RUSSIAN DOLLS FOR CHRISTMAS

Christmas at the Shangri-La Hotel, Beijing will be all about dolls, Russian Christmas dolls or Babushka. There are five trees decorated in that theme, each representing Love, Health, Family, Business and Wealth. Any guest who donates 50 yuan will get a wish card and a Russian doll key chain. Guests may write down their wishes and pin it to a Christmas tree. All proceeds will be donated to underprivileged students at the Dandelion School. - Pauline D LOH

FEASTS AT GRACE

Grace Beijing's Yi House Restaurant team is offering a special banquet for Christmas Eve that includes a heart-stopping temptation of a seafood platter with lobster, oysters, scampi and mussels piled on a two-tiered tray, Atlantic cod or Australian beef. Dinner is five-courses including a welcome cocktail. On New Year's Eve, there is seafood, foie gras, veal, and the usual dessert and cheeses. Both dinners are 888 yuan and reservations are a must. - PDL

Grace Beijing, 798 Arts District,

Jiuxianqiao Lu, 2 haoyuan,

706 Houjie, 1. Reservations: 010-6436-1818

1412 @ THE GREAT HALL

1421, which claims to be the first wine in the world to be traceable to farms and producers through a smart phone application, made a low-pitched debut at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing During the private dinner, guests were feted with traditional banquet dishes that included beche de mer and all manners of sea treasures and mountain pleasures, paired with its chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon. The brand's key operations manager, Ken Chan, says the label believes that local food must be paired with local wine. Prices of the wines are an average of 99 yuan per bottle. - Han Bingbinwww.1412wines.com

BELGIAN CHOCS FROM A TAIYUAN OZZIE

Kelvin Meng may hold an Australian passport, but the Taiyuan native is still Chinese through and through. He acquired a taste and a passion for fine chocolate living abroad, and he now operates the Black Koko chocolate and coffee cafe in Beijing's new U-Town mall. He says his naturally processed Belgian chocolate is hearty, healthy and surprisingly inexpensive. The chocolate lava cake is 35 yuan, and a "chocolate sandwich" of fresh fruits and chocolate drizzled on a fresh croissant costs about the same. There are also plenty of fresh-made truffles and pralines for holiday gifts, including bite-size cinnamon chocolates molded into the shape of the Great Wall. - MIKE PETERS

2, Sanfeng Beili,Chaoyangmen Outer Street010-5977-5638, www.blackkoko.com

SOFITEL SO GOOD

Chef Fabrice Vulin of France's Chateau De la Chevre d'or restaurant brings his two Michelin stars to Beijing through Dec 14, cooking up a storm at the Sofitel Wanda Beijing with special five-course (688 yuan) and seven-course (1,088 yuan) dinners. - MPTower C Wanda Plaze, 93 Jianguo Lu010-8599-6666

Eat in

TIME FOR GREENS

Too much meat and seafood? Recover with a feast of greens, and there's no better time to do it. Little winter kale shoots or baby kailan can be bought for less than 10 yuan per 500g - that's lots for a stir-fry or just a quick blanching so they stay crisp and sweet. The natural sugars are brought out by the recent cold snaps and they are literally sugar-sweet.

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A recent visit to De Run Wu's organic greenhouses in Changping, Beijing shows that pea shoots are in season. The little shoots, about 10cm tall, are perfect for salads now. We tasted some straight from the ground and they were delicious. De Run Wu delivers with orders of more than 8 kg. Get a few friends, pool your orders and get them sent to your doorsteps. They also offer organic fruits and rice. E-mail jiyunliang@vip.163.com, or call 139-1189-3712.

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Fruit stalls around the country are a blaze of orange. There are little nets full of soft clementines, mandarin oranges and kumquats at the peak of the season. Eat them freshly peeled, peel them for salads, or juice them and add a splash of champagne for a festive mimosa. Or scrub them up and pop them inside your roast chicken, according to Jamie Oliver. They will add a splash of color to your diet. Vitamin C, too. - Pauline D LOH