Billy's still getting everything picture perfect, so he's asked us not to post any photos just yet. What we can tell you so far is the space is beautiful, the test dishes promising and the drinks excellent. Our contributor Josh Ong will bring news from the front line as it happens. Opening is set for July 1.
As of Monday, Wagas was still not open next to Element Fresh, but its space is all set up with HUGE lettering. We'll let you know as soon as there's any sign of sandwiches, salads and smoothies flying out of their space.
Now, this is a good time to recommend that you all get a bike, or roller blades, or some other form of transport that gets you burning calories. Cuz seriously ...
Photos: Marilyn Mai, Josh Ong, Weibo user lumdimsum
