Beijing Restaurants -- Hatsune

Added on by C. Maoxian.

I had lunch today with an old girlfriend ("P") at the new Hatsune in the Kerry Center.  There's a room in the very back of the restaurant which is isolated, i.e., private (though noisy), and that's where we sat.  I hated her new eyeglasses ("But they're from Tiffany!"), which I thought made her look like an old librarian, and certainly not a naughty librarian, which is the kind I like.

We each got a box set lunch (not interesting to photograph) and supplemented them with an order of "LumDimSum" rolls.  They come in a dim sum steamer basket which is a cute touch. LumDimSum is a popular blog, mainly about food, and her local restaurant recommendations are frequently spot on (meaning I agree with her).

The inside of the roll has scallops, albacore tuna, seaweed, and cucumber and the top has avocado, maguro, and a spot of mayo? with black tobiko.  Maybe you can see all of that better in the pic below. I think the rolls were around US$14.

Hatsune is a rock-solid old stand-by restaurant.  The Chinese-American owner must be making a fortune, deserved of course.  Check it out if you haven't been before.

Toyota 86

Added on by C. Maoxian.

I spotted this funny looking little car the other day and snapped a pic of it.  I'd never seen one before.  Turns out it's a Toyota 86.  I don't think this model is available in America, but I could be wrong.  It's cute. Too small for a tough guy like me, but still, cute.

Beijing Restaurants -- Dianke Dianlai

Added on by C. Maoxian.

Coco (the intern) and I had lunch today at Dianke Dianlai, a Yunnan restaurant I like in Beijing.  They do a 12 course set lunch for 128 yuan (US$20.50) which is a good deal.  Pics below of selected dishes with my sophisticated gourmand comments:

No idea what this is but it was spicy and I got a bit of pepper stuck in my throat which sent me into a coughing fit ... tears flowing, though not from joy ... good way to impress the girls.

Shrimpies in a sort of spicy lemony tomato-y sauce with a sprig of dill? artfully stuck in there. I think that's dill.

This is the main dish ... fish that has been split down the middle, spiced and grilled. Mmm good. That's Coco in the background; she's lovely but shy.  All my interns are hired based on their gaokao score (sort of like the SAT but a million times harder).  Coco got a 650, which is high, and she goes to Nankai, which is a top ten university (in Tianjin). I delegate all the hard stuff to her and concentrate on blogging about my lunches.

Nice to end the meal with some noodles.  Note the authentic chipped bowl™. They also serve yoghurt and honey to get a bit of sweetie at the end, but I didn't get a good picture of it (or the other seven courses not pictured).  If you haven't been to Dianke Dianlai, I'd recommend you go.

Certain Unhealthy and Indecent Content

Added on by C. Maoxian.

Late to this, but SINA Announces Receipt of Government Notices (May 2, 2014)

SINA ... received two notices from the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television stating that the Company’s Internet Publication License and License for Online Transmission of Audio-Visual Programs would be revoked due to certain unhealthy and indecent content from third-parties or by users on its portal, i.e., on its online reading channel book.sina.com.cn and on its website www.sina.com.cn.

(Emphasis mine.) They were also fined over $800,000 by the deliciously named Beijing Municipal Cultural Market Administrative Law Enforcement Unit. Hands up, I'm from the BMCMALEU!

The analyst at JPMorgan whose note I read estimated that online video generates 10-20% of portal revenue (5-10% of total revenue).  I can't tell from his mealymouthed language, but I guess he thinks it isn't a permanent revocation, only temporary.  He also has a $92 price target on the stock, so his guess is as good as the next guy's.