Hotel specials

Brunch and bubbly

Monsoon restaurant on the 5th floor of the InterContinental Beijing Financial Street offers Sunday brunch, with live cooking stations, accompanied by the sound of acoustic guitars. There is a free flow of French champagne, featuring four brands - Veuve Clicquot, Moet & Chandon, Mumm and Laurnet Perrier. There is also vodka, a sorbet bar, an array of exotic seafood and great roast meat sliced on the stage. 5852-5888.

American Food & Wine Festival

Jointly organized with the Agricultural Trade Office of the US embassy, the Radisson SAS Hotel will holds its 2nd American Food & Wine Festival throughout April. There is a wide variety of regional dishes from the US and selected California wines. 5922-3388 Ext 3440.

Snapper tasting

Urashima Japanese Restaurant presently provides fresh snappers for tasting at the Loong Palace Hotel & Resort. 8079-9988 Ext 73026.

Mushroom revolution

Master chef at Yunnan Huangyue Chinese Restaurant, Crowne Plaza Beijing prepares creative mushroom dishes with Yunnan mushroom, bean curd, shrimp balls in soup, and sauteed diced chicken with black bean sauce. 5911-9999 Ext 64.

Courtyard restaurants

Gui Gong Fu The former residence of Qing empress' brother, it offers some tea dishes presented in unique style. Daily 10:30am-2pm, 5pm-10:30pm. 11 Fangjiayuan, Dongcheng District, go north from International Hotel, turn east into the Dafangjia Hutong, go for 100 metres and turn left. 6512-7677.

The Gourmet Room A small courtyard, with delicate Cantonese food and good wine. Daily 6 pm-9:30 pm, Monday-Thursday; 11am-2pm, 6pm-9:30pm, Friday-Sunday. No 3 Qianhai Xijie, Shichahai, Xicheng District 3. 6613-9641.

Yan Yi Shan Zhai Ge Ge Fu Waiting staff dress up in ancient Chinese costumes. The cuisine is the so-called "official cuisine" and there are nutritional soups. Daily 11am-2pm, 4:30pm-10:30pm. No 9, Daqudeng Hutong, Meishuguan Houjie, Dongcheng District. 6407-8006.

Modern Sichuan

Goldern Barn Old Shanghai style interior and set meals of more than 10 varieties starting at 100 yuan (US$12). Daily 11am-midnight. 1 Sanlitun Beixiaojie, Chaoyang District. 8454-0264. ,

Southern Beauty A modern, fashionable eatery offering delicate Sichuan and Cantonese dishes. Daily 11am-10pm. West building, 2/F China World, Chaoyang District. 6505-0809. ,

Chinese fusion

Hongse Jingdian Jiqing Suiyue (Red Classics and Passionate Times) Restaurant 9:30 am-10pm. Performances from 12:15pm-1:15pm, 7:15pm-8:15pm. 266 Baijialou, East Fifth Ring Road, Chaoyang District. 6574-8289. 266

Le Quai A lakeside venue with half traditional two-floor wooden building and the other half a modern bar. Daily 11am-2pm, 2pm-5pm (tea), 5pm-10pm, 10pm -2 am (bar). Opposite Gate 12 of the Workers Stadium, Chaoyang District. 6551-1636.

Da Zhai Men Traditional Chinese architecture, performances and popular Chinese foods. Daily 11am-2pm, 5pm-11pm. Guoxing Jiayuan, Shouti Nanlu, Xicheng District. 8835-6687.

Pakistani

Mughal's Beijing Restaurant

Classic curry dishes and many other famous Pakistani/Xinjiang halal dishes (English menu). Lunch buffet every working day for 38 yuan (US$4.78) per person. Live dance performances every day (starting at 7:30pm). There is a big open-air terrace. Daily 11am-midnight, Rm 5188, 5th Floor, 3.3 Fashion Plaza, 33 Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang District. 5136-5575. 335188

French

Brasserie Flo One of the most hailed places by the locals to eat "authentic" French food in a romantic ambience, at a cost. There is a terrace to get some sunlight and the oysters are imported. Daily noon-3:30pm, 6pm-midnight. 2/F Rainbow Plaza, 16 Dongsanhuan Beilu, Chaoyang District. 6595-5135. , 16

Cuisine Gallery Classic ambience and innovative food. Good hotel service. Can be quite empty if it's not a holiday. Daily 11:30am-2pm, 5:30pm-9:30pm. 2/F Novotel Xinqiao Hotel, 2 dongjiaominxiang, Dongcheng District. 6513-3366 ext 2206.

Justine's Traditional and renovated French food. There is a healthy set meal for the ladies. Daily 6:30pm-9:30pm. 1/F Jianguo Hotel, 5 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District. 6500-2233 ext 803.

Maxim's de Paris Classic food and dcor. Popular among the locals. A bit dark inside. Daily 11am-2pm, 5pm-10pm. 2 Chongwenmen Xidajie, Chaongwen District. 6512-1992.

Mediterranean

Caprio Pizza & Steak offers a Mediterranean cuisine that includes Italian pizza and Spanish dishes. A very basic lunch set meal costs 38 yuan (US$4.69), but dinners average 100 yuan (US$12.35). Menu in both Chinese and English.

1/F Raycom Infotech Park Tower A, Zhongguancun Kexueyuan Nanlu, Haidian District. 8286-1553.

Fusion

Jing Open kitchen buffet comprising Western and Chinese Cantonese food. Daily 11am-11:30pm. Basement of Peninsula Palace Hotel, 8 Jinyu Hutong, Wangfujing, Dongcheng District. 6559-2888 ext 6714.

Golden Jaguar More than 300 choices, open kitchen cooking, international cuisine. Daily 11am-2:30pm. Bldg 2, 214 Huizhong Beili, Asian Games Village, Chaoyang District. 5128-1888.

Le Hugo French Vietnamese food and dcor. Different, and tasty. Daily 10am-11pm. Eastern side of Beijing Customs Building, 10 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District. 6581-5060. German

Der Landgraf German sausage and draft beer, in a classic milieu. Daily 11am-1am. 2A Pufang Lu, Fangzhuang, Fengtai District. 6768-2664.

(China Daily 03/28/2007 page8)