Beijing Boyce

Eight is a lucky number in China, so for each of the 88 days until the 2008 Olympics, I will strip-mine my brain to unearth a thought related to Beijing and The Games. That’s one thought per brain cell. It’s called teamwork, people!

Thought 1 of 88

Imagine a job where being a month, two months, or even a year behind schedule on your work projects is the norm, not the exception. And where you don’t get fired for it.

Welcome to the Beijing bar scene!

While the city by-and-large has its Olympics infrastructure on track, quite a few bars, clubs, and restaurants are stuck in the starting blocks despite (apparently) having piles of cash, loads of guanxi, and more “concepts” in their designer pockets than there are loogies on a Sunday morning Sanlitun sidewalk.

Seriously, how can a humble consumer such as yours truly enjoy “sophistication“, “exclusivity” and “lifestyle development”, sample the best from “London“, “New York”, and elsewhere, and “go to the next level” - things promised by some (not all) of these places - if they don’t open? It’s as if some owners are dangling a mustard-glazed Nantes carrot painstakingly prepared in Old World style by a leading European chef in an exclusively sophisticated high-end boutique establishment that uniquely, modernly and fashionably fuses East and West together in Beijing in front of us.

Here are some places I have followed and their most recent slated opening dates - there may be earlier dates of which I am unaware. (An asterisk denotes a place that is already open.)

* Ciro’s Pomodoro in New Nali (December, early March)
* The Saddle Cantina in New Nali (March 15, March 27)
* 1949: The Hidden City (March 31, April 1)
Project H20 in New Nali (Chinese New Year, April 24, ?, July 2)
Legation Quarter near Tiananmen (fall 2007, spring 2008, mid-May)
China Doll in the 3.3 building (mid-May, June)
Klubb Rouge on Gongti East (May, June)
Opposite House in Sanlitun (before now, probably in July)
Capital M in Qianmen (before the Olympics, just after the Olympics, 2009?)
Blue Frog in Sanlitun / Shunyi (end-May/early June; more likely a bit later)

(And just so I can play along at home:

* Olympics Thoughts 1-88 (May 12, May 13))

Some places no doubt have legitimate reasons for not opening on time - this isn’t always an easy city for bar and restaurant owners to do business, especially in the case of some of the larger projects. But perhaps some of these same places would do well to turn down the hyperbole a few notches. Finally, I realize this list isn’t comprehensive and other places also remain far behind schedule - Park Hyatt, anyone?