Centurion Australia Spring 2015

BLACKBOOK THE SMART

BLACKBOOK THE SMART GUIDE 3 WHAT TO SEE Jing-A Taproom Canadian Kris Li and American Alex Acker quit their day jobs to make craft beer, producing the highly rated Worker’s Pale Ale and Flying Fist IPA, along with a host of others. The newly opened and already extolled Jing-A Taproom features their staple beers alongside seasonal and guest brews as well as a unique-to-Beijing pubfood menu. capitalbrew.com $ Art is the soul of Valparaíso. In the heart of the city, the buildings are covered with vivid murals that form the Open Air Museum, a public art project featuring 20 massive wall paintings in Cerro Bellavista. It’s a short distance from La Sebastiana (fundacionneruda. org, above), Pablo Neruda’s eclectic former home, which houses the poet’s quirky art collection. A trip to the new Museo de Bellas Artes (museobaburizza.cl), located inside the Palacio Baburizza, is worth it just to see the building, a sprawling Art Nouveau palace that underwent a 13-year restoration. Contemporary art is the focus at Casa E (casae.cl), which showcases work by young Chilean artists in an airy building from the 1880s. Small galleries and hip boutiques, such as fashion atelier Bazar La Pasión (bazarlapasion.cl), are scattered around the historic district of Cerro Concepción. For a change of pace, browse the stalls brimming with fresh and dried fruit, vegetables and seafood at El Mercado Cardonal, the region’s main market. Oenophiles should take the chance to visit biodynamic winery Viña Matetic (matetic.com, below), around 90 minutes outside the city, to taste its outstanding cool-climate syrah and sauvignon blanc. While there, tour the hilly vineyards of neighbouring Viña Casa Marin (casamarin.cl), where pioneering female winemaker María Luz Marín produces world-class riesling and pinot noir. The scenery is almost as intoxicating as the wine. PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: © JING-A BREWING CO.; © DUCK DE CHINE; © OKRA 1949; © POP-UP BEIJING, © MATETIC WINERY, JEAN-PAUL AZ/HEMIS/LAIF The City Within the City Tucked away between Beijing’s towering skyscrapers lies 1949 - the Hidden City: a former factory compound turned leafy cosmopolitan hot spot anchored by a craft-ale bar, funky sushi joint and chic restaurant that are the talk of the capital MARK GRAHAM Duck de Chine The longest-established compound resident is one of Beijing’s finest purveyors of the city’s namesake dish, Peking duck, with the birds cooked in a traditional fruit-woodfired oven. The fine-dining mood is accentuated by dark woods, iconic red lamps and a swinging entranceway champagne bar. elite-concepts.com Okra 1949 The name comes from the much-loved vegetable in the Louisiana home state of chef Max Levy. But the bill of fare, described as “sushi, sake and cocktails”, reflects Levy’s Japanese training, with dishes such as fish-head teriyaki, salted pork belly, sweet shrimp sushi and dryaged wagyu beef rib. okra1949.com I N T H E N E I G H B O U R H O O D Decor enthusiasts will adore Pop-Up Beijing (popupbeijing.com $ ), a recently unveiled emporium featuring an eclectic array of lamps, vases, cushions and furniture, carefully curated by the designer owners Glenn Schuitman and Vito Zhang. The store, just outside the 1949 compound, also has a hopping bar, serving coffee and wine, which is well worth a visit. 32 CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM CONTACT CENTURION SERVICE FOR BOOKINGS

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