As winter starts to settle in Beijing, several eateries are welcoming the season with delicious new dishes. From a new burger to American Chicken Noodle Soup, comforting pasta options, and more, these offerings are perfect for lifting those winter spirits.
**Side Street**
To celebrate the season, Side Street has recently introduced five new winter dishes at their Jianguomen location. The new pasta dishes include Truffle & Wild Mushroom Tagliatelle and Spicy Chili-Cream Chicken Pasta, alongside an expanded curry selection featuring the Signature Butter Chicken with Basmati. British patrons will be pleased to find Taproom Fish and Chips now on the menu. A delightful winter option is the new Hearth Tomato Soup. For further details about Side Street Jianguomen's winter menu, click here.
- **Location**: Side Street Jianguomen branch, Bldg N28 2/101-102, 17 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District (behind Nola)
- **Hours**: 11am-midnight
- **Phone**: 135 2195 8643
**Great Leap**
Great Leap has brought an American winter favorite to their menu: American Chicken Noodle Soup (RMB 58). They've meticulously created the recipe for authenticity. Fresh chicken broth is prepared daily, with whole chickens simmered with fresh herbs for six hours, then fusilli, carrots, celery, and onions are added. This soup is exclusive to Great Leap No.12, and since it's made fresh every day, supplies are limited, so plan accordingly.
In addition to the soup, Great Leap is also hosting their annual Drunken Hot Pot Feast. They provide the pot and utensils, and guests bring the meat, vegetables, broth, and dipping sauces. A minimum of four diners is required per group, and reservations are mandatory. If each person spends around RMB 100 on beer, the RMB 50 cleaning fee is waived. This feast is available at all four Great Leap locations.
**Blue Frog**
Blue Frog has rolled out a variety of new winter offerings, with a strong emphasis on cheese. A highlight is the Smoky Beef Cheese Burger, which includes a grilled beef patty topped with smoky brisket, a parmesan cheese crisp, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, and barbecue sauce. Other new dishes encompass Cheese-Stuffed Beef Roulade with Winter Vegetables, Smoky Beef Cheese Pasta with Braised Beef Short Rib, Crispy Mozzarella Sticks with Cheese Sauce, and a Mushroom Beef Brie Cheese Salad. These new dishes can be found at all Blue Frog locations. More details are available here.
- **Location**: Blue Frog Solana branch, A131, 1/F, Solana, 6 Chaoyang Gongyuan Lu, Chaoyang District
- **Hours**: Sun-Thu 10am-11pm, Fri-Sat 10am-midnight
- **Phone**: 010 5905 6796
*Check Dianping for information on other branches.
**Plan B**
Plan B's winter menu is in full effect, showcasing some delicious meaty mains. Their popular Angry Meatballs (RMB 75) are back, featuring beef and pork meatballs topped with marinara sauce and melted cheese, finished with diced jalapeños. Another hearty option is the Meatballs and Mash (RMB 75), served with meatballs, a generous serving of mashed potatoes, gravy, and parmesan cheese. They also offer a special deal available only on Tuesdays for a Chicken Parm at RMB 30, consisting of breaded chicken breast topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese, baked to perfection. For more details on winter offerings, read here.
- **Location**: Plan B, 2-012, 22 International Art Plaza, Pingguo Community, 32 Baiziwan Lu, Chaoyang District (east of Today Art Museum and behind 7/11)
- **Hours**: 11:30am-11:30pm
- **Contact**: 010 5826 4575
READ: Winter Warmers: More Cozy Drinks for the Season
Images: the Beijingers, courtesy of the venues
Mandarin Monday is a recurring series aimed at enhancing your Chinese skills by presenting engaging and useful phrases and characters.
Continuing from last week's discussion on essential beer vocabulary, we are now focusing on wine. Understanding these wine terms will enable you to interpret any Chinese wine menu and demonstrate your knowledge to your Chinese friends!
Basic Wine Vocabulary
To start, here are some fundamental types of wine in Chinese:
Wine: 葡萄酒 pútáojiǔ
Red wine: 红酒 hóngjiǔ
White wine: 白葡萄酒 báipútáojiǔ
Rosé: 桃红葡萄酒 táohóng pútáojiǔ (it may also be referred to as 玫瑰酒 méiguī jiǔ or 粉红酒 fěnhóng jiǔ)
Dessert wine / Sweet wine: 甜酒 tiánjiǔ
Sparkling wine: 起泡酒 qǐpàojiǔ
More Specific Wine Varieties
Now, let's look at some more specific wine varieties:
Merlot: 梅洛 Méiluò
Cabernet Sauvignon: 赤霞珠 Chìxiázhū
Pinot Noir: 黑皮诺 Hēipínuò
Syrah/Shiraz: 西拉 Xīlā
Malbec: 马尔贝克 Mǎ’ěrbèikè
Sangiovese: 桑娇维塞 Sāngjiāowéisāi
Sauvignon Blanc: 长相思 Chángxiāngsī
Chardonnay: 霞多丽 Xiāduōlì
Riesling: 雷司令 Léisīlìng
Prosecco: 普罗塞克 Pǔluósàikè
Champagne: 香槟 Xiāngbīn
Pinot Gris/Grigio: 灰皮诺 Huīpínuò
Wine Regions
Here are some of the most recognized wine regions in Chinese:
Bordeaux: 波尔多 Bō'ěrduō
Burgundy: 勃艮第 Bógèndì
Napa Valley: 纳帕谷 Nàpàgǔ
Tuscany: 托斯卡纳 Tuōsīkǎnà
Rioja: 里奥哈 Lǐ'àohā
Barossa Valley: 巴罗萨谷 Bāluósàgǔ
Wine Tasting Vocabulary
Finally, if you wish to impress your friends with your wine expertise, here are several essential wine tasting terms in Chinese:
Aroma/bouquet: 酒香 (气) jiǔxiāng(qì)
Body: 酒体 jiǔtǐ
Finish: 余味 yúwèi
Tannins: 单宁 dānníng
Acidity: 酸度 suāndù
Dry: 干 gān
Sweet: 甜 tián
READ: Mandarin Monday: All About Beer in Chinese
Images: Unsplash
