Beijing Boyce

It’s a dog eat dog, bar beat bar world and Sanlitun is no exception. At least three pairs of establishments are going head to head there.

Martini madness

The soap opera surrounding First Cafe continues. In the last episode, we learned how two Chinese bartenders came to the big city and worked for foreign owners at a martini bar only to see the place’s popularity and their workload soar, while their benefits remained, to put it kindly, stable. Disgruntled, they broke free about a month ago and have now found an investor and set up shop in front of their old workplace. Grudges, revenge and cutthroat competition, this scene has it all – with a twist of lemon.

Our dynamic bartending duo thinks their popularity with the previous patrons will bring in droves of customers. (How do I know? They said so, while we sampled three 12-year-old whiskies I brought back from vacation. Maybe they didn’t say “droves,” but they definitely used “most” and “lots.” Trust me. I don’t make this stuff up.) First Cafe’s best feature was excellent drinks, and especially martinis, but it also had a potent mix of coziness and interesting customers. This new bar — called Midnight: don’t get me started on the name — is about twice as big as First Cafe’s top floor and it will be hard to create a similar ambience. Here’s the thing: great drinks work due to the recipe. If you take the ingredients and change the formula, you toy with disaster. That’s what’s happened to First Cafe as a bar. Let’s hope things don’t go sour.
As the worm turns

More precisely, it’s wriggled from Sanlitun North to just off Sanlitun South, just down from where it meets Gongti North. Bookworm leaves behind former food partner Le Petit Gourmand, which has a sign proclaiming to the world that yes, it is open, essential to mention given the rubble surrounding the place. The new Bookworm‘s interior is clean, comfortable and spacious, with three lounge areas, reasonably priced drinks (RMB12 for an Espresso or diet Coke; RMB15 for Yanjing draft), 14000-plus books available for loan and hundreds for sale, excellent service, and the continuing lecture series. (I’m still having nightmares thanks to Mark Benecke, the forensic scientist who specializes in etymology and took us step by step — or, rather, picture by picture — through solving a crime by looking at insects on a corpse’s body, his talk appropriately titled, “The Great Maggot Detective.” The last seminar was by Jim McGregor, who spoke to a packed house about his new book, One Billion Customers.) Besides a near electrocution by a malfunctioning lamp chord, my only criticisms about the Bookworm would be that the music is too loud at times and that it is going to be too popular. As for Le Petit Gourmand, it’s hanging in as long as possible in a location destined for redevelopment.

Not lonely at the top

Bar Blu was known for having a most big and excellent rooftop. Then it got whacked in half. Before you could pop the caps on a couple of Coronas, Top Club opened on the other side, separated by a two-meter barrier, apparently by the brains behind nearby Kai Club, which specializes in cheap drinks and is popular with students. I have yet to visit Top Club, but have heard from others that it offers a decent rooftop lounge. As for Bar Blu, it remains a mystery. On one hand, it has decent service at times and a good happy hour. On the other, I, and other acquaintances, have sometimes found the staff arrogant (and forgetful about bringing back change). Will the real Bar Blu please stand up?

(From Beijing Boyce II, first emailed on October 20, 2005)
### Sanlitun First Cafe Midnight The Bookworm Le Petit Gourmand (old) Bar Blu Top Club Kai Club