Spring heralds warmth, flowers, and happy full bellies as Restaurant Week takes over the capital city from Mar 10-Apr 3. The biannual food festival sees some of Beijing’s best dining experiences offering lower prices, while also providing the prime opportunity to try that Michelin-starred restaurant you’ve had your eye on for a while now.

During last year’s second edition of Restaurant Week, my husband and I made a date night of our pick – Brasserie 1893 at the Waldorf Astoria. It was a lovely night to remember. So now we’re taking advantage of every edition of Restaurant Week to try a new dining spot since the capital is rife with them!

Among the new additions to 2022’s first installment of Restaurant Week are Japanese yakiniku restaurant ootoku, rated 10 for its spectacular interior, alongside steak specialist L’OX by FLO, and french bistro Cours et Pavillons tucked in the Weijia hutongs in the heart of Beijing.

I myself am eager to sample the elite offerings at ootoku with its Wagyu beef, foie gras nigiri sushi, and sashimi platter, which are available as lunch for RMB 375 and dinner at RMB 1,280. While that’s slightly higher than my average meal budget, these prices are a fraction of what dining at this quality establishment would otherwise cost outside of Restaurant Week.

It’s worth mentioning that categories and booking your seats on the Dining City app have changed just a tad. This year, you can search restaurants under “Best Value,” “Dining With a View,” and “Classic,” as well as the usual “Amex Privileges” listings and “Award Winner” categories.

With more than 90 restaurants taking part in Restaurant Week this time around, it might seem daunting to narrow your choices. ChiFanForCharity President and Beijing’s widely-acknowledged “Foodie Emperor” Preston Thomas suggests Rive Gauche and Opera Bombana for some fine dining, while the Tapas Bar at InterContinental is “Foodie Queen” Ana Lourenco’s recommendation.

Well, what are you waiting for? Scan the QR code or search “DiningCity” under Mini-Programs in WeChat to book your spots now!

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Images: Pexels, DiningCity, Vivienne-Tseng Rush

Ask any Singaporean, or even any visitor to the island city, and they’ll tell you that Singapore is a veritable food paradise. From the hawker centers on the street to the Michelin-starred restaurants at the tops of our iconic sky-scrapers, you can find anything from the most tender foie gras to the spiciest curry. There’s such a range of offerings from so many different cultures that you are really spoiled for choice, whether you have five or 500 dollars in your wallet. The shared ethnic and historical background between Singapore and China also means that there is a thriving population of Singaporeans living and working right here in Beijing. So it comes as no surprise that plenty of top-notch Singaporean restaurants have expanded to China’s capital city!

To help support and promote Singaporean restaurants during this festive Chinese New Year season, the Singapore Restaurant Festival is giving out a total of 1,000 cash vouchers to be deducted from your bill when you dine in at participating restaurants. It’s so easy! All you have to do is scan the QR code in the poster, choose the restaurant you’d like to dine at, and get a RMB 40 voucher off your bill! This is roughly equivalent to 10 percent off a standard two-person dining bill. Do note the terms and conditions that you may only use one voucher per bill, and a voucher cannot be used with other promotions. The festival ends on Feb 28, so redeem your vouchers now!

As a hot-blooded Singaporean and true foodie, my recommendations would be the most famous seafood chain restaurant, Jumbo Seafood, particularly the location at Universal CityWalk which is spacious and well-lit with impeccable service. They are most well known for their Singapore chilli crab dish, though I personally find their cereal prawns and salmon skins unmatched.

Another recommendation would be Brotzeit, which offers delectable German food and beer. Their cheese spätzle, sausage platter, and Angus beef sliders are each a must-try on my list. For a taste of real Singapore, the Vanda Room offers plenty of authentic Singaporean dishes which are unique to the island nation, such as handmade curry puffs and Singaporean curry laksa.

What are you waiting for? Grab your free voucher and go indulge!

KEEP READING: Summing up Beijing’s Best Dim Sum Restaurants and What to Order

Images: Dianping, pexels

Jing Yaa Tang’s Dim Sum Brunch

Every day at this Michelin-starred restaurant, it’s all you can eat dim sum yummies during lunchtime for just RMB 188 or RMB 168 with a coupon from Dianping! The list of endless dim sum – offered from 11am-2.30pm on weekends and noon-2.30pm on weekdays – includes their famous Beijing roast duck, iconic 小笼包 xiǎolóngbāo, and sticky rice balls with腊肠 làcháng aka sausage, but our top pick would definitely be pan-fried turnip cake in their homemade XO sauce. You can add on the free flow alcohol package during the weekends to pair your dim sum buffet with prosecco, red and white wines, or beer for an extra RMB 168. The chill atmosphere of this subterranean restaurant is great for a lunch break with colleagues or weekend brunch with the family!

Chua Lam’s Kitchen

This Hong Kong franchise brings you all the best of dim sum at their many outlets across the city. Think of them as the fast-food name in the dim sum game. They also consistently update their menu with new offerings, so put this restaurant on the list and check back regularly for different flavors. Our must-try dishes here are the crispy barbecued pork buns, fresh shrimp, red rice sausage rolls served with a sauce that you will want to lick off the plate, and the fried wontons. Wash this all down with a cool barley drink, a staple in Southeast Asia. For dessert, kids will enjoy their mango sago pudding – a childhood classic for me – or fried vanilla rolls.

Din Tai Fung

I’m sure you’re not surprised to find another Michelin-starred restaurant on this list, but you can’t talk about dim sum without mentioning Asia’s pioneering restaurant franchise that single-handedly put dim sum on the map. Din Tai Fung is best known for their mouth-watering xiaolongbao, but they have so much more than that. While it might seem like a humble peasant dish, the cucumbers in red oil is highly recommended as an appetizer that balances mild spice with mild sweetness. Do also try their shrimp dumplings and scrumptious double-boiled chicken soup that will warm your insides. Their fried pork cutlet over fried rice is always a winner with kids as well.

Phoenix House

If you read my previous hotpot article, you’ll already know about Phoenix House and their extensive menu that covers everything from sashimi to dim sum. Of the latter, their fresh shrimp and red rice sausage rolls are even better than Chua Lam’s Kitchen, though their barbecued pork buns aren’t quite as crispy or tasty. My local friend also swears by their chicken feet, which I have not yet summoned the courage to try. Their fresh shrimp dumplings are exactly that, fresh, and you have to try the salted egg steamed buns which are a remnant of the salted egg yolk craze that swept Asia not too long ago. Those are usually a big hit with the kids.

KEEP READING: Beijing’s Best Family Hotpot Recommendations, According to Locals

Images: Jing Yaa Tang, Meituan

Although the first official day of autumn may have slipped by right under our noses last Sunday, we sure as heck aren’t about to let the upcoming Restaurant Week Autumn 2021 do the same. For the uninitiated, Restaurant Week is a great opportunity to dine at some of Beijing’s best culinary sites for a much lower-than-usual price! So without further ado, we’re pleased to announce that Restaurant Week Autumn 2021 is open for reservations beginning today, Aug 10!

This time around, Restaurant Week brings us 25 days of culinary ecstasy, Aug 12 to Sep 5. This is your chance to experience a three-course meal at top restaurants in the capital, such as Wolfgang’s, JingYaaTang, Rive Gauche, and more! Prices start from just RMB 78 for lunch sets and RMB 298 for dinner set menus, all the way to the Elite offerings for those willing to splurge. You’ve just got to move fast and book your date at the restaurant you desire because those seats get snapped up fast! American Express cardholders enjoyed priority booking beginning Aug 5, and will also enjoy 25 percent off selected house drinks at participating restaurants. Likewise, if you’re a BMW member, you’ll also be thrilled to know that you are eligible for exclusive privileges at select Michelin-starred and Black Pearl restaurants during Restaurant Week.

When booking your seats on the Dining City app, restaurants are conveniently categorized to help whittle down your search for the most suitable restaurant according to your needs. Take a look under the Kid-Friendly section to find restaurants such as Madam Goose (the only Michelin-starred restaurant in China specializing in roast goose), Restaurant Week newcomer April Puffer (which specializes in you, guessed it, pufferfish delicacies), and Meilu Hot Pot. These restaurants are all equipped with high chairs for little ones to join in the dining fun.

2021’s second edition of Restaurant Week is also vegetarian and vegan-friendly, with the inclusion of previous Restaurant Week award winner Vege Wonder and Miao Veggie Space. As a personal recommendation, and in honor of my home nation Singapore celebrating its National Day on Aug 9, I would definitely take the chance to try Jumbo Seafood and taste their famous Singaporean chili crab.

Scan the QR code below and let the feasting begin!

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Images: Unsplash

My guilty pleasure is an odd one: scrolling through the leading Chinese food review app 大众点评 DaZhongDianPing – otherwise known as Dianping for short – and finding dining venues, only to end up admiring their luxury interior designs and gasping at all the seemingly appetizing food while screaming, “I need to go there now!”

One time, I was drawn to a Korean BBQ restaurant through the app’s recommendation. The dazzling neon lights and marinated meat looked tender and juicy, accompanied by scarlet red seasoning, all of which was perfectly suited to my love for spice and beautiful spaces. So naturally, my friend and I just had to go. Unfortunately when we arrived, the actual restaurant radiated bleak emptiness and poor infrastructure. What’s more, the pork belly, drenched in oil with black spots on the edges indicative of overcooking, was not in my best interest either and definitely didn’t align with the neatly cut, cheery-white pork belly I had seen in the pictures.

Alas, I had been catfished.

Catfish – a common internet term that describes the action of using fake online identities to deceive others – is precisely the word I would use to describe what the restaurant did.

Nowadays, intense market competition has led many restaurants to adopt fake reviews, filtered pictures, forced ratings, and bots commenting on food review apps to boost numbers. 

As a self-proclaimed food expert around Beijing, I have a few tips to help you avoid getting catfished by snazzy internet photos and reviews while saving your wallet from undeserving food.

Tip #1 – Look for unfiltered pictures

If any restaurant was to promote their food through digital media, relentlessly applying filters to beautify their pictures is the go-to method of attracting customers. But don’t be deceived by these official photos posted by the restaurant itself. Be sure to also check out pictures posted by customers, and more specifically, the unfiltered ones. Do the food and overall atmosphere of the restaurant still seem enjoyable without the adornment of filters?

Original image vs. Filtered image

Tip #2 – Origin of the reviews

There’s always a possibility that food app reviews are flat-out paid for by the restaurant. If the positive reviews are predominately generic remarks that lack personal engagement or are written by users without profile pictures and random letter sequences for a username, then warning lights should be flashing. Checking multiple reviews will also help you get a more balanced, not to mention realistic expectation of the restaurant in question. 

Tip #3 – Restaurant history and reputation

Have people around you ever talked about this venue? Is the restaurant well known amongst the general public? Of course, it’s entirely possible that a restaurant hasn’t gained a lot of recognition because it’s new. On Dianping, you can check the date when the restaurant was listed by clicking the arrow shown in the picture below. If the restaurant has been around for a while but no one knows about it, maybe there’s a reason.

Tip #4 – Timing, timing, timing!

It is important to examine the timing of the reviews when determining whether or not they are genuine. If there is a huge influx or spike of comments during a very short period of time, it could indicate a promotion agenda implemented by the restaurant, resulting in a deluge of fake comments all at once. 

Unfiltered image vs. Filtered image

I took both of these photos myself, but the one on the left looks far less appetizing, while that on the right may prompt more comments like “Wow, where is this place?” If I am able to achieve this effect with just a few clicks of a free-to-use photo editing app and a slightly better camera angle, you can be sure that corporate restaurants out to make a buck will go to much greater lengths to lure you in. So, be savvy when relying on reviews!

Happy dining, readers!

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Images: Linda Huang