Beijing Boyce

Relaxing with mates at a pub, writing blog posts in a lounge, having “just one drink” with an associate – it’s usually on those occasions that, through a twist of fate, you end up on a bar crawl that merits entry into the “One of Those Nights” Hall of Fame. It is unplanned, it is (at least partly) unforgettable, and it is usually costly, both financially and physically.New Year’s Eve is different. The pressure is on. You’re pretty much a failure unless you emerge with at least one tale of your craziness… your zaniness… your wackiness.

Like getting completely wasted with your girlfriend and her visiting mother, accidentally French-kissing the latter at midnight, and going back for seconds.

Or drinking two bottles of Champagne, blowing your nose on a stranger’s qipao, and waking up covered in carrots on a cement bathroom floor while wearing someone else’s thong.

Or discovering the next day that everything smells like chloroform, you have six inches of stitches on your lower torso, and you feel lighter by a kidney.

Or that you have cigarette burns in your socks, lipstick stains on the back of your knees, and a Cincinnati bowt… well, I guess some tales are better left untold.

(Note: These are examples, not my experiences. I’ve never been to Cincinnati.)

In short, I don’t like such pressure. If I’m to end the night as a fool, I don’t want to see it coming, let alone be involved in the planning.

For me, New Year’s Eve is time to invite over friends, get out some cheese, crack the seal on a nice single malt, and watch Team America, Beerfest and – “for the ladies” – Steel Petunias (or Magnolias – I always forget that movie’s name). Thong exchange is possible, but that’s as far as the craziness goes.

For everyone else, here are some Monday night goings-on.

Jade of Lush / Pyro in Wudaokou notes my weak coverage of what he calls “The Wu” (my apologies) and plugs the Yen party (should be big):

“The main point of the night is to get a great dose of dance music without all the bling that comes with the LED locales of Gongti,” says he. “Last year we had close to 2,000 revelers going hard, mainly expats, but a stronger following from the locals every year.”

The party is at 706 (798 Art District) from 9 PM. Lush is running the bar and the Japanese are handling the cash (sorry, that’s a terrible Yen joke). Advance tickets available around town.

If you are pining for snow, the closest you might get is the frosty confines of China World Hotel’s temporary Ice Bar, just outside Aria. RMB180 gets you two drinks, one inside and one outside (I recommend Belvedere martinis).

Song (The Place) will hold a “throwdown” from 10 PM with DJ Jonty Scruff. RMB480 gets you eats and a half-bottle of Champagne.

Meanwhile at Café Europa, DJ Herbie will be spinning tunes. RMB380 gets you free-flow red, white and sparkling wine, and tapas.

Bed features DJ Loman as well as Champagne / sparkling wine specials – no cover charge.

Houhai wine bar La Baie des Anges has “buy one bottle, get one free” from 9 PM. If you are looking for Champagne and jazz, then Centro might be your flute of Moet.

And Bubble Café+Bar in Jianwai Soho is doing… something. The email I received was light on details – call 5869-2770 for more info.

For those who wish to start earlier, The Rickshaw kicks things off at noon with 12 hours of specials:
- 12-1 PM: Tsingtao bottle / draft – RMB8
- 1-2 PM: Wine, Prosecco RMB25, Tsingtao – RMB8
- 2-3 PM: Corona – RMB15
- 3-4 PM: All cocktails – RMB20
- 4-8 PM: Happy hour; shooters – RMB10; wings – RMB2
- 8-9 PM: Margarita pitchers – RMB25
- 9-10 PM: Belgian fruit beer – RMB30
- 10 PM-midnight: Stella – RMB20; Moet Chandon – RMB500

RSPV on The Rickshaw Facebook group. Details on a slew of other parties is available from that’s Beijing’s 7 Days or City Weekend’s events schedule.

Finally, check out the James Bond party – the last three digits of this year are 007, get it? Dress up as your favourite character, drink martinis all night, and enter a draw to be shot into space for a make-out session, just like in Moonraker! Wait, there is no such party. Instead, this year’s collective New Year’s Eve marketing genius is promotional lines such as “Let’s party like it’s 2008!”

Seriously, the plays on that Prince song are tired. Let’s save them for rare occasions, such as a tasting of 1999 Grand Cru, parties to remember the championships of the Denver Broncos (NFL), Dallas Stars (NHL), New York Yankees (MLB) or San Antonio Spurs (NBA) that year, or to mark Beijing’s air pollution index coming just a single point of hitting that 2000 parts per million mark.

Twenty-four hours until 2008 my friends…

Wherever you go and whatever you do tomorrow night, eat, drink, be merry and be safe.

Happy New Year!

The Cellar Rat and I did a quick walkabout last week. Here’s an equally quick write-up:

Toper: The beers are fresh and only 25 kuai for 300 ML / 35 kuai for 500 ML. This place is small – a few meters wide and a dozen deep – and slightly over the top with the mirrors and gilt picture frames, though it is nice to see the copper tanks. The staff speaks little English. A bottle of Dragon Seal red table wine is 188 kuai – I’d stick to the brew.

Kokomo: The deck is enclosed, which is good for keeping out the cold, but bad for air circulation. I don’t know, but the dim lighting / loud music combination doesn’t work for me, although the place does make a decent Mai Tai.

Golden: It’s in the same space as Taniwha, but with WAY more shiny stuff. We decided to move on…

Q Bar: Is it me or do the owners seem more inclined to play DJ than bartender? Even so, the staff is adept at mixology and this place is hard to beat for a good drink in Beijing.

The Den: According to a sign out front, the cover is RMB 30 and gets you a drink. According to our experience, walking away gets that cover reduced to zero. The Cellar Rat describes the Den as “a poor man’s Suzie Wong’s”, though I find it great for late-night eats. I’ve heard a few people criticize the service there, but I’ve never had a problem. The staff may not always gush with enthusiasm, but it is polite and efficient.

Like a mysterious fog slowly drifting in from the Grand Banks… like a heavy morning haze that like an unwanted guest forgets to leave for three days… like baby mice playing in cotton balls… I’m trying to find a way to describe Beijing’s record-breaking air pollution for this year, which hit 421 parts per million today. Perhaps a fellow patron describes the scene best: “It’s like watching a [figurative] skull and crossbones cross the sky.”

The past three days are by far 2007’s worst stretch, as measured by China’s government, which typically ranks Beijing last of the 84 cities it monitors. Check these before and after photos – the latter is for yesterday, 140 parts per million better than today. (Not surprisingly, China is far more liberal in defining pollution levels than the United States, Europe and Hong Kong.)

So, why am I writing about pollution on this blog? Because if you’re planning to hit a bar tonight, you better make sure your taxi driver has GPS.

(My guess is that the goal is to hit 888 parts per million because, well, 8 is a lucky number in China.)

Note: Just when we thought it couldn’t get worse, we beat yesterday’s record – today it’s 500 parts per million, which is the maximum on the pollution chart.

You heard it here.

Bruce Willis lookalike / Rickshaw manager Chad Lager today thrice stated, while sober, “I guarantee you that the new Saddle will have the best selection of tequila in all of China.”

All of China – that would span the decimated factories of the northeast to the crop-burning plateaus of the southwest, the shining seas (Buddha bless that chemical sheen) in the southeast to the yangrou chuna’r heartland  of the northwest. (I’m cynical today due to Beijing’s horrible air pollution.)

Prepare your limes, prepare your salt…

By the way, the new Saddle will be in Nali Studio, just a shooter glass’s throw from the old one. More on this soon.

Happy holidays to the readers of this blog and my newsletter. Enjoy the cranberry sauce, the eggnog and the Christmas carols – and be safe. Here’s a video in the spirit of the season. Cheers, Boyce

China World Hotel’s Ice Bar is slated to open from 8 PM to midnight on December 29, then daily from 6 PM to midnight until Chinese New Year (or it melts). I asked Danny Kane, manager of the hotel’s Aria bar, about the new place.

How big is the bar and how much ice will it take?

Ice bar is outside Aria and will be big enough to fit about 25 guests. It will take ten people about six hours to make and will take over 100 very large blocks of ice from the mountains.

What kind of experience can people expect?

A cold one – the concept is that you spend about 20 to 25 minutes in there. You will be provided with jackets and gloves. It will have very cool lights inside. Its a unique place to go and chat and literally chill.

[Aria's] Bruce [Li] and Johnson [Ren] are putting some very unique ice cocktails to fit. There will be music, drinks and some food.

What kind of drinks will you have?

We’ll have several options for guests. The “experience package” is RMB 180 and gets you two cocktails made from ice delights, Belvedere Vodka and Grand Marnier. The “Champagne experience” is where you sip on a couple of glasses of champagne and try some Harbin caviar and oysters. And the “ultimate Ice dinner package” includes pre-dinner drinks in the bar with caviar and oysters, then a warming five-course dinner matched with wine. If guests feel like a bit of fresh air afterwards, they can finish outside with Grand Marnier.

The drinks focus is on Moet Chandon, Belvedere Vodka and other products from Moet-Hennessy Diageo, which is the co-sponsor of the bar.

Are you guys doing this to save money on the coat check?

No.

A reader sent the following comment about Salsa Caribe, a club on Sanlitun South in Beijing. The comment appeared first on The Beijinger – see this site for a full discussion of the issue. It’s not exactly the most heartwarming Christmas tale, is it?

“Hi, I wanted to pass on something that I noticed this evening at SLT [Sanlitun] that made me incredibly sad and angry. I originally posted this reaction to [a thread called Salsa Caribe Club abuses animals] at the beijinger.com, but since this a bar that you have profiled before, I’d like to bring it to your attention as well. While I am not the most eloquent writer, this is the post from TBJ [The Beijinger]:

“So tonight I was dancing for a bit in Heat club to escape the mob over in Nanjie, and everything was fine, albeit quiet. But, when I went out to the restroom, which shares a hallway/corridor with “Salsa Caribe” I came across a scene that made me red with anger. I guess Salsa was throwing some sort of Christmas Party tonight, and as a decoration they had hired a “reindeer” to stand guard inside the hall, right before the bouncer taking covers. The “reindeer” was an actual deer (albeit no horns) standing on a piece of tarp. Its eyes were bloodshot, and it was visibly scared of the drunk customers coming and leaving, many of whom were compelled to approach the deer, pet it, take pictures of it (with a flash, that the deer tried to avoid by jamming his head into the wall corner), RIDING the deer, simulating sex acts on the deer, making obscene postures with the deer for photographs, customers trying to force the deer’s head out from the corner in order to “pose” for a picture… and I could go on.

“I do not consider myself an animal rights crusader, but this scene made me extremely sad and angry. I realize that the deer probably hadn’t had a good life up until this point, and the owner of the deer probably made a living out of renting the deer out… but Salsa club should have had better judgment than to trap a wild animal indoors, and force it to interact with drunken bar-goers all night.

“This is a case of a Chinese club taking the Xmas exploitation one step too far. It’s one thing to co-opt another culture’s holiday to bring in the clients and the money (I have no problem with this), it’s another thing completely to subject a wild animal to a night of terror inside a music club. There is no way in hell that any American business would consider herding a deer into a concrete mezzanine to be the unsupervised plaything of drunken revelers.

“I had never been to SALSA CARIBE before, but I am certain that I will never in the future. I know it’s ridiculuous to propose a boycott on a message board… but if you just think for a moment about the ethics of the club that you are frequenting, then I am sure that you will make a b-line away from Salsa Caribe.

A few options for those craving some Christmas dining:

Sequoia Café (Guanghua Lu branch only) will serve up a roast turkey platter – including Jennie-O turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce and bread pudding – at 65 kuai per person. Get your fill, 11 AM to 9 PM, on both December 24 and 25. RSVP with frank.siegel@gmail.com / 13701-178-073.

New restaurant Revelations, on the site of the former Browns, offers a five-course dinner at RMB 288 per person. Diners can pick two appetizers (spicy Cajun chicken Caesar salad, pan-fried goose liver, and more), one of two soups (cream of cauliflower soup infused with truffle oil or baby tomato potage with French mussels), and one of three main courses (including turkey). Dessert is Italian tiramisu served with mixed berry compote.

Those out Shunyi way might try Palette Vino, which offers Christmas dinner for two at RMB 618. Dinner includes foie gras bruschetta, chickpea soup with pan-fried cod, cheese-grilled Australian lobster or roast turkey, and cheese cake or fruit salad. It also includes a bottle of Santa Margherita Procecco. RSVP essential: 8046-4461 / leo@palettewines.cn

SALT has a Christmas brunch, but expect options such as Bloody Mary shrimp ceviche, grilled pork loin with sweet mashed potato, guava and rosemary sauce, and the like instead of turkey and cranberry sauce. Two courses: RMB 138 (RMB 278 with free flow bubbly); three courses: RMB 168 (RMB 298 with the bubbly). To RSVP or for directions, call 6437-8457 (Sunday brunch is 12-4 and I imagine the same holds true for Christmas brunch, but best to call and make sure).

Those looking for Christmas Eve eats might try Café Europe, which has a five-course dinner with salmon, roast beef, lobster bisque, fish, and more, as well as glass of sparkling wine, for RMB 330 per person). The a la carte menu will also be available. Call 5869-5663 or email josefkiang@yahoo.com to RSVP.

For a whole flock of other Christmas lunches and dinners, see here.

Browns, which less than two years ago ranked among the city’s hottest spots, closed in August after an agonizing decline. Taking its place is the thousand-square-meter restaurant and lounge Revelations, which will soft open on Saturday. I’ve already written a bit about this place and yesterday I met with Revelations’ Jacky Kagi, whose previous gigs include the Jockey Club, Conrad International and Reflexion Natural Dining, all in Hong Kong.

What kind of environment can people expect?

We have a place with good food but without a conservative environment. The décor includes both Renaissance (a large mural, pillars and marble) and modern elements. The atmosphere is a bit traditional but also a place where you can put your elbows on the table and laugh out loud. It’s informal, but not so informal as to be like TGI Friday’s, where a waiter comes up to your table and on bended knee says, “Hi, I’m Bob.”

We [the management] are all from five-star hotels or the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Who are you looking to attract?

We are aiming at the middle class emerging in Beijing. We hope to attract our neighbors, people living and working in this area.

We’re not looking to provide a LAN or Block 8 experience. We’re trying to find a middle ground, to reach more of a mass market.

We will have ten set lunches, from RMB 60 to RMB 100, and a set dinner from RMB 120 to around RMB 250. We want our food to be affordable and to offer value for money.

We will also have our own caviar from Russia and Iran, both wild and farmed. A 30-gram tin could be shared by four to six people, so that they know what caviar is, so they have the experience. This is our equivalent of shark’s fin or abalone.

Like our oyster bar and sushi bar, the caviar will supplement our regular fare, which aims at value for money. It’s not something we will pressure customers into ordering.

How about the wine list?

We will mainly have a selection of Old World wines, even a few Portuguese ones, as I’m a bit of an old-fashioned guy. We will do the whole Lafitte thing, and do wine dinners and education, but will also have about 30 bottles on the menu and six wines by the glass. When it comes to wine, it’s not only about how much a bottle costs. It’s also about quality and what someone likes. We want to sell by the glass and to promote regional wine. It’s clear as crystal that we need to get regular customers.

What other places have you tried and liked in town?

I’ve been in Beijing on and off since August. I’m impressed with Alameda as a business model, though I understand some staff members have left. A place I like is Prego, in the Westin, because they always bring out some nice regional wines.

Note: I sampled the veal shank, tuna sashimi, and crème brulee, all of them tasty. Revelations makes its own chocolates. I will have more on the wine list when I receive the information.

Song Music Bar + Kitchen – the newest addition to The Place – offers drinkers downtown room to breathe. There is no ‘pack them in’ mentality in this 400-square-meter establishment. Seating areas are well-spaced, ceilings top out at nine meters, and the wide curving steps – symbolic of rice paddy terraces, says investor Paul Wong – rise to the second level.

The design is modest and cavernous. In fact, with a décor dominated by light wood, it feels a bit like a comfy cave. “This is not a flashy place like you find in Shanghai,” says Wong. “It’s meant to be cozier.”

The walls are plain, with images beamed onto them later at night as the place becomes more club than lounge. Admirably, at least when I visited, the music is at a volume that makes conversation possible.

Wong says Song aims at the mid- to upper-mid market. It also aims to provide an artsy retreat in the city’s center. “We would like to democratize art,” he says. “We plan to work with artists, photographers, fashion designers, and others.”

The place looks ideal for corporate events, with space for 300 to 400 standing, including 100 to 150 on the upper level, says Wong.

The beverages list needs work. Forty-five kuai for a glass of Signos in a puny glass would not a happy Boyce make. The good news: Wong says he is revising the wine list and has bigger glasses on the way. Decent wine and excellent cocktails – they’ll be priced around 55 kuai – would help bring in customers.

Another issue is location: Song is in B1, which requires a walk through the mall, a ride down an escalator and a search about. Given Song’s top level extends above ground, it would be ideal if one could jump out of a cab in front of The Place and simply walk into the bar, saving a trip through the mind-numbing mall. I’m not sure this is possible, just wondering…

Here are a few wine tastings over the next few days to get you warmed up for Christmas:

December 22
Let the holiday spirit pour forth as Palette Wines holds a tasting of more than 100 wines for 100 kuai. The Christmas Wine Bazaar is Saturday, 2 PM to 7 PM, on the second floor of the Central Park banquet hall (apparently, the hall is in the center of Central Park). There is a 15 percent discount on purchases made at this event. Some constructive criticism – Palette, for the love of Santa Claus, please give us more warning when you hold an event of this size and value!

December 21
On Friday, Sequoia Café in Sanlitun will hold a tasting of Ridge Wines from California. Organizer Frank Siegel writes, “If you need a change from the ‘value for money’ wines found at the hypermarket, this is the event for you.” The event starts at 6:30 PM, costs 150 kuai and includes tasting samples, snacks, and entry into a draw for “The Oxford Companion to Wine.” RSVP with frankie.siegel@gmail.com.

December 20
Join Aromes and Vinotheca on Thursday for a tasting of eight wines - Viognier, Cotes du Rhone, Petit Mansberg and more. The event starts at 7 PM at the French Cultural Center and costs 50 kuai. There is a 15 percent discount on purchases made at this event. RSVP with aromes2006@gmail.com

Just a quick note: I’ve been in the Yunnan countryside where the Internet connection is a bit spotty. I’ll have a bunch of posts up soon, including write-ups on Song, the newest bar in The Place, the start of my wireless cafe series, and news on several upcoming wine tastings (I hear there may be a tasting of 100 wines in Shunyi this weekend – I’m checking into this now).

Cheers, Boyce

Fans of The Rickshaw will have to live one day without their medium wings as the place closes from 7 AM on December 17 until 7 AM on December 18 for what we will call “staff training” (karaoke, anyone?).

This is also a good time to mention two other items:

- The Rickshaw’s new winter menu item: beef stew. It’s a tasty dish of chunks of carrot, potato and beef, with two buns on the side, and roasted cloves of garlic.

- The Rickshaw has the NBA package. I’ve been popping in on the odd afternoon to catch the day’s highlights and some of the NBA Classics.

What can I say…

Hockey Morning in Beijing at Cafe St. Laurent is postponed AGAIN – the puck was to drop December 16 instead of December 9 instead of December 2.

At first, it was like a two-minute penalty for delay of game. Then it was like a five-minute major. Now, it’s like the arena’s lights have gone out and we don’t know when, or if, they’ll come back on.  It’s not clear when things will be up and running, so don’t go circling December 23 on your calendar just yet. I’ll provide an update on the situation as soon as I get news.

In the meantime, keep your stick on the ice, keep your head up, and keep control of your craving for Tim’s.

If I had a kuai for everyone in Beijing who says they want to open a wine bar or import wine, I’d be chilling in Aria with a bottle of Bollinger right now. Add another kuai for every winemaker seeking to enter this market, and I’d have another one on ice.

The wine business is not for the faint of heart (or liver). Those determined to enter it should read ”How can I sell wine in China?” by Dan Siebers (Summergate Wines), on my Grape Wall of China blog, for some of the basics. A breakdown of the series: 

Part 1
An introduction to key issues facing producers who seek to enter the China market, including poor media coverage and a lack of consumer research

Part 2 
Consumer trends, including local tastes, buying patterns and brand strategies as well as which countries’ wines do the best

Part 3
Kinds of importers, including independent foreign-owned, independent locally owned, independent Hong Kong-owned, Chinese wine companies, and “cowboys”

Part 4 
Brand distribution, including import statistics and two cases of the “dangers of success”

Part 5
Geographic distribution, including what to expect in various Chinese cities, and numerous “land mines” producers face, including ones that might cost them a lot of time and money

A recent New York Times article provides a 36-hour itinerary for visitors to Beijing that in terms of nightlife selections, well, kind of sucks.* I won’t dissect the entire program - the Panjiayuan market part is headed ‘Capitalism at Work’ (ugh) – but will instead focus on the post-sundown sections. (Note: I’ll refer to the New York Times, or NYT, rather than to the author since it is possible that an editor stateside butchered this piece.)

Kicking things off, the itinerary for Friday night is okay but the one for Saturday night isn’t, so I suggest changing both. (NYT excerpts are in block quotes.)

[Friday] 8 p.m.
3) DUCK FOR DINNER

… The dining room of the Dadong Roast Duck Restaurant (22 Dongsishitiao; 86-10-5169-0328) is rowdy, as Chinese restaurants are supposed to be, and the braised eggplant is sweet and good. The skin of the lean bird is crisp, and its meat — wrapped in a thin pancake with spring onions and a sweet dark sauce — washes down nicely with red wine or beer.

There’s nothing wrong with duck but it works better on Saturday night. Why? Friday’s pre-dinner itinerary takes us to The Forbidden City. I say stay in that area rather than leave it to eat dinner and return again for the NYT bar choice, Bed.

You will find a slew of Chinese restaurants on Houhai‘s Lotus Lane. Most menus have pictures of available dishes and make ordering much less intimidating for those unfamiliar with Chinese food. Check the photos at a half-dozen places and then choose a spot – this is a good time to have an adventure and to follow your gut instinct rather than someone else’s itinerary. (Nevertheless, I’ll dig up the names of some of the better places there.) Dining on Lotus Lane makes it easy to grab a coffee at the Starbuck’s (for those who can’t live without it) and take a post-dinner stroll around Houhai and pop into a bar or two on the way to Bed.

Those looking for ‘Western’ eats might check Passby Bar, which has a comfy backpacker feel as well as food with a local twist, such as pizza with roast lamb. Again, this makes it easy to take a tour, this time of Nanluoguxiang, close to Bed.

[Friday] 10 p.m.
4) ANTIQUES AND SANGRIA

Beijing’s best known bar strip, the Sanlitun neighborhood, is a playground for hookers, expatriates and Nigerian drug dealers. Instead, take a cab to the Drum and Bell Towers, and slip into the hutongs, or historic alleys, heading north, toward Bed Bar (17 Zhangwang Hutong; 86-10-8400-1554). Look for a red lantern down a long, quiet lane. A converted machine-parts factory decorated with antique furniture and paintings of the old city, Bed is a pleasant place to drink sangria, talk with friends, and drink more sangria. If you’re with a group, reserve a private room overlooking the courtyard.

Bed is a good choice, though many is the time I have waited at that place for someone who knows his or her way around Beijing fairly well but nevertheless is lost. Suggesting “look for a red lantern down a long, quiet lane” and listing a phone number for the bar might not be enough help for those new to Beijing, though with persistance, and by asking people for directions, they’ll eventually find it.

As for drinks, why would I come to China to drink Sangria? Why not try the local grog (Chinese wine, Beijing beer, and the like) or see if the local bartenders can make a decent drink (at Bed, that means Mojitos)?

Re the Sanlitun** comments, it’s great the New York Times fact-checkers have pinpointed the drug dealers’ nationality: they’re Nigerian! I’d love to see statistics backing this up - if they’re handy (seriously).

By the way, I’m not sure about the past few weeks but during a six-month period that started in May, I wasn’t bothered by any drug dealers in Sanlitun. If they were there, they were less conspicuous and they survived that crackdown a few months back. Re hookers, maybe NYT means the “lady bar” touts – don’t answer them, don’t make eye contact, and just move on. Re expatriates, yes, there are many of them and they tend to be progressively drunker as the night wears on. I repeat – don’t answer them, don’t make eye contact, and just move on. (Even easier, don’t go to Sanlitun in the first place).

On to night number two:

7:30 p.m.
9) KARMA SERVED MEATLESS

Pure Lotus (China Wenlian Courtyard, Changhong Bridge; 86-10-6592-3627) is a vegetarian restaurant whose décor — a lotus motif stenciled from Silk Road grottoes, an altar of fresh flowers, candles in bamboo holders — seems destined for Manhattan…. The dishes have ridiculous karmic names (“Destiny Comes Together as a Cold Plate,” “Yoga Apple Salad”) and some are served amid floral bouquets and dried ice mists, so cynical thoughts should be channeled. Reserve a table in the beautiful main dining room, where the servers sing folk songs.

Pure Lotus is great… if you’re a vegetarian. I can’t imagine being a meateater, having 36 hours in town, and spending one of my two dinners at that place. This is what to have: 1) Beijing duck, 2) Xinjiang food, or 3) Sichuan food. These options feature food that is acceptable to most visitors and fun to share. They are also good alternatives for Saturday lunch (in lieu of Kong Yiji).

Since it’s Saturday, traffic is lighter and there is more flexiblity to pick a spot. Possibilities include Red Rose for Xinjiang food, Dadong (as noted by NYT) for Beijing duck, or Chuan Ban for Sichuan (this is the provincial office’s restaurant and slightly hard to find). I’m a fan of the Dongbei-style restaurant Manchurian Special Flavor Jianzi Restaurant, too.

11 p.m.

10) A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC

Centro (1 Guanghua Lu; 86-10-6561-8833 extension 42; www.shangri-la.com) is a lounge in the Kerry Centre Hotel in the desolate central business district where Western men in pinstriped suits and Chinese women with pearls drink, flirt and listen to jazz standards. The younger, and more adventurous, will head to faraway D-22, a rock club in the city’s university district (242 Chengfu Road; 86-10-6265-3177; www.d22beijing.com). In a country where the radio waves are controlled by the party and love songs by pretty girls are ubiquitous, rock ‘n’ roll is still considered esoteric. The house bands at D-22 — Carsick Cars, Hedgehog and others — are trying to change that.

NYT describes Centro as in “the desolate central business district” and as “where Western men in pinstriped suits and Chinese women with pearls drink, flirt and listen to jazz standards.” This is supposed to appeal to us? Hmm. Centro is okay if you live in Beijing, but if you’re visiting, go to The World of Suzie Wong. It’s a Beijing institution with something for those who like to boogie (a dance floor), relax with a drink (opium bed-style seating) or sit out on nice nights (a spacious deck). If it doesn’t end up being your style, other venues – Pepper, Souk, Block 8 (including the somewhat Centro-like I-Ultra Lounge) – are within walking distance and allow you to hit a few bars in one night. Or you can cab it to Workers’ Stadium, Sanlitun, Lucky Street, or elsewhere.

As for D-22, it’s a hike from downtown, but if you’re in Beijing and local live music scenes are your gig, then why not?

* As much for the choices as for the way in which they are described.

** By Sanlitun, I take it the NYT means the Sanlitun North strip with the long row of copy-cat bars (where the “lady bar” touts hang out) and the Tongli Studio area nearby (which is associated with drug dealers), not Sanlitun South, the home of The Bookworm, The Rickshaw, Q Bar and other spots).

Note: For another take on the NYT itinerary, see A Modern Lei Fong.

Last Sunday night, Special K and I visited new restaurant La Gouche* (beside Banana Leaf) for a coffee and sampled the “snack” menu**. This was one of five menus handed to us, including the standard menu, two wine menus and a general beverages menu. Heavy stuff…

Special K had French onion soupand described it as “bland.” The pizza (48 kuai) came with pre-made crust and cheese that might double as melted Tupperware – if you’re Canadian and a big fan of McCain’s, you might like it. While small, the burger(48 kuai) was tasty and juicy, though the coleslaw was mushy.

I found the coffee disappointing. The cappuccino lacked froth and tasted like it had a dash of Nestle instant chocolate milk powder in it.

To be fair, the place just opened. Hopefully, the food improves, because this is a cozy spot. It’s moderately spacious with comfortable chairs and lots of chocolates, tans and off-whites. I also found the staff attentive and friendly, though their job is obviously easier when the place only has a handful of customer, as it did when we visited.

We enjoyed a tour of La Gauche’s dozen or so private rooms, each with its own style - one had traditional Chinese chairs draped with animal pelts, another had modern paintings and furniture, and so on – and an abundance of marble, sheer gold curtains, and gilded walls. A room with a teppanyaki unit seats eight, the set menu ranging from RMB480 to RMB2880 per person. I could see gathering a half-dozen friends, each of us bringing a Champagne to match a certain menu item, and enjoying a night of fun.

* La Gouche works better in French than in English, methinks.

** The snack menu prices are for lunch. For dinner, prices are slightly higher (our pizza cost RMB 48 as opposed to RMB 38 at lunch) and the set menus are not available.

Following a sparkling wine tasting at Sequoia Café last Friday, p3wong and I went to nearby Marguerite for a bite to eat. To be honest, the building’s façade attracted us like moths to a flame, and we did indeed feel a bit burned by the time we left.

First, music throbbed from the downstairs club, Mingle (same owner). It might be fun to butter your bread to a good beat, but constant bass accompaniment in a restaurant that aims for a fine dining atmosphere is annoying.

Second, I’ve never been in a place with such hard bread. You could substitute this stuff for a judge’s gavel; hammer in nails with it; launch it as skeet. p3wong could barely snap a piece in two.

Third, some of our dishware had fingerprint smudges and those smudges were not our own. That’s a no-no.

I will give the staff at Marguerite points for friendliness and flexibility. We wanted Bloody Marys and some quick negotiation brought permission to zip downstairs and get them at Mingle (they make an okay version, though it would be better without ice). The GM recently quit the place and I couldn’t spot the regular bartenders. I futiley tried to explain to the new bartenders my desire for a Bloody Mary but realizing that their mixology skills might be on par with their ability to recognize the name of one of the world’s most popular drinks, I returned upstairs.*

We ordered Diet Coke.

As for the food, the shrimp rolls and the spring rolls (40-50 kuai range for four of each) were so-so; the soup lacked zing. Among our dishes, the chicken in pesto sauce tasted best. And as mentioned, the wait staff was friendly, if a bit disorganized.

* The door to Mingle has shifted to the building’s northeast corner. The crowd appears to have shifted from the “see and be seen” crowd to a much earthier one. The place was fairly full on Friday night.

“Green is go, red is stop,” explains Frank Siegel as he hands each participant two poker chips at his most recent blind wine tasting – this one focused on bubbly – on Friday night at Sequoia Cafe in Beijing. The idea: taste all six wines, then use the green chip to vote for the one that puts a sparkle in your eye and the red chip to vote for the one that leaves you flat. After a lengthy session of sipping and savoring and considering, the tasters voted and Frank revealed the totals:

The “go” wine
Redbank (Australia) – 15 green, 1 red

The “stop” wine
Norton (Argentina) – 7 red, 0 green

In the middle
Fleischer (Germany) – 3 green, 7 red
Charles de Fere (France) – 1 green, 2 red
Mionetto (Italy) – 1 green, 2 red
Bouvet Ladubay (France) – 1 green, 2 red

(These wines are all available in Beijing.)

My green chip went to Bouvet Ladubay: it had a toasty and slightly nutty nose, with a nice tingle, though I found it a tad bitter at the end. In second, I had a tie between Redbank (toasty nose and fizzy, peachy and slightly rough mouth) and Charles de Fere (nice mouth feel). My red chip went to Norton, which came off as too sour and unripe. Close behind: the Mionetto, with a piney, almost freezer burn, smell. The Fleischer, much sweeter than the others, landed in the middle with its hint of baked apples. Note: I am not a professional wine taster, just a consumer, and these are my somewhat humble opinions.

The sixth annual that’s Beijing Xmas Charity Funk Throwdown is slated for this Saturday at Block 8. Proceeds go to Ping An Foster Home, which arranges surgeries for Chinese orphans. DJs Mael and Snow will be “spinning old school funk and soul,” states the promo. The 100-kuai entry fee includes two Bacardi-based drinks, a Santa hat and entry into the lucky draw. Plus, the knowledge you’re helping out a good cause.