Find your way down to the lower level of the Village North, your best bet is through The Opposite House, where a circular maze of shops are starting to root into a hip clandestine fashion underground. Snake through the shiny space and you’ll eventually land in front of a curved glass building named Colibri, just like the fancy lighter.

Colibri is a café that boasts cupcakes, coffee, and fine eats. Anywhere else in the world, it’s nothing special, but Beijing has been living in a vacuum and lacking much in the way of café culture, which makes this space commonly uncommon. The café is bright with clean, hard light wood benches, lots of steel and white, and a good-looking crowd eating simple fare.

The menu is simple: order at the counter and wait at a table for delivery. Fancy sandwich selections include panini, sourdough, wraps and the necessary baguette. Prices range from 38 RMB to 58 RMB, with the majority hovering around 48 RMB – a New York sandwich price in China. A smoked chicken and mushroom panini (48 RMB) is meltingly warm with gooey cheese inside the crunch of grilled bread. But a roast beef baguette with gherkins, horseradish and rocket is cold and just not enticing. Roast beef sandwiches (48 RMB) need that rosy pink medium center in thin slices, rather than thick, dry brown layers that lack the ‘bite me’ quality of a good sandwich.

Beverages at Colibri are a very good thing. Fresh juice (25 RMB) and excellent coffee (15 RMB to 23 RMB) and tea selections (25 RMB) are welcome in the area. Stop by Colibri when you’re hungry and need a break from all the Village shopping madness.Address: LG51, Village North, 11 Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯路11号三里屯Source: timeoutbeijing.com