The Village in Sanlitun just got splashed with two uber stylish restaurants -- the Thai ‘with a twist’ Greyhound Café and Wang Jia Sha featuring Shanghainese cuisine and dim sum -- both Hong Kong imports brought in by the Gaia Group. Definitely a bold move. Despite their already robust repertoire of 17 restaurants in Hong Kong and two in Shanghai, time will tell whether the powers that be in the Gaia Group have stretched themselves too thin in opening not one but two venues in the ever-competitive dining cluster of Sanlitun. We had the chance to poke around Greyhound and Wang Jia Sha to sample their initial offerings to Sanlitun diners. *** Nested on the third floor of The Village in Sanlitun, next to Stumble Inn and across from Blue Frog are new spots to explore with big appetites. Industrial-glam, lofty and flooded with natural lighting, Greyhound Café seats approximately 140 people inside with a few outdoor seats angled to afternoon sunning. Aluminum panels on the façade might reflect the sun, warming and toasting winter-fair skin. In the main dining room, a chandelier of what looks like repurposed wood crushes the construction grey concrete with a little wooden warmth. All about the walls in the restaurant, whimsical illustrations and psuedo-mod flair will make you wish you owned a pair of tragically-hip, lens-less black frames. The menu teeters between Thai dishes with a Western twist like the salmon carpaccio in spicy hot sauce and toast topped with strawberries and pan-fried foie gras. Their signature salmon carpaccio combines zesty Thai flavors of lime, chili and fish sauce balancing smoothly with typically Italian flavors of olive oil and basil. If you’re familiar with the incendiary Thai raw prawns with chillies (gung che num pa), you’ll know the inspiration behind this appetite opener. The menu is filled with enticing photos that actually look like the real thing. While the dishes in the menu pluck your heart strings, the prices will set you back an average of 100rmb per person, not including drinks. There’s a touch of cleverness in their signature iced lemon tea with ice cubes of frozen tea rather than normal ice that waters down your beverage as it melts. The thai iced teas and coffee with milk come in barrel-shaped mugs, which will be much appreciated during hot weather and moments that call for boosting adrenaline. With a parfait station placed prominently in the front wing, we had high expectations that were met with our fork after fork after fork into a chocolate banana cream parfait -- delectable and deceptively light. If chocolate isn’t your thing (and that would be weird), then there are other fixings like berries, kiwis, chocolate bars, and a sticky rice with mango. *** If Thai ‘with-a-twist’ within urban panache doesn’t suit your taste, walk next door or west through the hallway to a completely different concept: Shanghainese / dim sum restaurant Wang Jia Sha, Gaia Group’s second gamble in Sanlitun. If you walk through the hallway, you’ll witness the making of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) by nimble fingers and fantuan (like inside out makizushi) getting stuffed with crunchy goodness. At the end of the hall, sky-high panels of Barbie-pink Chinese lattice work confine a nave with high ceilings and concrete beams above a congregation of dining guests. This hall and adjoining private dining rooms are playful with a palette of bright colors reminiscent of Shanghai Tang. The menu is epic (when isn’t it in China?). It opens with xiaolongbao, well-photographed to reveal soup behind a sheer skin of steamed dumpling dough. Steam baskets of the prized xiaolongbao arrive with black vinegar dipping sauce, but without slivers of young ginger found typically at the Din Tai Fung chain. But how are they? Have we found a xiaolongbao haven in Sanlitun worth the bite, so we can remain in our sheltered Sanlitun sanctuary? It blows the baskets of xiaolongbao at Jingdian Shanghai Xiaolong Tang Bao (经典上海小笼汤包) out of consideration, for certain! Shengjianbao –- a bready dumpling filled with soup and pork with a golden, crispy bottom is the trifecta of baozi. They’re big and come in a plate of three. They aren’t Yang’s Fry Dumpling’s variety, but they’re Beijing’s very own buns to devour. *** At first sample, there’s no doubt these two restaurants are filled with treats to lure droves of diners into their massive, fashionable dens. The venues and menus are awe-inspiring and we’re looking forward to sinking our teeth into their volumes of promise. It’s hard enough, however, to introduce just one new concept into Beijing’s tumultuous F&B scene let alone two. And if that’s not enough, also in the works is their sister restaurant Isola, coming soon in North Village with 200+ seats and Italian food served until late. May we suggest, converting your home kitchen into a spare bedroom and renting it out for extra dining cash? There’s a lot to eat and we’re almost overwhelmed with where to place our appetites, but the Gaia Group offers an empire to feed an army. *** Both venues are located in Sanlitun Village. Here are their listings: Greyhound Cafe; Wang Jia Sha.