Beijing trip 2026 day 2: plant-based lunch

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Considerating that I went to bed around 3 a.m. this morning, I definitely woke up too early. I had spent a little time yesterday researching for potential breakfast spots around Conrad Beiing, but I simply had zero appetite this morning. My dream of an authentic jianbing (煎饼) breakfast would have to wait until tomorrow, then...

One of the reasons why I chose our hotel was that it was only a short walk to our lunch venue today - and I would be able to avoid sitting in the notorious Beijing traffic. With the sun being out and it not being a windy day and all, the 20-minute walk to lunch was leisurely and nice. We even passed by one of the breakfast spots I had found on Dianping (大众点评).

I was kinda excited when our tour guide announced Lamdre (兰斋) as our lunch venue for today. Having earned a couple of Michelin stars as well as a place on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, Chef Dai Jun (戴军) must be doing some seriously good plant-based cuisine. Foursheets and I are always happy to explore restaurants that offer fine dining experiences in this genre, and the lighter nature of this meal would be a welcome break from our packed dining schedule.

Since we're in China and it is lunch, Mr. Chichi suggested that we take the restaurant's tea pairing.

Sweet osmanthus Oolong, Anxi (桂花乌龙, 安溪), 1996 - this was pretty nice and elegant. Very soft and very fragrant.

The first course of our tasting menu - entitled Rooted in the Autumn (京归秋根) - came with a trio of bites:

Beijing trip 2026 day 1: back in Strong country

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I'm spending a few days in Beijing, joining an eating tour organized by Mr. Chichi (吃吃君). It's been YEARS since I last went to a decent restaurant in Beijing - 9 years to be exact, and I haven't been back in the city since that short business trip 2 months before the pandemic started. With someone who's in the know doing all the planning, Foursheets and I just needed to tag along with the gang and bring our appetites. Sweet!

We took an evening flight that landed 10ish, and went straight to meet up with the rest of the gang for late supper. Our tour leader initially asked whether we would be up for mutton hotpot, then arranged for a table at Bistro Strong (壮壮酒馆). Having not done any homework ourselves and just blindly following (and trusting) our friend, we didn't realize how interesting this place would be until we arrived with our luggage in tow.

A long table had been set up in the middle of the floor for us, and the boss himself - whose nickname is "Strong Strong (壮壮)" - joined us for our late night feast.

I was so happy to see a plate of kumquats (金桔). These are so clean-tasting, so sweet and refreshing... without the strong acidity that I eschew in some citrus fruits. I had trouble stopping myself and, in the end, pretty much took most the plate.

2026 osechi: part 2

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A pleasant surprise for this new year is the gift of a second osechi (おせち) box, courtesy of Mr. Chichi (吃吃君). I went to pick this up from Sushi Kumogaku (寿し雲隠) today, and I was pretty excited to check out the contents.

2026 osechi: part 1

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It’s New Year’s Day, and we decided to kick off 2026 with some osechi (おせち), the traditional Japanese meal for the new year prepared in advance to be served during the first few days of the year. In the old days, many restaurants are closed during this period, and home cooks also get the chance to have a break, so having a few days’ supply of dishes that can be served without reheating became the way to survive for a few days.

I happened to have some Shangri-La Golden Circle points expiring at the end of 2025, and decided to redeem the points to exchange for the osechi from Nadaman (なだ万). We did this a couple of years ago, and while I don’t know if theirs is the best one in town, one certain can’t go wrong with this option.

The most delicious wines I tasted in 2025

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Following the precedent I started last year, once again I present a list of the most delicious and memorable wines I had the privilege of tasting during the year.

1985 DRC Échézeaux, tasted at Saffron in the Hong Kong Golf and Tennis Academy Town Club in Hong Kong - any time one gets to drink a bottle of DRC from this fantastic vintage is a real treat, even if this was "just" the Échézeaux 牙擦蘇.