To Try List: New Italian, Japanese Fusion Bistro, SOLDOUT & More

A new Italian restaurant opened up in the Maizidian area about a month or so ago. Called Osteria Sole (lead image), they serve up a range of classic Italian dishes such as pizza, pasta and risotto along with mains, cold and hot starters and desserts. Their pizzas, which are Neapolitan style, look particularly impressive and are made from either traditional or whole wheat dough and are all cooked in their huge brick pizza oven. Options include traditional toppings like Margarita (RMB 58) to more indulgent ones such as Black Truffle (RMB 98, pictured below) and they also have a Calzone (RMB 88). The space itself is pretty large with warm lighting and a muted color scheme offset by some greenery dotted around and tablecloths add a nice touch of classiness. 

Another relatively new resident of the Maizidian area is PocoMosso, a Japanese fusion style bistro located in the basement of the Guangming Hotel. The menu is tapas style with a range of dishes meant for sharing with classic Japanese dishes like Karaage Chicken (RMB 35) and Japanese Diced Steak (RMB 58, pictured below) as well as Mediterranean dishes such as Pasta with Stewed Metaballs (RMB 50) and Sausage and Couscous (RMB 45). They also have a range of cheese and prosciutto which pairs perfectly with their wide wine selection.

The bistro has a modern feel with slate grey walls adorned with their fun doodle art logo, seating is quite limited but folding windows along the front allow for more dining space if needed. A focal point of the restaurant is the open kitchen at the center that also doubles as a bar, it's decorated with colorful tiles and also equipped with a cold counter.

SOLDOUT recently opened their second branch in the capital, located just northwest of Wangjing. Like their original location, they keep things simple with a selection of burgers, chicken sandwiches, melts, sides and shakes.  Some long-time favorites of ours are the Crispy Chicken Sandwich (RMB 23), Cheeseburger (RMB 33/single, RMB 29/double) and Philly Cheesesteak Melt (RMB 46). The restaurant has a more spacious feel than the original one but has the same chilled, casual dining vibe and a bright orange decor adds a nice pop of color.

The Factory are putting on a special Habesha Christmas feast this Saturday (Jan 11) from 3pm in honor of Ethiopian and Eritrean Christmas, known as Genna or Lidet, which falls on Jan 7 each year. The meal will include a number of traditional of Ethiopian and Eritrean Christmas foods such as doro wat (spicy chicken stew), injera (sour flatbread), zigni (Eritrean spicy meat stew), and an assortment of vegetarian dishes. 

They have both a Meat Set and Vegan Set (both RMB 185/in advance; RMB 199/on the day) available which can be booked by scanning the QR code in the first poster. Along with food, there will be live DJ sets predominantly featuring North East African music. You can read more about the event here.

Wine bistro uh huh will be doing a special Inner Mongolian dinner and wine pairing this Saturday (Dec 11). The five-course menu has been designed by their chef Zhang He and features dishes like a Lamb Pastry and Mongolian Cheese and Berries, you can see the full menu in the picture below. The food will be paired with Inner Mongolian wines from Lavie winery and their winemaker Haoze Wang will be on hand to guide guests through the tasting. The dinner and wine pairing is RMB 328 and there are two sessions, one from 6.30pm until 8.30pm and one from 8.30pm until late. You can reserve your spot by scanning the QR code in the poster above.

In case you missed our previous article about this a couple of weeks back, Q MEX has teamed up with Texas-style barbecue joint Lao Fang's BBQ to create some limited edition dishes. On the menu they've got Beef Brisket Tacos (RMB 48); a Beef Brisket Burrito (RMB 88); and a Special Combo Platter (RMB 128), which pairs 150g of brisket with coleslaw, elote corn, mashed sweet potato, and chipotle BBQ sauce. 

On Dianping you can also get a Combo Set for Two (RMB 198) which includes the brisket platter, Q MEX’s Shrimp Tacos and Avocado Chicken Salad. The special menu is only available on Saturdays and Sundays at their Sanlitun branch and the promotion will run until Feb 2, you can read more about it here.

In celebration of the New Year, Morton's has just launched an Empire Cut Dinner for Two (RMB 988) deal. It's a three course dinner featuring an 800g USDA Prime Bone-In New York Strip for the main along with their classic sides like Grilled Asparagus and Creamed Spinach. The deal will be running throughout January and you can book ahead via the contact details below. 

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