Beijing Boyce

This two-floor Mongolian-themed bar is the former location of Zone de Confort. Part of a restaurant chain from Ulan Bator, it offers less than authentic fare, given ingredients such as peach slices, Granny Smith apples and mayonnaise, but offers eclectic entertainment and decent drinks. The decor includes pseudo leather table covers, wagon wheels and various horse-riding gear, and is hard to describe, though M-Dawg and I had fun trying. Mongo-kitsch? Ulan Boutique? Mod-golia?

We had a grill set (memories of Schindler’s), which included slabs of pork and beef on a hot cast iron plate, and side bowls of rice and potatoes (80 kuai). “Mongolians know how to do meat,” said M-Dawg. My dumpling set included three varieties, which were savory but too chewy, as well as some ribs and a carrot salad (48 kuai). More interesting were the Mongolian vodkas, including Chingis, available straight up (25 to 30 kuai for 50 ML) or in cocktails (20 to 30 kuai), including the Bad Boy Martini (vodka and Jack Daniels) to the Bhaktan (vodka, Kahlua, Coke and milk). Knock back a few while watching a man throat sing and play a Matojin (a stringed instrument) or the four-piece band perform Mongolian and Western pop songs, including “Venus.” Add in an eccentric crowd that includes locals and foreigners, including many Mongolians, and you have the makings of an interesting night.

(From Beijing Boyce XIII, first emailed on March 24, 2006)