Beijing Boyce

Spotted in this post on The Beijinger forum: “Top 10 Bars Foreigners are Most Interested In,” according to AT0086, which states, “To be authoritative and honest, AT0086 ranking is inclined to act as a reliable and honest consumption reference for you.”

Hang on to your toques and search your memory banks, because here they are:

1. Aloha
2. 19 Bar
3. Arcadia
4. The Blue Lotus Cafe
5. CD Cafe
6. Downtown Cafe
7. Durty Nellie’s
8. First Avenue Cafe and Bar
9. Fly Bar
10. High Ground

Well, they do say you learn something every day. For those interested, here are the top ten bar / restaurant queries on this blog this month:

1. Hooters
2. Maggies
3. White Rabbit
4. Chef Too
5. Yugong Yishan
6. Salt
7. China Doll
8. Nanjie
9. Salsa Caribe
10. Treasure Island

A smoke-free Olympics? (Rcmathiraj)

“A Beijing official recently announced that ‘provisions to ban smoking in public places in Beijing (Draft to Be Approved)’ will go into effect in Beijing office spaces, restaurants, and hotels,” reports People’s Daily. It’s all part of a “smoke-free Beijing Olympics.”

“… restaurants and hotels will set up clearly-marked and well-ventilated indoor smoking areas or smoking rooms. At least 70% of rooms will be smoke-free,” states the article. “The government-approved prohibition of smoking in public places is expected to begin after February of this year.”

No details are given on how the ban will be enforced or what, if any, penalties will apply to offending smokers, including all those Chongnanhai-puffing expats, so perhaps we’ll see a San Francisco-like situation (see this Danwei post for more on the ban).

Somewhat related, last March, I posted about a China Daily article that stated, “Beijing is to introduce a rating system for its Western-style restaurants, bakeries, bars and cafes by the end of the year to help diners make more informed choices.” Does anyone know what become of this initiative? (See: Judgment call: How many friendlies for Fridays?)

No smoking? You must be joking. (Mocker)

(Hat tip to M-Dawg for the heads up on the People’s Daily article.)

Why does that bottle of wine cost RMB 400?
Ever wondered how five-star hotels come up with the wine prices on their menus? Campbell Thompson takes readers on a step-by-step tour through the world of wine pricing, over at the sibling blog, Grape Wall of China. Other recent posts on GWOC include:

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Shangri-La Jones and the Lost Vines of France
Are grape wines from southern China’s Yunnan province - considered by some the location of Shangri-La - made from the survivors of vines devastated in France in the nineteenth century? Besides it’s Indiana Jones-like feel, this question is intriguing because of its historical and East-West angles and because Yunnan wines might be China’s best bet to get on the world wine map.

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Chantal Chi on wine, wineries and wine books
The newest contributor to Grape Wall, Chantal Chi is on the verge of releasing three books about wine. I interviewed her to get the inside story on the books, her hundreds of winery visits, and how she got involved in wine in the first place.

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Jeremy Oliver on the China wine scene
An interview with renown Australian wine writer and educator Jeremy Oliver. The topic: China’s wine consumers and wines. “I find the Chinese consumer to be an open-minded one who is happy and willing to try new wines without preconceived ideas or expectations,” he says in the interview.