Thomas Gaestadius Archives

Drink Me a River | Arrow Factory Liangma marks one year this Saturday

March 24, 2017 BB 0

Arrow Factory, Liangma River Edition, turns one this Saturday and has kind of become my go-to craft brew joint. If I seek something close to home, I usually scoot to Jing-A Taproom for a pint […]

Nali Patio | The Final Countdown

The end is nigh for Nali Patio, say four sources who are involved in this Sanlitun food hub and expect to end operations there in late June at the latest. Several also expect the landlord […]
Creak Show | Beijing’s Crispy Crunchy Snack

Crispy, crunchy and… creaky? The traditional Beijing snack gēzhi 咯吱 lives up to its name given it literally means ‘creak’. The sensation you get if you pop a piece in your mouth and crush its […]
Beijing breakfast | What $5 / 元36 gets at McDonald’s

My local mom ‘n’ pop breakfast joint, my go-to for jiaozi (dumplings), baozi (steamed buns), tea eggs and youtiao (deep-fried dough sticks), has been closed almost a month–I’m hoping the owners are simply on an […]
The Rug | Schnitzel Shan tops new brunch menu

A final Year of the Tiger lunch at The Rug—featuring two new dishes and two oldies but goodies—with old Canuck friend Bon S. Peel. Newcomers first: The “Double-Cheese Chicken Schnitzel” feels destined to be a […]
‘Sir, Lady Bar!’ | Dodgy Sanlitun Bar Street Done

Two warm Coronas with no lime for 元136. This felt like a fitting finish for that dodgy Sanlitun bar street and its near 30-year run. I moved to Beijing before the Olympics, 2008 edition, when […]
World Cup Flashback | Beijing Sports Bars in 2006 & 2010

The World Cup kicks off tonight but many Beijing venues city that planned to screen matches are closed due to the COVID situation. Anyway, for those want a trip down memory lane, here are my […]
Suzie Wong redux? New F&B street in works at Chaoyang West

When I first moved to Beijing, the southwest corner of Chaoyang Park was a top destination for nightlife fans. To the south were spots like Latinos and The Big Easy, the latter with a superb […]
Beijing’s First Taco Crawl + Beijing Taco & Tequila Flashback

‘Beijing’s First Taco Crawl’ featured eight restaurants serving an equal number of tasty snacks and boozy beverages back in January. See below for my recaps and rankings of that six hour-plus octathlon of deliciousness. And […]