EAT: Bidding Goodbye to Flamme, Alba, and Furnace; Off-Menu Dining at Hatsune

This past week has seen us bid goodbye to a couple of stalwarts of the Beijing restaurant scene. 

Firstly, reliable Sanlitun steakhouse Flamme closed its doors suddenly last week, with its Indigo branch following suit on Monday. No word yet as to why they closed, but we do know that we will miss their reasonably priced chunks of meat and excellent BOGOF cocktail happy hour.

Over in Gulou, hipster haunt Alba, second only in popularity to neighboring Zarah, has closed its doors. We have spent many a happy afternoon sipping coffee, and then cocktails, on their rooftop over the years, although we had noticed a decline in the quality of their food and drinks. 

Further along the street, not-so-old-favorite cocktail bar Furnace has shaken its last martini. Word on the street (and on the new sign outside) is that the space is being taken up by a branch of our favorite Wangjing Korean fried chicken place, Chicken Suutak's. 

In more upbeat news, Hatsune have revealed their secret, off-menu dish for September – aki tuna tartare. Blogess extraordinaire Lum Dim Sum revealed the dish, which features 11 ingredients, including tuna tartare, salmon roe, and uni, layered over rice. The dish is available in limited quantities at all three Hatsune locations until September 30. Seriously though, how good does that look?

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Email: robynnetindall@thebeijinger.com
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Photos: bloodandsands.com, Lum Dim Sum