Beijing Boyce

Two tasty blue cheese martinis: 75 kuai. I had forgotten how agreeable happy hour is at Centro (to 8 PM). Even better, I hear bartender Bruce Li will soon have some new concoctions learned during a stint Down Under. / While Browns continues to bustle, Suzie Wong’s has a new first floor bar that has been, um, throbbing (see below). By the way, three Long Islands at Browns last Saturday: one was near perfect, one candy floss sweet, and one sans ice and Coke. Am I being too picky or just bitter that manager Glenn and supervisor Jackie nearly set me aflame recently (see below)? By the way, Chef John’s Buffalo-style wings (hints of blue cheese and basil) and spring rolls dipping sauce are excellent. / Down the street from old Sanlitun South is newly opened Sina ja Mina (”You and Me” in Finnish). It’s a bare bones bar (as are Sesame and Black Sun on the same street), but the owners are friendly and have Finnish drinks such as… well, only Finlandia vodka (25 kuai). M-Dawg found the apple juice (15 kuai) quite refreshing. / Rumor says a new Bookworm will soon wiggle onto the scene near Lido Hotel. / Andrew “Jr. Boy” Jones is playing at the Icehouse, April 5-30. / Q Bar, which will feature cocktails by ex-First Cafe, ex-Midnight bartenders Echo Sun and George Zhou, opens on the Eastern Hotel’s rooftop during second-half May. That’s walking distance to Sanlitun South (Modern Nomads, Beer Mania), Sanlitun North (Cheers, The Tree) and Gongti West (Pavillion, clubs galore). / Ah-Q is belting out jazz at Browns on Thursday nights until, it seems, CD Jazz Club reopens. I’m there now, as I finish this newsletter, and the place is packed. Browns might be wise to sign them on.

(From Beijing Boyce XV, first emailed on April 21, 2006)