Beijing Boyce

Socket to me...

-

So, I just bought a new cord for my computer and one of the prongs is round and that generally makes it harder to find an outlet at restaurants, cafes, and bars. Just how hard is it? Less a matter of hardware and more a matter of the staff making an effort…

Goose and Duck: The waitress looked at my plug, then at the nearest outlet. No fit. She looked at the outlets on either side of that initial outlet. No fit. Her verdict: They had no outlets that could fit my plug. I then walked around the bar and within one minute found an extension cord with two outlets that fit. (The waitress otherwise did a good job.)

Kro’s Nest: Pretty much the same process. A waiter looked at my plug, then at a few outlets, and told me they had none that fit. I looked around and could not find any, either. Then I mentioned that on my last visit, there was an extension cord. He said he didn’t know where it was. I  kept mentioning the extension cord and he eventually reached beneath the counter, felt around, and brought out a box that contained several adapters, including one that fit my plug. (The staff otherwise made its usual near-minimal effort.)

Salud: I wanted to quickly check my email and saw that none of the outlets nearby would fit my plug. The guy behind the bar — Ah Hui — and I looked around to no avail. Then he checked near the DJ booth and found a socket that worked. I had to move my computer near the door so the cord would reach the outlet, but it didn’t matter since I only needed to use it for a few minutes.

The result: The staff at all three places could have found an outlet that fit, but only one guy–and the one at the place where people are least likely to pull out a laptop–made that little bit of extra effort to do so. And that’s usually all it takes: A little bit of extra effort.

Yes, those pompoms are real.

-

I heard many people wonder this past week whether Luga’s Villa would — as advertised — have NFL cheerleaders at its Super Bowl party. Not just cheerleaders, mind you, but 100-percent real live genuine authentic NFL ones issued with ISO-9000 approved pompoms. It did.

The interesting thing is the cheerleaders wore little and were attractive but — contrary to a week’s worth of wink-wink comments — they and their routine came off less as sexy and more as wholesome. Good fun. As one person said, “This feels so apple pie.” As another added, “Forget the beer, give me a glass of milk.” Then again, looking at those abs, I best pass on the pie and milk for crunchies. Perhaps while watching “Bring It On“…

Give me an L-U-G-A!

-

From NFL cheerleaders to padlocks, from buffet breakfasts to lost signals, this year’s Super Bowl party lineup had no shortage of ups and down. Even better, it drew a much larger turnout than last year. A quick look at spots visited…

Touchdowns

The Den: Good crowds upstairs and downstairs, a solid RMB50 breakfast buffet, and efficient drink delivery made it a winner again. RMB25 for Aussie beers like James Boag’s is one of the better regular prices in town.

Goose and Duck: A good, if lighter, turnout than last year, with a breakfast buffet early on and a BBQ outside. This place gets grungier by the month, but still delivers for sports fans, though there were complaints about the coffee (solution: drink beer).

Paddy O’Shea’s: Almost every table full for the biggest event on Ireland’s annual sports schedule.

Surprise plays

Luga’s Villa: Who dat in Luga’s? Four New England Patriots cheerleaders. This might seem like a somewhat grungy spot for the American Chamber of Commerce to do its Super Bowl party but the combination of NFL China, the cheerleaders, and more than 150 attendees made it work.

Union: Despite having the priciest breakfast, at RMB120, Union drew about 70 people and showed off the new TV system. Another stride toward it becoming a good high-end spot to catch sports.

Field goals

Hooters: A modest crowd, with about 30 people at 7:40 AM. With waitresses that double as cheerleaders, this was a decent choice for those who wanted Chinese commentary.

Fumbles

Blue Frog: Problems with its signal in the second quarter. Been there, done that; you just have to move on and get it right next time.

Pavillion: This place is a comfy spot to watch a game, but a turnout of less than a dozen patrons suggests more marketing is needed.

Missed the team bus

Danger Doyle’s: Just like last year, when it went by the name Stadium, the doors were locked. Despite a year that saw it gain credibility, the departure of Glenn Phelan seems to have the place back to square one or, to use football terminology, stuck deep in its own end.

-

Some notes from people who watched the game at other bars:

All-Star: “Small crowd and limited food” said EP in an SMS.

Tim’s: The first floor was packed, said D. Lish.

Irish Volunteer: About 15 people, said KL, which means “half full.”

The Super What?

The Den: two-thirds full downstairs (and almost full upstairs, says one fan on 2F), with buffet breakfast at RMB50; unsophisticated “tagging” procedure involves writing on your hand in magic marker to show you paid (doesn’t the fact that I got by the guard evidence of that)
Hooters: Modest crowd, Chinese commentary
Danger Doyle’s: Just like last year, this place is closed. Despite its brief blooming, the marketing efforts have come full circle.
Pavillion: Light crowd, English commentary
Union: The Village Grouch said there were already ~50 people there are 7:50
Goose n Duck: China Sports Today’s M. Rauch says there is a decent crowd; free breakfast, pricey coffee
Tim’s: D. L. says there are “quite a few” people

The snap closing of The Rickshaw last weekend sans farewell party has me thinking that perhaps I can kill two birds with one stone patronize two places with one drink. Today is the monthly Cinco de Drinko event at The Saddle Cantina, which means half-price beverages until midnight, and since that bottom floor looks a lot like The Rickshaw, this might be a good way to hoist a few and say goodbye to a spot  for which many bar-goers have fond memories.

Biteapitta fans: your wait is nearly over. Among the restaurants that closed when Super Bar Street got super chai’d last summer, Biteapitta will open in Tongli Studio next Wednesday, says owner Avi Shabtai. He gave me a quick tour of  his new place on the second floor, next to Cheers and a floor below Le Petit Gourmand. The kitchen is finished and the chairs and tables will arrive tomorrow, he says, though the finishing touches will come after Chinese New Year since some of the construction workers are already on vacation. Fair enough: I want my hummus, baba ganoush, and falafel sooner rather than later.

Expect to find a light and airy space–think white and blond woods–with seating for about 60. This includes about 15 spaces at a countertop along the windows–there are a dozen sockets spaced evenly along this strip for those who want to bring a laptop, grab something to eat and drink, and do some work with a view of Sanlitun below.

Ich bin ein Saluder...

-

If you are among the small but growing number of people using foursquare.com in Beijing, you know that the basic idea is to “check in” to bars and restaurants to let people on your “friends” list know where you are. Thinking of going to Mao Mao Chong? Maybe knowing three friends are there might help to make up your mind. On top of this, the person who checks in the most times at a given spot is deemed to be its foursquare “mayor”.

This is irrelevant to most bars and restaurants because, at this early stage, they do not know what foursquare is about. But what if they did? What if we lived in a  world of lollipop smiles and rainbow hugs, and they not only knew about foursquare, but they cared. In that case, since I am the mayor of 28 places, I would make the following motions that…

• Aperitivo discover iTunes and stop repeatedly playing those free Suzie Wong CDs;
• Apothecary drop its 5 percent service charge and, if it wants to reward its employees, simply give them a cut of revenue even if it means raising prices;
• Blue Frog do something to “lighten up” the fries — maybe it is just me, but I find them a bit heavy;
• Cafe Europa fix its wireless system — good food, good wine, but if I want to get online, this place becomes a no-go;
• D Lounge bury that glass-enclosed skeletal “art” — I don’t want to look at exposed eyeballs while sipping an olive-garnished martini;
• Dalyan Turkish Restaurant consider whether one belly dancer is really enough;
• Danger Doyle’s drop its prices on bottled Aussie beer by at least half — not a good business model to charge RMB65 for a VB when I can get one for RMB25 at a bar 100 meters away;
• Double Coffee Sanlitun, well, this place is closed, so let it rest in peace;
• Grandmas Kitchen in SOHO install a decibel meter that goes off when the sometimes noisy kitchen staff hits a certain volume;
• Hao Shi Lai Bakery make more items that do not include meat floss or sausage-looking substances;
• Ibn Battouta Moroccan Restaurant get some beer from the homeland — I hear Dxcel will soon start to import a Moroccan brew;
• Le Petit Gourmand increase its temperature, even if that means getting some oil drums and starting fires in them, because it’s bloody cold in this place.
• Le Zazou put proper pours in its mixed drinks;
• Luga’s Villa spruce up its toilets;
• McDonald’s Sanlitun Village tape the biligual menus to the counter so I can think about what I want to order while I’m in line and thus save time for everyone;
• Olas de Mare fix its wireless sytem — “use Cold Stone’s” is not a long-term solution;
• Q Bar drop the price of its martinis and margaritas to RMB50 — yes, two-for-one martini Wednesday is nice but it would be nice to have something to look forward to on any given day;
• Salud Sanlitun add coat hooks below the bar lip;
• SPR Coffee on Sanlitun South start selling sandwiches;
• Stadium Dog pull the weenies off the cooker when they get dehydrated enough to look like chew toys;
• Starbucks at Sanlitun Village, well, actually I meant to check in at The Village;
• The Bookworm taser any patron who holds long loud phone conversations or cranks laptop volume while watching a video;
• The Den never ever try to charge separately for gin and for tonic when someone orders a gin AND tonic;
• Time Cafe opens a branch in Sanlitun;
• Tour Les Jours changes the Korean music video rotation more frequently;
• Tun also spruce up its toilets;
• Union Bar and Grille open earlier next year for Monday Night Football games;
• Vineyard Wine Experience have a wine fair of all the grape varieties they have available.

-

What makes a strong drink at Twilight so appealing is that you truly need one after navigating that SNAFU known as Jianwai Soho to get there. The continued lack of prominent signage at Chez Legoland amazes me, especially since the powers-that-be decided it smart to have a villa number 5 and a building number five — the bar is in the former. But take it from me:  forget finding a method to this madness and instead look for the Jenny Lou’s. Twilight is directly across from it, on the third floor.

Twilight encircles a stairwell and provides 360 degrees of drinking space with eight small tables, a bar that seats ten, and a private room. The decor is done in chocolate and off-white, giving it a pleasant subdued vibe —  it is brighter than spots such as Glen and Ichikura, dimmer than Apothecary.

I had a Smoky Martini which includes absinthe and single malt (Laphroig, I believe), and an olive stuffed with anchovies, Italian sausage, onions, and spices that had been stir-fried and then marinated in herb-infused brine — fancy stuff. This potent drink has an aroma of smoke and iodine, so much so it should come with a bandage as garnish (drum roll). I liked it.

I next tried a Saigon Mistress, a cocktail that includes Hendrick’s gin, green Chartreuse, ginger ale, and cucumber. My notes say, “refreshingly herbal” and “tastes like green,” and that Mr Hao said, “smells summer-y.” Frankly, I think I was still feeling that Smoky Martini.

Mr Hao and Ms Hao gave thumbs ups to the Sazerac, Apricot Old-Fashioned, and other drinks they tried.

Most of the drinks cost RMB60, though it is RMB20 off during happy hour, from 6 PM and 8 PM. And unlike some cocktail joints in town, there is neither service charge nor sitdown fee. Given the difficulty of getting a taxi immediately after work in Jianwai Soho, this is a decent option to relieve a long day of stress.

By the way, Twilight has eight kinds of pizza, including one with potato, at ~RMB60, and about a half-dozen bar snacks. The figs with whisky syrup and Camembert (RMB30) are a rich treat, though I wonder if a more pungent cheese might work better.

Twilight is open 11:30 AM to 2 PM and 6 PM to 2 AM daily, except for Sunday.

-

I had insomnia last night, which is good, because I caught up on some work, and bad, because I needed extra juice today and that meant coffee. Unfortunately, the city seemed to conspire against my mission to have both caffeine and wireless, thus the journey to java took an all-too-long route…

Union Bar & Grille: When the history of twenty-first century Beijing is written, this place may end up with a special mention for the biggest gap between service on one hand and atmosphere, comfort, and quality food on the other — a kind of “the valley is low, the mountain is high” thing.*

I walked in, plunked down beside an acquaintance, plugged in the laptop, and, after waiting ten minutes, wondered if anyone would ever come over and take my order. My acquaintance had finished his coffee and needed a refill.

In the interest of research, we decided to wait it out. Fifteen minutes: nope. Twenty minutes: nope. I mean, there were employees present, on the other side of the restaurant– polishing glasses, having hushed discussions, gazing out the window–but it seemed as though our side was off limits. After twenty-five minutes, I decided, free refills or no free refills, it was best to move on to…

Blue Frog: Which I discovered was closed today until 5:30 PM for a special event. Fair enough. Since Double Coffee is now closed, and had spotty wireless during its last weeks anyway, I headed to…

Muse: “Hi, do you have coffee?” I asked as I entered. “Yes,” said a woman  I took to be a manager as she pointed toward where I might sit. “Great,” I said. Not seeing any outlets, I asked, “Is there any place I can plug in my laptop?” “No,” said a waittress. “Really? There isn’t one plug in this whole place?” I asked. “No,” confirmed the manager. Maybe that helps why the place was empty. Anyway, I next headed to…

Le Petit Gourmand:  I walked in, plunked down across from an acquintance, plugged in the laptop, and, after waiting ten minutes… wait, this sounds familiar. Except this time, the staff gave me a menu, I ordered a coffee, and a few minutes had my first sip. Even though we had to endure a visit from “The Whistler” — this is a guy that sometimes comes to LPG where he proceeds to whistle off-key to every song and on occasion pound the table as though it were a pair of bongo drums–I had my earphones and, more importantly, at long last a coffee…

-

*People ask why I keep frequenting Union given I often write about the spotty service. It is because I like the seating, the food (especially the wings, Reuben, and eggs Benedict), the new TV screens, the free coffee and iced tea refills, and talking to Andy at the bar. I also like the employees in general–I simply wish they would take my order and bring me cutlery.

-

I have known about shochu joint G-Zou in Sunshine 100 for a long time, but only made my first visit last night. The delay is due partly to  inertia and partly due to memories of forced drinking sessions in South Korea that involved tossing back shot after shot of buck-a-bottle rotgut soju until someone puked or passed out. I mean, wouldn’t it have been more fun to go bowling?

Anyway, my visit to G-Zou last night happily involved better liquor and more discipline. The shochu we tried hailed from Japan, had an alcohol content halfway between wine and vodka, and was made with, well,  everything in the kitchen but the sink it seems.

I tried shochu made with taro (smelled somewhat like cheap tequila), chestnuts (smelled like dry husks), and seaweed (smelled fishy and tasted a bit “slimy” as Mr Hao put it but was somewhat refreshing in the way a cool seaweed soup can be) as well as a floral one made from a vegetable the name of which I did not catch. There was also shochu made from sesame, sweet potato, soba, peanuts, and other items — I’ll give these a try on the next visit.

G-Zou also has food. My favorite item: the Okinawan favorite “taco rice“. This consists of a bowl full of  rice, lettuce, beef, chopped tomatoes, and taco sauce, with a fried egg on top. Habanero Tabasco sauce is provided for those who want to spice things up. All we needed were some taco shells to stuff this into.

Sorry Rickshaw will shut the doors today at 5:00 pm.
We will gladly continue giving service in the Saddle Cantina and Side Saddle…
- Sign on The Rickshaw today

-

It looks like The Rickshaw might have deep-fried its last wing and mixed its last Margarita, at least in the present spot, given a sign posted there today and comments by management the lease will not be renewed. The end comes suddenly, with no farewell party, so perhaps there is a chance things might as quickly turn around. Then again, the farewell party for the forerunner of this bar, The Saddle, did not turn out to be a pleasant affair. Management has cited the possibility of opening The Rickshaw elsewhere — the lower level of The Saddle Cantina seems like a good fit. Again, this is rather sudden — let’s see what happens.

The Rickshaw opened just under three years ago and quickly drew a strong following due to its 24-hour service, tasty wings and Tex-Mex fare, focus on televised sports, loyal following from previous spots The Saddle and Cox, and side patio that featured beer pong and general rabble-rousing. It drew a diverse clientele, from sports fans to people migrating along the Sanlitun bar route to people in the food and beverage sector – I remember many a Sunday when half the tables were full of people who work at bars, restaurants, wine companies, and hotels, and enjoyed the earthy atmosphere. The past two years have been rougher, given growing competition in the area, forced closure of the patio, and constant staff changes.

In its early days, The Rickshaw also featured three of the city’s more interesting bar characters — Kris Ryan, Luga, and Chad Lager. Their divergent personalities and background made me suggest the place would be great for a reality TV show.

Since those days, there have been some hard feelings among the three as each went his own way. Ryan and his partners opened The Saddle Cantina, The Side Saddle, and a cafe in the Volkswagen building; Luga wiggled the original Saddle away and called it Luga’s, opened Luga’s Villa, Pho Pho, and Baan Thai (these latter two venues will swap spaces as of tomorrow) and a Mexican restaurant that failed, and is set to open another spot in the Luga’s Villa building; and Lager went on to first work at Tun and now Fubar. This trio has had a good deal of influence over the Sanlitun bar scene during the past three years.

As for what will happen to The Rickshaw space, which in a previous life was home to Midnight Bar, the first spot run by George Zhou and Echo Sun of Q Bar fame, well, maybe the reality show has a few episodes left in it…

-

See also:

• The Rickshaw: The reality show that could (should) have been
• Sips and slurps: Let’s Burger, Luga’s Villa, Boutique Wine Cellar
• Saddle up: New project from Saddle-Rickshaw gang opens
• Coming soon: The new Nali studio’s Saddle Project, H20, Pomodoro
• Kicked out of the Saddle?

Hard to believe this was less than three years ago...

-

Passing along a quick note from 8 Songs that trouble seems to be, um, brewing at Nasca Cafe in Central Park between some of the stakeholders. He adds that the signboard that said “Nasca Cafe” is now missing the first word. I enjoyed my only visit there, including a talk with the Kiwi manager, so let’s hope a fair solution arises.

I also noted the darkened windows at Hungarian restaurant Budapest–formerly Norwegian restaurant 66 North–and it looks like the goulash is gone. Andy S at Mobile Native notes that the Budapest Web site states rather revealingly, “We are working on that the restaurant would run under Hungarian management again.” He also adds that the “for rent” signs are already up at the Pili Pili, which only recently reopened there in Lido.

A visit to Block 8 last weekend found a guard blocking the elevator and directing patrons to a side entrance. He said only Haiku remains open among the venues that included Ruby Khi and Med. The comedy events organized by Chopschticks have been moved from Block 8 to the Hard Rock Cafe.

Last but not least, for those who wondered if Steaks and Eggs had gone to the great griddle in the sky, Doctor O and BeijingDaze inform that the place is simply under (long overdue) renovations. Meanwhile, the Pink Loft, which moved into the old Browns / Revelations space less than a year ago is currently closed though a source there says it will reopen after the Spring Festival.

4 comments

Kudos to Mosto for raising RMB35,575 on Wednesday night by holding a charity dinner for Haiti. The money will reach Haiti via UNICEF. I liked this event because:

1. Every RMB from the night went to charity, which meant both Mosto and the five companies that gave wine — The Wine Republic, Torres, East Meets West, Summergate, and ASC — also acted as donors. On top of this, Mosto is a popular restaurant, so it gave up some of its regular traffic to hold this dinner.
2. The money went to UNICEF. This is a well-known organization for which I have done volunteer work, so I felt comfortable with it as a choice, which is not to say other groups are not worthy. A common question about charity events, and one I received numerous times this week, is:  ”How do I know my money actually gets to the people in need?” I feel confident in this case, especially since Mosto informed me that they would be willing to scan the receipt from UNICEF when the donation is processed.
3. The food was excellent. I have been satisfied with my previous meals at Mosto, but this is the first time I have done five courses here and it turned out to be among the best meals I have had in the past 12 months. From the shrimp Napoleon with avocado tartar (I would have been happy to have this five times) to the red wine risotto with its tangy parmesan edge to the tenderloin cooked perfectly to my liking t0–on the intriguing side–the Sichuan peppercorn ice cream paired with chocolate souffle, it was all tasty. On top of this, we had six different wines, including a couple of less common ones in Beijing — a Gruner Veltliner and a Nero d’Avola — and the pours were generous.

I attended the dinner with six acquaintances and I can safely say we all had our fill and, at least my case, a bit more. Once again, an excellent meal and an excellent initiative, so big props to Alex, Daniel, Eva, and the team at Mosto.

So much for the petite Chinese woman. This monstrous madam oversees customers shopping in the Yintai Center. According to an English translation on a nearby plaque, her name is Lili, she is from the future, and, “Maybe she is predicting the end of humanity.” So, hurry and get that LVMH bag!

And I know this has nothing to do with Beijing nightlife, though Lili would be the ultimate door person if a spot called “Lady Bar” ever opened.

-

About 200 people are signed up for this Saturday night’s “brain drain” quiz at The Hilton, says Susan Clear of the Australian Chamber of Commerce, organizer of the event. The entry fee is RMB365, includes a three-course meal and free-flow wine and beer, and will see all proceeds go to Yearn to Learn, “a newly established charity with a vision of developing fully functional classrooms and therapeutical facilities for children within orphanages.” In other words, the money will go to help orphans.

“The quiz masters are not Australian, there is not a strong Australian element to the questions,” says Clear, meaning the contest is open to anyone. For more info, or to register, see the poster above or this link.

Happy Down Under Day, eh?

-

G’day mates, it’s nearly that day on the calender when those hailing from The Land Down Under jump in the yute, head to the outback, put a shrimp prawn on the barbie, sink a few tinnies, and have a chinwag — and, yes, I’m letting loose with my antipodean vocabulary because that’s the kind of sensitivity Canadians are all aboot, eh?

Australia’s national day is tomorrow, January 26, and one way to celebrate is with a mini pub crawl to three Aussie-run spots within a boomerang’s throw of each other in the Nanluoguxiang area — a tour I undertook last Friday night with Mr Hao and Ms Hao.

Ned’s: Now that 12sqm has expanded, this might rank as the smallest, or at least the smallest Australian-run, joint on the street. The place can get as crowded as a bunch of kangaroos loose in the top paddock — hope I’m using that term right — and there is a decent selection of bevvies. The lads plan to be open from noon, with happy hour prices all day, meat pies, the Pakistan-Australia test match, and the top 100 song countdown on Triple J.

The relaunched 12sqm now comes in a larger format for extra comfort and comradeship. The place has more than tripled in size by expanding into the back of the building thus making possible a three-sided bar and more lounge seating. For Australia Day, 12sqm not only has RMB15 bottles of Aussie brews, including Coopers, but also meat pies, vegemite on toast, Aussie tunes, and Bundaberg Rum — ask for a “Bundy and Coke.” Ms Hao enjoyed her White Russian here.

Mao Mao Chong is about 200 meters down the alley that is beside Pass By Bar. If you reach the public toilet and think you have gone too far: 1) you are only about halfway there; and 2) don’t use it because Mao Mao Chong has superior facilities, though like many other places there is a “no poo” rule.

This new bar impressed us due to the art created by one of the owners, friendliness of the managers, creativity behind the cocktails, and prices — Tsingtao is RMB13, Tiger is RMB16, and Sam Adams is RMB25, while sodas are RMB10 and mixed drinks start at RMB20. There is an intriguing winter menu with cool sounding drinks such as French Toast — Advocaat, rum, warm milk, cinnamon, and honey — at RMB30 to RMB35, and a regular cocktail list with creative concoctions such as Feng Shui — oolong-tea infused vodka, lychee liqueur, sake, lime, and sugar cane stick (this might be even better with slightly less liqueur).

Mao Mao Chong features its own infused vodkas, among other DIY items, with flavors such as ginger, lemongrass, and rooibos, a plant grown in South Africa and apparently a member of the legume family — Mr Hao described that one as “smooth and with a subtle tea-like flavor.” We were told to expect pizza on the menu the next time we visited. For national day, Mao Mao Chong will have James Boag’s, Redbuck, and VB, as well as its own stock of Bundy.

If you are looking for other ways to celebrate Australia’s national day, you might consider dropping into The Den, which offers the lowest regular price (RMB25) on a handful of Aussie beers (Crown, Cascade, et al), heading to Astral restaurant in the Tangla Hotel for a bite of emu, kangaroo, or crocodile, or ordering some beers from Dxcel or some wines from Aussie-run importers such as Gelipu or The Wine Republic — perhaps someone can find the perfect pairing for Tim Tams.

-

See also:

• Australia Day: Sink a few tinnies in Beijing
• Australia Day II: Throw yet *another* shrimp on the barbie

-
Chaoyang West Gate joint Souk relaunched as Souk Lounge last Friday night. Among the changes: A new paint job and lighting, an upgraded lounge area, a fairly spacious layout that takes advantage of the antique furniture and hookah vibe of the original venue, and an expanded beer list in the large front room, with the pool table being relegated to the back. The toilets are a concern, given they consist of a row of urinals in a passageway so narrow that squeezing by fellow patrons will put you in the mood for luge – hey, I need to start slipping in Winter Olympics references somehow.  When I arrived in Beijing about five years ago, Souk was considered a fairly trendy place, and perhaps these changes will  get it back on the bar route for more people. In any case, you can get there by taking the alley beside Annie’s.

While La Zazou has been serving the drinking and dancing crowds in the club and lounge sections for about a month, the restaurant held its first event last Saturday. Regular contributor 8 Songs, along with his partner Ba Songs, attended and provided this write-up:

-

“Ba Songs and I attended Gelipu Wines‘ wine tasting and dinner at Le Zazou last night. Thought I would share some observations with you.

“The “fine dining” section is upstairs, tucked in under the sloping ceiling. Sparsely decorated, it is long and narrow.

“Now, I know that we only paid RMB220 per head, and we were told at the start of the evening that it was the restaurant’s first night of serving guests. So I can excuse some things, like the wait staff trying to figure out how to get around all the guests, but other aspects just don’t cut it.

“Last night, there were simply too many guests in the space. Correction — there were too many tables and chairs, some of which were empty. I watched one chair being shuffled no less than six times as staff found themselves blocked into corners. I don’t know if the restaurant was trying to please the Gelipu people by providing more seats, but it was getting uncomfortable by the end of the night.

“Did I mention chairs? Our chairs were more like lounge chairs. Great for leaning back and relaxing in, but quite awkward for eating a meal. Some people were sitting at higher tables, with (dare I say it) high chairs. I don’t know if they were more comfortable, but if I ever go back there, I won’t be sitting in those lounge chairs.

“Another unfortunately planned aspect of the room was the lighting. Downlights were in a line along the ceiling line, and anyone sitting under them was lit up like they were on a stage.  Conversely, those out of the throw of those lights were in darkness.

“The evening was about matching food and wine, with the idea being that we would buy some of the wines being sampled. The evening started with a choice of a Baron’s Black Wattle Dark Lager (retail RMB350 for a slab), or a Roberts Estate Brut NV (RMB120). The lager was quite enjoyable, with pronounced yeast and hops flavours. It was 5.8% alcohol by volume, but the alcohol did not overpower. The sparkling wine was light and fruity, but not a well-balanced blend. House-made breads and dips came out for this round.

Read more

Simon Pendergast (left) sells the first case of Pedigree in Beijing.

-

If you frequent bars and restaurants that stock the likes of Brooklyn Lager, James Boag’s, or Dead Guy Ale, you have likely seen Simon Pendergast of Dxcel, the company that imports and distributes these and other “craft” beers in China. I sat down with Pendergast at The Den to ask him a few questions about the beer scene.

-

A few years ago, I could count my beer choices in Beijing on the fingers of two hands. Now we have more than one hundred different bottled beers. What the heck happened?

We have seen a beer evolution in China, an increasing need for choice and variety. Certainly part of this is due to expatriates wanting beers they are used to drinking at home, but Chinese are also thirsting for new products and brands from the Western world. This is certainly not limited to clothes, cars, and fashion labels, but also includes beverages and foods.

Where do your beers sell best in Beijing and which ones are the favorites?

For the Australian beers, The Den is a big seller, and The Rickshaw has been a big supporter of both the American and Australian beers. Let’s Burger also sells a lot of Australian beer and, considering it is a small Japanese restaurant, La Sushi sells a lot of James Boag’s. While Acme is not a huge seller in most venues, it has a real following at Eudora Station — perhaps because we did some good staff training there and because the name translates to “beautiful girl.”

Sales have also been very good since we launched our American beers at the Parkson shopping center about a month ago to support a food promotion run by the American Agriultural Trade Office. And Jenny Lou’s also sells a lot of stock.

The biggest seller last summer was Four Points by Sheraton in Haidian with their “best brews program.” They had table cards to promote beers, including some of our brands, and it was RMB100 for as much as you could drink in four hours, and included a BBQ. Finally, if you are going to drink on Thursdays, you should be going to Kro’s Nest, where they have five of our beers for RMB80.

How does Beijing stack up as a beer city?

Beijing is more of a beer city, whereas Shanghai has more of a wine and cocktail culture. Certainly our sales are greater in Beijing. We’re now looking at northeast China, where people are big beer drinkers but also big baijiu drinkers. The effort to capture market share will include pushing our new product, KISS vodka from China. I like to think people will support a locally made vodka.

How did KISS vodka come about?

KISS makes vodka and liqueurs in Ningxi and is the first 100-percent foreign-owned grower and distiller. The main business is growing raspberries and then freezing them for export, but they are also producing their own vodka from corn. Their products include a raspberry vodka, with every bottle using 1.5 kilograms of raspberries, as well as raspberry, apple, and peach liqueurs.

How does the rest of Dxcel’s portfolio shape up?

At the moment, we have twelve American beers, such as Brooklyn, Red Seal, and Sam Adams, seven Australian beers, such as James Boag’s, VB, and Cascade, and two Spanish beers that are new to this market, including a fantastic one called Estrella Inedit that comes in 750 ML bottles and was created under the leadership of a chef from El Bulli restaurant in Spain to pair with food, especially oily foods, salads, asparagus, fish, and so on.

What new products can we expect?

We just received three beers from the UK that we will exculsively distribute in China. Those beers are Marston Pedigree, in 500 ML can, a bitter from Wells & Young called Bombadier that comes in 500 ML and 275 ML bottles, and Cains Export Lager in 375 ML bottles, a beer that hails from Liverpool. I’ve made a distinct choices in picking these beers — an ale, a bitter, and a lager — and already have a very positive response.

We are also hoping to have beers from Morocco and New Zealand in our portfolio after Spring Festival. And we are also sponsoring events– the next one is Whose Line Is It Anyway? on January 25 in Beijing.

-

Note: During the interview, Pendergast talked about every one of his clients — from Nola to Blue Frog to Ned’s to Tim’s Texas BBQ. Any omissions here are due to my editing — blame me, not him.