Nasca Cafe is opening up a third branch next month in the City Mall by Liangmaqiao. It'll be on the basement level, near Bread Talk, and they've currently got a big "under construction" sign featuring a couple reviews off the City Weekend website. I've become a really big fan of Nasca recently, since we've been ordering them through Sherpa's a lot for lunch. The gourmet vegetarian pizza with spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts and feta is awesome, as is the chicken burger. The new branch should be open March 15.
Mini reviews:
Pho La La: Just officially opened this Monday. The space is simple and clean, the service is excellent and bi-lingual, and the pho offers more flavor than any others I've tried in Beijing.
Vino House: This place is housed in the Sunshine 100 apartment complex, and the manager seemed impressed that nightlife editor Alex Searson and I managed to get into the complex and find the restaurant on our own. The tiny, two-story restaurant is quite humble, and the food is like a slightly better version of Annie's, but this place is all about the wine. It's run by an Australian wine distribution company, so there are tons of bottles from Australia and New Zealand that you won't find elsewhere. We tried a couple really nice, and decently priced Australian Shirazes (Shirazs? Shiraz'?)--one was RMB40/glass and the other was RMB198/bottle. There are a lot of options in the RMB100-300 range, and an outdoor porch will be great for sipping tasty New Zealand whites in the summer.
Events:
It's all about Valentine's Day in the upcoming week, and it seems like every restaurant in town has some kind of special dinner, including some really surprising venue. Like, who takes their date to Bar Blu or Luga's Villa for Valentine's dinner??? Actually, I'd be okay with Luga's nachos for Valentine's, but Bar Blu would definitely result in an instant break up. For dinners we actually recommend, check out our big list of V-day dinners and other deals.
And next Friday, Le Petit Gourmand is hosting a free wine tasting, with four French wines, including a Crozes-Hermitage Syrah and a Châteauneuf-du-Pape Grenache.
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