Beijing Boyce

Popular pizza joint The Tree is branching out. An email from the place says that Nearby The Tree will open on October 21, just a hop, skip and jump away (see map below).

“The new venue is on two floors and the concept is different - downstairs will still be a bar with a similar drinks menu to The Tree (De Koninck and Hoegaarden on tap) but more spacious. Upstairs (when open as phase two) will be serving fresh pasta and an excellent wine list,” states the email. “The upstairs is child-friendly and the Belgian emphasis returns with waffles to please those with a sweet tooth.”

Children with waffles or adults with Belgian beer - who’s going to be the rowdier bunch?

Here’s the map:

Spencer Grey Group, which runs Alfa, Muse, Café St. Laurent and Le Hugo, among other Beijing establishments, will soon open Project H, a one-thousand-square-meter bar, restaurant, lounge, and patio complex on Sanlitun North. I spoke to company bigwig Blane Kieng about current and upcoming projects.

Why did you get into the bar business and why Alfa?
I started Muse [a Chaoyang West restaurant] in May 2003, during SARS. It was doing well and we constantly had people eating there and then asking us if they could leave their car so they could pop down to Suzie Wong’s for a drink. I thought that if I could get them for dinner, why not for drinks?

I looked for a location and checked out the space that is now Purple Haze (across from Gongti North). It had a very shi shi design by a well-known artist. I didn’t want to throw out the design, but it wasn’t working. We went to the next hutong for a drink, to a bar called Emergency Room, and someone said, “Why not buy this place?” I took it over and started to do my own thing.

Why did you call the place Alfa?
I wanted a name that easily translated into English and Chinese - I wanted both crowds (foreigners and locals). In terms of the logo, Alpha means first and I also thought that since it started with “a”, it would be listed near the beginning of most directories. I used Alfa instead of Alpha, because graphically it looked better.

What were some of the milestones in Alfa?
Six months in we started the 80s nights. It was not that successful at first - we drew a lot of expats but not many locals. Three years later, many people have heard those 80s songs many times and know how to dance to them.

The following March we redesigned the patio and changed it from an open space to a designed space. We added beds and running water, gave it a Southeast Asia resort feel, and it took off.

We redesigned the interior the next fall. Before it was like a cave. We improved the layout and extended the upper floor, so that the place would carry us over the winter periods.

The next year, we made steady progress, and then in the third year [this year] we redid the patio [which included enclosing it]. It has been a runway success. Café St. Laurent [which uses the Alfa space for Sunday brunches] has helped expand the market and the 80s nights this summer have come into their own.

What does the Alfa crowd drink?
Mostly cocktails - it’s a casual and relaxed atmosphere from Sunday to Thursday, and raucous on the weekends. Expats tend to go on Fridays and locals on Saturdays.

Your new effort, Project H, sounds a lot like Block 8.
It’s pretty much the same concept. We will have a restaurant, a bar, a club, and a patio and rooftop garden in one venue. We’re shooting for an atmosphere where people know each other. It’s a place you will go to see and be seen and also to meet people you know.

We’re shooting for a crowd that wants nice food, nice drinks and good service. Cocktails will be 50 to 60 kuai. Where Alfa is now - we want to move it up a notch.

What would you say to those who think Sanlitun is too seedy?
That’s the old Sanlitun. The new Sanlitun, on the north and south sides, will be different. It will have five-star hotels, Armani and LV shops - we’re going along with the development.

Even though Sanlitun is seedy now, the area surrounding it and the people living there are not. They are looking for a good meal, good drinks and a good patio. We’ll have the best patio in Sanlitun. It will have good views of Chaoyang Park and all the way south to Q Bar.

When will Project H open?
We’ll open the fifth floor [restaurant, bar and lounge] the first week of January. From January until spring festival will be the soft opening. The full launch will come afterward and the rooftop will open mid-April.

Providing good service in Beijing is a major challenge. How will you deal with this?
A large percent of our effort is having better staff and training, training, training. You have staff focused on the short-tem, looking for a higher salary next month. The best we can do is offer good salaries, treat the staff well, and provide benefits like a good atmosphere. Our staff will work somewhat on a commission basis in order to provide incentives.

What are your favorite drinks and watering holes in Beijing?
I’m a big martini drinker and I judge a place by how well it makes them - I like a dirty gin martini with three olives. Q Bar, Centro, Red Moon Bar, they make good drinks.

Note: Spencer Grey Group has a strip of four to five bars, also to be located in Sanlitun, in the works. I’ll have more on this later.