Champagne: Seeking Centro-like success
This Centro wannabe in Wangfujing has hints of Austin Powers and “Buck Rogers in the Twenty-first Century” in its decor. It seems aimed at the nouveau rich and hotel guests on expense accounts, though the service needs work. Case in point: my order of a “martini” was almost mistranslated as “lemon tea” (yes, I like my cha stirred, not shaken). No one asked if I wanted vodka or gin, though a request for no olives brought the suggestion of a lemon twist (good idea). The martini turned out to be watery, and the lemon — untwisted (well, at least the intentions were good). Agent Red Wolf was unimpressed with the Long Island. The place seats hundreds, but there were only seven of us that night, though to be fair, the place is new and will need time to build a clientele. The band is fine (the singer doubles as a flutist), but was followed by a sleep-inducing medley of tunes, including elevator versions of Blowin’ in the Wind, Scarborough Fair and Jambalaya (on the Bayou).
(From Beijing Boyce XIV, first emailed on April 6, 2006)
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