To Try List: Dastaan 4.0 Opens, New Menu at Pebbles & More

Our To Try List covers new restaurants, dining deals, drinks discounts, guest shifts, pop-ups, and more foodie happenings in Beijing.

Rabiul's Kitchen, Dastaan's fourth branch, opens tomorrow, Pebbles launches a new menu, Slider Nation is now offering weekend brunch dishes at their WAB location, and more on our To Try List this week.

Rabiul's Kitchen Opens Its Doors Tomorrow 

It's great to see places thriving in Beijing's F&B scene, and one place that has definitely been making a name for itself is Dastaan. After the opening of their original branch back in 2022, last year saw them open up Bollywood Tales, followed later in the year by Mumbai Impression, and now they are opening up a fourth branch: Rabiul's Kitchen.

Officially set to open its doors tomorrow (Mar 27), Rabiul's Kitchen is located just across the road from the west side of the 798 Arts District. Like all of Dastaan's restaurants, the focus here is on high-quality authentic Indian cuisine, and you can expect to see a range of their signature dishes on the menu along with branch-exclusive offerings.   

The space itself is absolutely beautiful, with colorful motifs adorning the walls, and all of the furniture has been carefully handpicked by Rabiul and his team so that each piece tells its own story. Even the doors to the restaurant have been crafted in an Indian style. 

Rabiul's Kitchen
Bldg 31, Dashanzi Beili, Jiuxianqiao Jiedao, Chaoyang District
朝阳区酒仙桥街道大山子北里31号楼
Hours: 11am-11pm
Phone: 184 0118 2660; 137 1844 0102

Pebbles' Brand New Menu Has Landed

Pebbles has just launched a brand new menu, adding some delicious fresh offerings to their already impressive selection. This includes new daily specials such as Tortas Wednesday, which features tortas (Mexican sandwiches) made with their homemade bolillos (bread), an example of which is the Tortas Ahogadas (RMB 65, pictured above), which is filled with carnitas, frijoles, chile de arbol sauce and pickled onion served in a roasted tomato sauce. Another daily deal is Char-Grill Thursday, where you can get a range of grilled dishes like Tacos de Arabes (RMB 108/chicken; RMB 148/beef, pictured below), a Chinese-Mexican fusion dish that combines chuanr-style skewers with flour tortillas, rice and pico de gallo. 

Other new additions include a weekend kids menu inspired by owner Ray's son Arthur and featuring kid-friendly dishes such as Arthur's Weekend Pasta (RMB 45), Chicken Quesadillas (RMB 50), Arthur's Cheeseburger (RMB 48) and Fish & Chips (RMB 45). They also have a whole salsa and sauces section with choices ranging from mild options like Salsa Negra (RMB 12) up to spicy numbers like Habanero Mango Salsa (RMB 15). Along with the new daily deals, they, of course, still have their great Taco Tuesday deal where you can get ten tacos for RMB 108. You can read more about their new menu here.  

Pebbles Courtyard
74 Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng District
东城区五道营胡同74号
Hours: Tue-Thu, 5pm-10pm, Fri-Sun noon-10pm
Phone: 010 8404 0767

Slider Nation WAB Brunch and Fried Chicken Sliders Now Available

Another spot with some exciting menu updates is Slider Nation, which is now offering brunch dishes at their WAB branch every Sunday from 11am until 2.30pm. Options include Sausage Egg n' Cheese Sliders (RMB 28/each, minimum order of three), each of which sees a homemade Jimmy Dean style breakfast sausage patty paired with egg, cheese and spicy OG sauce. For potato fans, there is the Hangover Hash (RMB 58, pictured below), which sees tater tots loaded with peppers, onions, shredded cheese, OG spicy burger sauce and two fried eggs. You can also add Wagyu beef crumble or pulled pork for an additional RMB 18. 

If you've got a sweet tooth, there's the French Toast Chuan'r (RMB 58, pictured below), where skewered cinnamon-spiced French toast bites with fresh fruit and powdered sugar are served with a whisky butter maple glaze. Lastly, there is the Big o’ Plate of Maple Glazed Bacon (RMB 48) – because who doesn't love bacon? – featuring Smithfield American-style crispy bacon and brushed with real maple syrup and brown sugar. If you're looking to turn your brunch boozy, they also offer a two-hour free-flow deal on their signature Bloody Marys, Mimosas and Carlsberg for RMB 158. 

That's not all the news in store from Slider Nation, though. You can also now get Fried Chicken Sliders (RMB 69 for three plus Duck Fat Fries) across all their locations. The sliders feature homemade in-house fried chicken sandwiched between Slider Nation's signature soft steamed buns, and you can choose between classic or extra spicy. 

Slider Nation WAB 小堡邦
2-9, 1/F, 8 Laiguangying Donglu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区来广营东路8号一层2-9号  
Hours: 11am-9pm
Phone: 156 1123 5169

New Set Menu for Two at Fukumimi 

Fukumimi recently launched a special Set Menu for Two, which includes appetizers, signature dishes, yakitori skewers, a staple food, a dessert and two drinks all for just RMB 445 a set. Some of the highlights are their Beyond Scotch Egg (pictured below), Miso Cheese, Signature Beef Tataki and Chicken Thigh Yakitori. You can see the full details of the set meal in the poster above. 

Fukumimi Beyond
Rm 108, JinShang Yuan, 20 Xinyuan Lixi, Xindong Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区新东路新源里西20号金尚源大厦一层108
Hours: 6pm-10pm
Phone: 185 0044 9033

Jing-A  Adds Three New Sandwiches to Their Menu

Jing-A has just added three new sandwiches to their menu, with each one inspired by a different country. The first is the French Truffle and Foie Gras Sandwich, then there is the Japanese Tuna and Poached Egg Sandwich, and lastly is the Italian Parma Ham and Garlic Mayonnaise Sandwich. All of these can be enjoyed as part of one of their lunch deals, where you can either get a main and a drink for RMB 49 or a main, drink and side for RMB 88.  

MO Bar Introduces a Hutong-Themed Cocktail Menu

Wangfujing watering hole MO Bar has created a new cocktail menu made up of ten different cocktails inspired by the hutongs. Some new offerings to watch out for are the Beijing Sour, which combines whisky with iced red wine and erguotou; the Green Courtyard, which blends tequila with lime and other fruit flavors; and the Morning Dew, which mixes jasmine tea with gin and Benedictine. You can read more about the new cocktails here.

MO Bar
5/F, Inside Mandarin Oriental Beijing Wangfujing, 269 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District
东城区王府井大街269号北京王府井文华东方酒店5层
Hours: Mon-Tue & Sun, 4pm-midnight; Wed-Sat, 4pm-1am
Phone: 010 8509 8850

Sausage Fest Returns This Weekend

We couldn't write about things to try without mentioning our upcoming Sausage Fest! Taking place from Mar 28 to 30 at the FFC, this is going to be one weiner-filled fest that you don't want to miss! We've got 50+ vendors taking part, and you can read more about them in this post here and here. It's not just delicious links of meat we've got in store, though; there will also be plenty of entertainment, including some fun sausage-themed games, live music and a dedicated kids area for the little ones. You can find out more about all the entertainment here.

Sausage Fest will be taking place at FFC South Square on Mar 28 from 4pm to 9pm and on Mar 29-30 from 11am to 9pm. Early bird tickets are RMB 20, VIP tickets are RMB 100 and tickets at the door are RMB 30. You can purchase tickets by scanning the QR code in the poster above.

FFC South Square 北京财富金融中心(FFC)南广场
5 Sanhuan Zhonglu, Hujialou Jiedao, Chaoyang District
朝阳区呼家楼街道东三环中路5号

READ: To Try List: 1001 Nights Reopens, New Burger Pop-Up in SLT & More

Images: courtesy of the venues, the Beijingers