A few weeks back, South African restaurant Pinotage closed its downtown branch for renovations, but it’s looking more and more likely that it might not be re-opening any time soon. Africans wishing to curb their home cravings will be happy to learn of the recently opened Nigerian cuisine restaurant, Andy’s Restaurant & Bar.

Nigerian is the most populous country in Africa, and most likely one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world. The population is divided into nearly 21 percent Hausa and Yoruba, 18 percent Igbo/Ibo, around 11 percent Fulani, and 5 percent Ibibio. Various other groups make up the remaining 23 percent.

There are so many dishes you can try. Nigeria and West African countries share one distinct feature in their cuisines: spiciness! Nigerian love their food spicy, the hotter the better. The closest comparison would be Sichuan cuisine.

Andy’s does not disappoint in the mouth numbing spiciness. The dishes are prepared by Andy, the co-owner and manager of the restaurant and bar. Nigerian born Andy has lived in Beijing and was motivated to start the restaurant after hearing how most of his countrymen and women missed home food. The selection isn’t much, but the dishes he offers pack a punch.

Beef Stew (front) and Egusi (back)

The most bland items are rice, garri, and semo. Garri is a one an accompanies dishes and is prepared using cassava tubers. The preparation including molding it with milk that help to cool down the spiciness. Semo is another accompaniment that’s made from grain (or wheat).

Stews and soups are the dominant dishes that can be ordered to spice up the bland sides. We visited with a group of four people and ordered two meat-based and two vegetable-based dishes to try a bite of everything! Here’s what we ordered:

• Egusi with ukazi (RMB 70) comes with the option of picking semo or garri as a side. The Egusi is made from melon seeds that are ground up and slow cooked.
• The other dishes we ordered were the chicken and beef stew (RMB 80 each). These stews aren’t for the faint-hearted as both were extremely sweat-pouring spicy. We substituted the rice accompaniment with Semo and Garri.
• The last dish we ordered was the draw soup with oligbo (RMB 70) that’s made from Ogbono seeds and Oligbo (bitter leaves) that blended well with the spicy meat dishes.

There are also chicken nuggets available that can be good option for kids to nibble on.

The restaurant doesn’t have a restroom and you will have to use the ones available at Sanlitun Soho. There are no high chairs or kids’ cutlery available. It’s best to go before 8pm or risk some dishes being sold out while the bar becomes more active.

Note: The soups are thick and more like heavy stews.

Andy’s Restaurant & Bar
Mon-Sun 11am-Midnight. Rm B1-521, Bldg 5 Sanlitun Soho, 8 Dongsanhuan Beilu, Chaoyang District. (135 2104 4632, 185 1127 1611) 朝阳区东三环北路8号三里屯Soho5号楼B1-521.

Information sourced from: http://www.foodbycountry.com/Kazakhstan-to-South-Africa/Nigeria.html#ixzz4NgeDMZEM

Photos: Nimo Wanjau

For someone who spends a lot of time in coffee shops, my knowledge of coffee is surprisingly dire and my inaptitude shows, with many a barista inquiring in hushed tones whether what I actually wanted was a latte not in fact a xiaobei (espresso)?

That being said, I work better in public spaces and burn through caffeine like a Hummer guzzles gas, making coffee shops my natural habitat. That is why I took it upon myself to write a series of reviews based on my experiences of cafes over the summer period, safe in the knowledge that only a handful of people have ever overdosed on caffeine.

My search for mobile offices and desire to understand Beijing’s cafe culture led me to my first top-up at Sanlitun SOHO’s Cafe Flatwhite.

Thankfully, placing my order this time around was easy as I went with the signature Flat White (RMB 20). The beans come from Rickshaw Roasters, and while the flavor was rich and the price decent, I was also concerned with how I would get on with their other flat white: the bar table top.

While the bar offered ample room for my laptop, fake Moleskine, and coffee to spread out all over, the bursts of coffee grinding noise grew irritating in no time. The open kitchen was wasted on me; I like to drink my coffee, don’t particularly care about seeing it made, and detest hearing it.

Solving the problem, I migrated to a corner table, which gave me ample room as well as access to multiple outlets and extension cords. Now sheltered from the kitchen, the wordless music and low hum of nearby business meetings created the ideal coffee shop buzz for getting work done.

I found the cafe’s location within the mall hidden enough to avoid stampeding foot traffic, yet also near enough to restaurants in Taikoo Li and Bar Street, a personal requirement as ending my day with dinner and drinks a hop and a skip away gives me motivation to work.

Overall, convenience and good facilities convinced me to ask for the stamp card (buy ten coffees get one free) and although I was peeved the staff didn’t offer it to me when I placed my order, I quickly forgave and demonstrated my loyalty by pinning my card on the board along with the others.

Vibe and design (how cool you’ll look working): 3/5

• Mismatched pastel cups and plates, nice decor, but nothing to write home about

Productivity (how much you’ll get done): 5/5

• Great Wi-Fi, laptop friendly, bright lighting for low-tech work

Follow my caffeine addiction on Instagram @xheatherrrr, or join me by tagging your pictures with #cafehoppingbj.

This post first appeared on thebeijinger.com on July 8, 2014.

Photos by Heather Budimulia

As seen on Beijing Mamas: TreeHouse Family Cafe and Playground is holding a closing sale at Sanlitun SOHO (not at their former location) to get rid of some furniture and other items. The play center and cafe closed abruptly two weeks ago.

A partial list of items was posted on Beijing Mamas, including:

• Three blue and white baby safe gates (RMB 200 each)
• A handmade wooden, wall-mounted children’s cuckoo club (RMB 400)
• An HP Photosmart C4388 all-in-one printer, scanner, and copier (RMB 200)

Photo by Lova

This Saturday, take advantage of your beijingkids Club membership to get 50 percent off the ticket price at Sanlitun SOHO’s outdoor ice skating rink. For one day only, families can get in for RMB 15 per person (regular admission: RMB 30) by showing their beijingkids Club card at the door. Skate rentals are included in the price of admission.

Please note that this is a promotion, not an event managed by beijingkids.

Photo by jayhay2336 via Flickr