Beijing Boyce

Before going to Flo for lunch last week in Beijing, The Flash and I visited The Wine Bank next door. The defining features are 14-foot ceilings, red brick walls, pine shelving and stone floors, with touches of glass, cast iron and gold trim. A second-floor alcove includes two sofas, and there are three tables downstairs, if you want to try a bottle (after buying it, of course).

The Wine Bank is earthy enough, though there is some tackiness, such as plastic plants, brick “wallpaper” pasted over cement in spots, and an all-too-visible golf club collection I’d guess is the owner’s. “This is a nice place to have a seat and a bottle of wine,” says The Flash.

More than 80 percent of the wine on offer hails from Australia, with labels such as Timber Ridge, Tallboy, Ferngrove, Plantagenet, Peel, and Just Red.

The Wine Bank is open 11 AM to 9 PM, with free parking for added convenience. According to one employee, several more branches are planned in Beijing.

Here’s something from the world of sport but that fits here because its a game I associate with bars… 

Foosball fanatics, get your fix: the China Open Table Soccer Championship is set for December 7-9 at Beijing Ti Yu Sports Hotel. I interviewed foosball trainer and promoter Fred Gower about this event (email fred_gower@yahoo.ca for a schedule and other details).

What can people expect if they attend the China Open?
They can expect to see most of the best players in China, from seven different regions in the country. International tournament-quality tables. Videos of past world championships. International teams from Mongolia and India. And one middle-aged white guy (me) looking for others to form a world team.

How does the talent in China stack up to that in other countries?
Talent is strong but still raw. When I first moved here three years ago, I could beat most players with one hand. Since then I have taught dozens of students, some of them very serious. A few beat me now on a regular basis. The teenagers that we teach could be very good in five to ten years. We have rules and training videos in Mandarin, articles, Web sites, and so on to help them.

We were very happy to surprise the rest of Asia this year when we finished second at the International Cup at the VIFA Asia Open in Malaysia. Europe and North America are still a big step ahead of us.

What are the best pubs in which to play foosball in Beijing?
I have only seen a handful of places to play in Beijing. There are a lot of great bars in terms of atmosphere but they are horrible for table quality. Have your favorite bar owner contact us to buy an international quality table at Chinese prices. Shanghai already has about six places with them and players there are moving ahead of Beijing skillwise. Players in Beijing can improve the situation, but it requires some people willing to take a lead. The Chinese Table Soccer Federation can help them.

How about Shanghai?
The best places are Big Bamboo, Baby Bamboo, Eager Beaver, Wunderbar, The Spot, and Oasis Bar and Grill. Most expats play for fun but several of our local Chinese players are very serious.

The only time I met you, I scored against you at Big Bamboo to make it 1-1? How scared were you at that point?
On a scale of 1 to 10? Not a whole hell of a lot. Sorry, I meant to say I was “petrified”. Do you want to play the next one for a little money?

See www.shanghaifoosball.com or www.table-soccer.cn for more information about foosball in China.