Beijing Boyce

Q Bar had enough headaches from ongoing renovations in the hotel lobby below. Those became migraines after police closed the cocktail joint on Friday night. Fortunately, Q fans were not booze-less in Beijing for long. The shutdown appears to have been a one-night affair, and the Martinis, Margaritas and Manhattans are again flowing.

Speaking of martinis, M-dawg sends word that “James Bond had it right.” He refers to a study by psychologist Charles Spence and chemist Andrea Sell that claims shaken martinis are tastier and healthier than stirred ones:

To these aficionados, the creation and presentation of a cocktail is a true science. Take the all-important issue of shaking rather than stirring the martini. In Canada in 1999, a group of students at the University of Western Ontario decided to test Bond’s preference in a series of experiments on gin and vodka martinis. They studied the martini’s ability to deactivate hydrogen peroxide, a substance used to bleach hair or disinfect scrapes and a potent source of the free radicals linked to ageing and disease. The detailed chemistry is not fully understood but martinis were much more effective than their basic ingredients, such as gin or vermouth, at deactivating hydrogen peroxide - and about twice as effective when shaken.

In their analysis of the results, published in the British Medical Journal, the team concluded, reasonably enough, that Bond’s excellent state of health “may be due, at least in part, to compliant bartenders”. And Sella believes that shaken martinis are not only healthier but also taste better. This is due to what experts call “mouth feel”. The shaken martini has more microscopic shards of ice, making its texture more pleasing. He plans to test this hypothesis at the Cheltenham Festival, where he is expecting no shortage of volunteers.

The article is worth a read for its look at how color, glass shape, and other factors affect our perception of alcohol. For example, Spence is quoted as saying, “Researchers have shown that people drink up to 88 per cent more when consuming drinks in short, wide glasses than in tall, narrow glasses that hold the same volume,” and, “Surprisingly, even experienced bartenders fall prey to this vertical-horizontal illusion. One study showed that veteran bartenders pour 26 per cent more alcohol into tumblers than highball glasses when measuring out a shot of spirits.”

This suggests more research is needed and, to that end, my next visit to Q Bar will include side-by-side comparisons of stirred and shaken martinis.

Many people have asked what happened to my biweekly email about the Beijing nightlife and wine scenes. Apologies all around - I am about a month behind with the latest, but I promise to send it out within the next week and to load it with information.

If you are wondering what the email is about, see this sample. If you would like to receive it, simply send a “sign me up” message to beijingboyce@yahoo.com.

For each of the 88 days until the 2008 Olympics, I will [try to] 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!

Bloggers, forums, and local media are talking about how China’s new visa policy is affecting business, tourism, and the Olympics. Even the New York Times is on the case. Oddly, while the paper’s article is about visas and tourism, it doesn’t mention how the policy might impact the thousands of foreign visitors who plan to rent apartments in Beijing during The Games. On the other hand, it does inform America that Centro is “hip”, that the nearby Horizon restaurant is home to “power dinners” (who knew?), and that the Kerry Centre Hotel lounge is “plush” (that would be the one that links to the bar, the mall, and the toilets).

In any case, while security concerns are cited as driving the visa policy, those with friends who are freelance teachers, consultants, writers, and so on in Beijing have probably figured out the hidden agenda: China is trying to break the Guinness Book of World Records for most going-away parties in a month. Mission accomplished! So, how about returning things to normal? (Please? Pretty please with red bean paste on top?)

My own going-away party, assuming the nature of my departure allowed one, would follow a simple plan: 1) gather the piles of mao and fen lying about my apartment; 2) invite people I like; 3) have fun. I would hope the itinerary included these three stops:

- A tasting of Chinese wines at Sequoia Café: This should be no problem as owner Frank Siegel is a huge fan of the local vino. We would drink wine from Grace, Yunnan Red, Sino-French and Taillan, all while watching locally based wine maker Alain Leroux evaluate them with his 100-point shrugging system.

- A visit to Sanlitun: I have a love-hate relationship with this place, but would at least stop at Cheers for a shot of Wild Turkey and live Xinjiang music. Other options: The Tree for pizza and Belgian beer, Kokomo because they’d probably play Let’s Get It Started by The Black-Eyed Peas (incidentally, this ranks among the top housecleaning songs of all time), and The Saddle Cantina, where I would order an ice-cold Stella and then carry it over to sibling establishment The Rickshaw and have some medium wings.

- A visit to Q Bar: My Beijing bar days started with First Café, where Q co-owners George and Echo once worked. At some point in the night, I would like to have a dry martini as George spins blues music (and a Morrissey tune or two, for old time’s sake).

Add in a few other stops - perhaps a late-afternoon wine tasting at Palette Vino, happy hour at Aria or The Den, a final stroll down Nanluoguxiang - and, well, this might be a going-away party that requires more than one night.

Previously
Thought 1: If they build it, we may come
Thought 2: “Whether or not” in Sanlitun
Thought 3: Living the lowlife on Lotus Lane
Thought 4: The F&B scene takes a pre-Olympics breather?
Thought 5: Flaming Fuwa
Thought 6: Continental drink
Thought 7: The Parallel Bars?
Thought 8: No kangaroos, and other guidelines
Thought 9: A few good men
Thought 10: Someone call programming

Last night, I had a T-bone steak so big that it needed a postal code. The place: Cafe de la Poste. The price: 96 kuai. The context: We were two ravenous souls in search of solid stomach filler after tasting 15 wines in western Beijing (writeup soon). Our slabs of meat came nicely cooked and with perfectly seasoned potatoes, thus providing an antidote for a wee too much Shiraz. (Thanks to WG for the suggestion.)

Last week, I parked on the deck at OT Lounge during happy hour and had a tasty glass of Cabernet-Shiraz (25 kuai, 5-8 PM daily; 35-45 kuai regularly) and a plate of Macanese-style beef noodles (28 kuai). This is a nice spot to chill out and watch life go by - the locals, the expatriate residents, the tourists loaded down with shopping bags, the traffic (well, maybe not the traffic). OT also offers regular live music inside.

I recently tried the lunch special at 1/5 Taverna, in 1949: The Hidden City. The mozzarella and tomato salad and the risotto both ranked as “OK.” What helps make the meal worth RMB68 is the restaurant’s ambiance - the sedate lighting, high ceilings, and natural materials (stone, brick, etc), as well as the grass and trees visible through the window, combine to lower workday stress.

I still think Revelations offers one of the best-value set lunches in town - and I emphasis lunch, since several people told me, “Hey, I went for dinner and it isn’t that cheap!” While the place no longer provides complimentary water when you arrive, RMB48 is still a good deal for homemade bread, soup or salad, and a main course (coffee can be tacked on, from RMB10).

Finally, another plug for Pacific Coffee, which offers its largest size of daily brew for RMB22, a tasty roast chicken and avocado panini for RMB22, and comfortable sofas and armchairs.

Updates

Luga’s: Shut down last week, this place has re-opened.

Enoteca: Opened two weeks ago, this place has closed, but hopes to be pouring wine again in a few days.

City Weekend is in search of a dining editor to “cover the best of Beijing’s cuisine, high end restaurants and fine wines.” Media experience, decent writing skills and functional Mandarin are among the skills desired. “Competitive salary and full benefits” (and a Z visa) are among the benefits offered. Those interested, should send their CV and cover letter to Lee Mack at leemack@citywekeend.com.cn.

I checked my site stats last night and found that new places represent most of the top-ranked searches made on the blog. In case anyone is interested, here are the top five:

1. Klubb Rouge
2. Block 8
3. Maggie’s
4. Duck de Chine
5. Legation Quarter

Other popular searches include 1949: The Hidden City, Suzie Wong, Maison Boulud, and China Doll.

Look under the bed, search the wardrobe and dig behind the sofa cushions because you might need every fen you have for these upcoming dinners in Beijing.

June 28 (RMB4888)
Maison Boulod in The Legation Quarter will mark its grand opening with an Haut-Brion wine dinner by ASC. Guests will include winery owner Prince Robert of Luxembourg, GM and winemaker Jean-Philippe Delmas, and chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud. To RSVP, contact Helen Lu at helenlu@asc-wines.com / 6587-3803.

July 12 (RMB1888)
China World Hotel’s Aria will hold a wine dinner with wine critic Robert Joseph, whose trip to Beijing will be hosted by Jebsen. The dinner will include four vintages of Chateau Leoville Le Case (2005, 1993, 1983, 1975). To RSVP, contact Danny Kane at danny.kane@shangri-la.com

August 5-7 (RMB2888 + 15%)
Pascal Barbot and Christophe Rohat of L’Astrance will join Brian McKenna of the Shangri-La Hotel’s Blu Lobster and indulge in three days of “creative cuisine.” I’ll have more details on this one soon.

The Hard Rock Café reopened last night after the completion of renovations begun during the winter. Expect a similar layout, but with framed back-lit guitars and other paraphernalia, though the ceiling painting of music stars standing on the Great Wall remains. The place first opened in Beijing in 1994 with blues legend BB King.

The opening party featured a spread of ribs, sausages, pastas, and other food, plenty of beer and Champagne, and performances that included a drumming session. Three singers did rock and pop songs while accompanied by six dancers whose outfits ranged from military chic (though camouflage tank tops don’t provide much cover) for a Shakira song to black wraps over what looked like futuristic rhinestone-studded bathing suits for “It’s Raining Men.” I had hoped for AC/DC, but settled for “Come on Aileen” by Dexy’s Midnight Runners, not a song you often hear live in Beijing, though the sound mixing did not do the singers justice.

My second visit left a much better impression than my first and I plan to return to try the Hard Rock’s burger (about which I’ve heard people rave) and enjoy some more music.

Note: I left before Run DMC co-founder Darryl McDaniels made his appearance.

Sanlitun North lived up to its rep as an infamous nightspot this past week, which is unfortunate given some of the fun places in the area - The Tree, Kokomo, Saddle, Aperitivo, Cheers and Le Petit Gourmand, among others. Here are the highlights / lowlights:

- Authorities took exception to a Karaoke machine at China Doll (3.3 building) as the club prepared to launch on Thursday. After a delay of more than an hour, the main bar and dance area opened, with the music kept low. Early observations: this club needs to triple both its air con capacity and the gin in its 60-kuai GTs. The latest news: a “grand reopening” is slated for next Thursday.

- Luga’s, the burrito spot previously known as The Saddle, was closed a night earlier by police, who took the furniture outside, locked the doors, and posted guards after telling patrons to leave without paying.

- On the same strip, two of the four Pure Girl establishments that were shut down during a very public police drug raid in April reopened this week under the ironic name Higher and Higher.

- Worst of all, numerous people in China Doll during the launch party told me of a severe beating in front of 3.3 that saw about 20 people swarm a man who ran out of the building and punch, kick, and swing sticks at him. Here’s a take on that incident.

Add to this the ongoing Swire construction mess (I recently saw two confrontations between locals and building guards and officials these past two weeks - in one case one, a woman threw aside some metal barricades and began punching the guards), tension between bars and clubs (the most obvious being China Doll and Club China Doll), and the continued standoff between workers and management at that building just off the main strip.

Does that mean punters should avoid this area? Not necessarily, since the vast majority of people party in the area without incident. But I would again stress that these are times to keep your wits and a copy of your passport about you.

Let me use the analogy of male and female orgasms to respectively portray the décor of Klubb Rouge and China Doll since these nightspots, which held pre-openings of sorts last night, seem intent on pushing the sex envelope.

Klubb Rouge’s would be short and intense, with a series of hard edges, fleeting glimpses of cavernous spaces, gleaming mirrors, and a color one might describe as “candy apple / Amsterdam red-light district”, and an abrupt ending akin to waking on a cold marble bar top. China Doll’s would be prolonged and morphing, with a psychedelic rush of soft colors, sensuous textures and shiny trinkets though innumerable nooks and crannies, after which you would need some air (and perhaps an aspirin). I could be wrong, but if this evaluation contains a grain of truth, I’d say the ladies have the better end of the deal.

In any case, these places are supposed to be “sexy” and this was made explicit last night so that we bar and club goers, apparently a dense lot, got it:

Expressionless models, wearing G-strings and strategically placed red paint, walking robot-like along 40 meters of bar top and looking like a cross between porcelain dolls, mannequins, and that alien from Mars Attack (Klubb Rouge). Check.

Women dressed as hyperactive schoolgirls who steadily reveal more skin as they do energetic cheers (China Doll). Check.

Huge pillars featuring 1930s-style Shanghai ad models who, in an apparent tribute to global warming, show more flesh than their twentieth-century sisters (Klubb Rouge). Check.

Super-sized full-color photos of scantily dressed women touching each other in a less than platonic manner (China Doll). Check.

OK. Next item on the agenda: Can these places make decent drinks?

I never did get one at Klubb Rouge, as people were wall-to-wall and the bar was cleared for that model catwalk thing, but three friends described the drinks as “OK” and “not bad“, though in two cases we are talking about Gin Tonics. I tried five drinks at China Doll and in terms of average quality they were, well, average. Odds are the drinks will rapidly improve in both places in coming months as the bartenders get into their comfort zones. By the way, I enjoyed parking at the China Doll bar, with its soft underbelly, and taking in the place’s rainbow of colors and treasure trove of eye candy. I’ll have more on this, on comparisons of the new China Doll with the old one (now Club China Doll), and on Klubb Rouge (I couldn’t even get on the deck last night due to the crowds).

The true test of these places will be when the drinks aren’t free and there isn’t a sexy over-the-top show. What matters then be the quality of the music, cocktails, service and vibe, week in and week out.

Both Klubb Rouge and China Doll officially open tonight.

(Photo: PA)

Upcoming Beijing wine-related events

Thursday, June 19, 7-10:30 PM, Grand Hyatt Beijing, inquire re price
Chateau Margaux dinner, with owner Corinne Mentzelopoulos; 5 wines, limited to 15 seats; by Aussino World Wines; Info / RSVP with Sophia Wang at 6461-2072, x128.

Thursday, June 19, 7:30 PM, Bookworm, RMB180
Australia wine tasting, with 6 wines, by The Wine Republic; RSVP with Jenny at bookwormjenny@gmail.com / 6586-9507.

Friday, June 20, 7 PM, Les Millesimes (Jianwai Soho), RMB198
Cheese and wine tastings, with 20 cheeses, 2 wines; by Les Millesimes Wine Club; RSVP with Cyril at 13601-018-093 (French speakers) or Ekatatrina at 13552-380-948 (English, Chinese, Russian speakers).

Saturday, June 21, 7 PM, Brasserie Flo, RMB488
Skalli Mediterranean wine dinner, with 6 wines presented by Robert Skalli; by ASC; RSVP with Helen Lu at helenlu@asc-wines.com / 6587-3803.

Thursday, June 26, LAN, 7 PM, RMB280
Lafite wines from France, Chile and Argentina; RSVP with Jennifer Zhang at 6562-1800, x102 / jennifer.zhang@summergate.com.

Thursday, June 26, 7-8:30 PM, Bento & Berries (Kerry Centre Hotel), free
South African wine tasting, by Top Cellar; RSVP at 13521-434-994 or marketing@topcellar.com.cn.

Thursday, June 26, 7-8:30 PM, Bentos & Berries (Kerry Centre), free
South African wine tasting, with 8 wines from 4 estates, by Top Cellar; RSVP at 13521-434-994 or marketing@topcellar.com.cn, or here

Friday, June 27, 7-9 PM, Cellar Le Pinot, RMB50
Rose wine tasting, with wine from 5 countries; to RSVP or for info, contact Joy Zhou at zhoumeixing@lepinot.com.

Saturday, June 28, 6:30 PM, Maison Boulod (Legation Quarter), RMB4888
Haut-Brion / La Mission Haut-Brion wine dinner, with 7 wines, by ASC; with wineries’ owner Prince Robert of Luxembourge, GM / winemaker Jean-Philippe Delmas, and, for restaurant opening, chef Daniel Boulod; RSVP with Helen Lu at helenlu@asc-wines.com / 6587-3803.

Thursday, July 10, 7-8.30 PM, Amigo (Central Park), free
Rose and white wine tasting, by Top Cellar; RSVP at 13521-434-994 or marketing@topcellar.com.cn.

Note: If you intend to attend any of the above events, it is best to confirm the details with the venue ahead of time. To get a wine event listed, send event info, preferably in text format, to beijingboyce@yahoo.com.

Q Bar won as “bar or club of the year” last night as The Beijinger magazine gave out its annual Reader Bar and Club Awards. Known for its cocktails, the Sanlitun South hot spot tied The Rickshaw with six “best” or “outstanding” awards, followed by Centro with five, White Rabbit with four, and Bed, Lush, Suzie Wong and Nanjie with three. The Saddle Cantina won as “best new bar or club.” The awards party was held at Tun.

I’ll soon post write-ups about last night’s event and the recent City Weekend dining and nightlife awards.

Despite the rain, a good crowd turned up on Financial Street last Saturday afternoon to attend the second annual Culinary Coin Festival at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Compared to last year’s event, this one had more food stalls, fewer wine choices, and similarly peppy music.

The more than two dozen stalls featured dim sum, sashimi, noodles, cold cuts, honey, chocolate, and more. My favorites: the cheeses from Sinodis (especially the Taleggio), the Beijing duck (juicy!) and, simply for health reasons, the wheatgerm shots. While the “spicy” ice cream was a hot topic, evoking love-it-or-hate-it reactions, I didn’t manage to get a scoop.

Wine choices were light, with five entry-level options from Signos (Argentina), Grace (China), and another brand (forgot to write down the name). There was also Champagne from Taittinger, though this ran out at least 45 minutes before the event ended.

Three hours of sipping, sampling and hobnobbing for RMB120 - a good deal.

By the way, three things that might make next year’s event even better:

- Better crowd control at the food stands. Too often, people politely lined up and, just as a new batch of food was ready, others cut in or those at the front took big portions. The servers should help prevent this. Even so, the lines moved more smoothly than last year.

- Elimination of obstacles on the floor. The hotel lined up promotional tiles (measuring 30 centimeters by 30 centimeters each) along the edges of the passageways. Given these passageways were already crowded with tables and patrons, many people stepped on these tiles and faced the risk of a serious spill.

- More wine!

See also:
An afternoon spent at Culinary Coin (2007)

that’s Beijng’s The Beijinger’s bar and club awards party is tonight and I traditionally make some picks beforehand (see the 2006 post here and the two-part 2007 post here and here). Another tradition: I usually forget to do this until a few hours before the party. As always, I don’t necessarily think my picks will win awards, they aren’t necessarily my favorite spots, I haven’t been to every place nominated, I’m not a bar or club expert nor do I play one on TV, and I’m doing this in a hurry so I’ve probably missed a few honorable establishments.

Best Value

The newest incarnation of this bar is more upscale than the old, offers dancing downstairs, seating upstairs and a wraparound balcony, has alcohol absorbers in the form of pizza and kebabs, and provides surprisingly good service given the drink prices.

Nanjie

Best Place to Bring a Date

To entertain the person or abandon her / him? I’ll assume the former and make it a three-way tie among 1) a place with dim lighting, elegant decor, and relative privacy, 2) a place with a Hutong feel and a suggestive name, and 3) a place where you can hang out with the person for hours whether the date turns romantic or is destined to be permanently platonic.

Face, Bed, Q Bar

Best Place to Find a Date

This is highly dependent on whether you are young (Vics), wearing an illegal amount of cologne (Suzie Wong), getting down and dirty (Kai Club), and so on. I’ll go with a spot where pretty much anyone from age 20 has the potential to find that special someone.

The Bookworm (hey, it has beer, wine and a lots of single malt)

Best Happy Hour

I’m going to split this award between a place that offers half-price pizzas and beverages and a place that lets you enjoy five-star hotel cocktails, ambiance, and snacks at cut-rate prices.

The Den, Aria

Best Food

For solid filler, my picks are a place that offers massive pizzas and a good selection of draft beer and a place that serves up decent chicken burgers, wings, nachos, and burritos (by the way, if it’s only nachos and burritos, I would go for Luga’s due to the better service).

Kro’s Nest, The Rickshaw

Best Decor

It’s Jetsons meets Flinstones, it’s a futuristic cafeteria, it’s the bat cave if Bruce Wayne had been into carpentry, it’s architecture symbolic of rice paddies, it’s slightly funky, slightly cheesy and somewhat refreshing, it’s…

Song

Most Innovative

Call me crazy, but I’m giving a nod to the people who utilized water in one of the world’s driest cities.

The Boat

Best Cocktails

I’ll go with two places: a bar that combines quality and consistency and a bar that makes delicious drinks that numb your tongue by the third glass.

Q Bar, The Junction

Best Place for Wine

I am a fan of stand-alone places such as Cafe Europa and La Baie des Anges, though I realize many hotels offer more extensive wine lists. But overall, my pick is a spot that both imports wine and sells that of competing distributors, prices it reasonably, and offers a comfortable environment in which you can uncork a few bottles and enjoy them with food.

Palette Vino

Hidden Gem

I’m not so sure it’s hidden any more, but this gets high marks for its cozy space, spirits collection (more than 100 Whiskies), and service - where else would the staff escort you outside on a stormy night and hold umbrellas above your head while you wait 15 minutes for a cab?

Ichikura

New Bar of the Year

While many bars, clubs and restaurants have been struggling to open, the owners here put their heads down, got the construction and menu done, launched the place, and became an instant success. It offers ice-cold beer, good food, fun events (including a monthly all-day half-price special), a deck, and spotty service (well, four out of five ain’t bad).

The Saddle Cantina

Bar of the year

It’s the place I automatically recommend when people ask, “Where should I go tonight?” It’s the place I feel comfortable taking almost anyone from any age group. It’s good whether you want to sit at a bar or sit outside, hang by yourself or chill with friends. The place has a loyal following from years of hard work, trains and retains key staff, combines quality and consistency, and is cited by many other owners and managers when they talk about bars in Beijing. My pick for bar of the year is…

Q Bar

See also:
My two kuai: Pre-TBJ awards bar picks (2006)
It’s a bar, it’s a club, it’s a blub, part 1 (2007)
It’s a bar, it’s a club, it’s a blub, part 2 (2007)

Upcoming Beijing wine-related events

Thursday, June 12, 7 PM, Med (Block 8), RMB100
Ladies wine club, with US wines; RSVP with Kristen at kristen@block8.cn / 13240-114-868.

Thursday, June 12, 7 PM, Kokomo, RMB100
Charity wine tasting for Green Long March, with 5 wines; RSVP with lamarr_irby@hotmail.com / 13581-730-100.

Friday, June 13, 6:30 PM, Sequoia Cafe (Guanghua Lu), RMB100
Canadian wine tasting, with 5 winery reps, 9 ice wines, and more; RSVP with Frank at 13701-178-073.

Friday, June 13, 7 PM, Oh! Marco, RMB50 (free for VIPs)
Chilean wine tasting, includes two glasses of wine (RMB50 fee can be used against bottle purchases); RSVP at 6622-0566.

Saturday, June 14, 6:30 PM, Aria (China World Hotel), RMB118
Cakebread wine dinner, with wine maker and president Bruce Cakebread; by ASC Fine Wines; RSVP with Danny Kane at 6505-2266, x36 /danny.kane@shangri-la.com or Helen Lu at 6587-3863 / homedelivery@asc-wines.com.

Saturday, June 14, 3-6 PM, Ritz-Carlton Financial Street, RMB120
The Culinary Coin Festival, with free-flow Champagne, wine, coffee, chocolate, and more.

Saturday, June 14, 7-10 PM, Greenfish (Ritz-Carlton Financial Street), RMB2008
Dinner with Volker Drkosch, 1-star Michelin chef; RSVP at 6601-6666.

Saturday, June 14, 7-10 PM, Cepe (Ritz-Carlton Financial Street), RMB2008
Dinner with Claudio Sadlerm, Michelin star chef; RSVP at 6601-6666.

Saturday, June 14, 7-10 PM, Qi (Ritz-Carlton Financial Street), RMB2008
Dinner with Eric M. Johnson, from Shanghai’s Jean George; RSVP at 6601-6666.

Thursday, June 19, 7-10:30 PM, Grand Hyatt Beijing, inquire re price
Chateau Margaux dinner, with owner Corinne Mentzelopoulos; 5 wines, limited to 15 seats; by Aussino World Wines; Info / RSVP with Sophia Wang at 6461-2072, x128.

Thursday, June 19, 7:30 PM, Bookworm, RMB180
Australia wine tasting, with 6 wines, by The Wine Republic; RSVP with Jenny at bookwormjenny@gmail.com / 6586-9507.

Friday, June 20, 7 PM, Les Millesimes (Jianwai Soho), RMB198
Cheese and wine tastings, with 20 cheeses, 2 wines; by Les Millesimes Wine Club; RSVP with Cyril at 13601-018-093 (French speakers) or Ekatatrina at 13552-380-948 (English, Chinese, Russian speakers).

Thursday, June 26, LAN, 7 PM, RMB280
Lafite wines from France, Chile and Argentina; RSVP with Jennifer Zhang at 6562-1800, x102 / jennifer.zhang@summergate.com.

Thursday, June 26, 7-8:30 PM, Bento & Berries (Kerry Centre Hotel), free
South African wine tasting, by Top Cellar; RSVP at 13521-434-994 or marketing@topcellar.com.cn.

Saturday, June 28, 6:30 PM, Maison Boulod (Legation Quarter), RMB4888
Haut-Brion / La Mission Haut-Brion wine dinner, with 7 wines, by ASC; with wineries’ owner Prince Robert of Luxembourge, GM / winemaker Jean-Philippe Delmas, and, for restaurant opening, chef Daniel Boulod; RSVP with Helen Lu at helenlu@asc-wines.com / 6587-3803.

Thursday, July 10, 7-8.30 PM, Amigo (Central Park), free
Rose and white wine tasting, by Top Cellar; RSVP at 13521-434-994 or marketing@topcellar.com.cn.

Note: If you intend to attend any of the above events, it is best to confirm the details with the venue ahead of time. To get a wine event listed, send event info, preferably in text format, to beijingboyce@yahoo.com.

1 comment

The World of Suzie Wong is an enduring late-night stop, a mainstay on the bar itinerary for visiting friends, and a place where the moral fabric of society is constantly put to the test by young Europeans in heat. The recently opened Suzie’s Café, on the first floor, simply doesn’t live up to its sibling club, lounge, and deck upstairs. While layout and decor are OK, the food, service, and prices leave something to desire.

The club sandwich (RMB40), with ham, chicken, fried egg, tomato, cucumber, etc came lukewarm, with dry white bread (apparently the only option), and long after my friend’s meal arrived. Given that the lunch crowd totaled five, the culprit would seem to be slow production.

The staff is friendly but intense and with a tendency to ask irrelevant questions. Here’s a sample:

Waiter (immediately after I entered): Would you like something to eat or drink?

Me (sitting at a table for four): Just a moment, I’m waiting for a friend.

Waiter : OK - table for one or two?

Me: Huh? Um, for one - my friend can sit on my lap. (Of course, I made up this last part.)

I don’t mean to be mean, and perhaps the staff is new and simply honing its English skills, but excessive attention can be annoying.

The highlight of the visit: the tasty cappuccino (RMB30), which features the Suzie Wong logo on its surface.

Even so, RMB70 for a coffee and a sub-par sandwich is expensive enough for inebriated club-goers to pay, but far too much for lunch in a city that offers plenty of great noon-day specials with lower prices and better food. (So is a soft drink at RMB30.) Suzie’s Cafe might do well to create a better-value lunch menu and draw in traffic from the street and the apartments next door.

To end on a positive note, the coffee makes Suzie’s a decent place to grab a seat near the window and chat with friends or do online work for a few hours.

Home of the city’s biggest drink umbrellas (photo: China Doll)

China Doll, slated to open in the 3.3 building on June 19, seems determined to “sex up” the club scene (see photo below). A bigger issue for me: Will the place have good drinks?

I met bar manager Bob Louison on Monday and he guided me through a detailed spreadsheet of 17 cocktails. From fruity deck drinks and twists on martinis to intriguing blends of mango syrup and basil or hazelnut syrup and pear, the beverages -  bar staff willing - should be interesting to say the least. The menu includes 30 classic cocktails (martinis, gin tonic, and the link), more than a dozen shooters, and eight mocktails. (Expect also an extensive wine list, drawing on 10 distributors, and a beer list typical of most clubs, i.e. a handful of typical brands).

Louison, who says fresh fruit features in many cocktails, has been training his bartenders for a month at Tango. The goal: for each to be able to make any drink on the menu in 30 seconds. And he wants the bartenders to develop their own styles. “As soon as you get into China Doll and see the bartenders, you should want to keep looking at them, at the way they stand, pour, make drinks, smile,” he says.

Louison’s own love is dealing with individual customers. “When a customer asks for a drink, you have to think about whether it should be strong or sweet, the time of day, whether the customer has eaten or not, the mood, and so on,” he says. “I try to find the right drink for the right person.”

I’ve met few people as intense about cocktails as Louison – George Zhou at Q Bar comes to mind – and he spent an hour explaining how the flavors work in each drink, why a particular alcohol is used, and so on, thus boosting my cocktail IQ.

You can try his drinks as of June 19, when China Doll opens its spacious premises (save for the deck, which will likely open in August).

Expect thorough security checks at the new China Doll (photo: China Doll).

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!

Someone call programming

Ranking among my top 20 tourist sites in Beijing: the massive Sky Screen suspended the length of The Place. It offers thousands of square meters of mind-numbing drool-inspiring visual delight for those easily mesmerized by shiny objects.

The problem: the powers-that-be keep playing the equivalent of screen savers on it. Surely, given the amount of energy that thing vacuums up, there are better things to watch.

I’m not talking about anything risky like Edison Chen or Debbie Does Dalian videos. I’m talking about letting people rent yoga mats, lie on their backs, and watch the NBA finals or The Olympics. Or holding a massive Rocky Horror Picture Show event. Or screening repeats of Korean soap operas classic movies, such as Raise the Red Lantern, Citizen Kane, and Mars Attacks (seriously, who doesn’t want to watch aliens watching The Dukes of Hazard - see 2:47?).

Related post:
Look skyward ayi: The mother of all monitors

Previously
Thought 1: If they build it, we may come
Thought 2: “Whether or not” in Sanlitun
Thought 3: Living the lowlife on Lotus Lane
Thought 4: The F&B scene takes a pre-Olympics breather?
Thought 5: Flaming Fuwa
Thought 6: Continental drink
Thought 7: The Parallel Bars?
Thought 8: No kangaroos, and other guidelines
Thought 9: A few good men

Last Friday’s opening of Tun - as in Sanlitun - drew a large crowd, with early arrivals enjoying free beer and T-shirts at this newest spot by Huxley (Nanjie). Tun features a big projection screen, high ceilings, and a “Great Wall of China” DJ booth. The loft, with its rent-an-office furniture, poor lighting, and Spartan decoration needs work, but things are nice enough downstairs at the bar. One friend describes the place as a combination of Nanjie and Poachers for an older crowd. I’d add “a twist of Browns” to that mix.

The Rickshaw is drawing a good crowd for the NBA finals, though the games are sadly between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers (what did I do to deserve this?). Word has it Goose ‘n Duck is also showing them.

By the way, fond farewell to Rickshaw icon and manager Chad Lager, who left the establishment a few weeks ago. His dedication to the NBA Channel at The Rickshaw and to the tequila lineup and Cinco De Drinko (fifth of every month) at The Saddle Cantina are appreciated. I dropped by for the tail end of the last Cinco De Drinko and the place was wall-to-wall cocktails and beer (held in the hands of patrons, of course).

Golden in Tongli Studio offers an all-you-can drink special - about two dozen cocktails and shooters as well as Foster’s beer - for RMB80 from Monday to Thursday and RMB100 on Friday and Saturday. I guess Sunday is when they clear out bodies. Based on a couple of pass-bys, the deal remains largely undiscovered.

Word has it that Project H, atop new Nali Studio, will open in July. While the original plan was to open several dining areas (during Chinese New Year), the current one is to initially limit Project H to the rooftop deck. Billy Kawaja, who was to handle the kitchen for this and other Spencery Grey properties (Cafe St. Laurent, etc), recently left the company.

I joined friends at Hooters after the recent Global Wine Extravaganza. The place continues to draw a strong turnout. The food was OK, with the wings being the best item, and the wait staff thankfully seems sick of continually doing those group songs. The less songs, the faster the service, the better, I say.

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Interesting times for those who get their nightlife news from free English-language lifestyle magazines such as that’s Beijing, Time Out, and City Weekend.

For the second time this year, Time Out is notably late, with the June 2008 edition held up due to licensing issues. This is no shocker if you consider that the magazine only recently started to include a masthead - the section that lists the editors, writers, and so on. Well, if you consider that and the general uneasiness of many people ahead of the Olympics.

Meanwhile, True Run Media, which has produced that’s Beijing since 2001, will move on. The magazine’s publisher, China Intercontinental Press, owns the “that’s” trademark and will take over the entire gig as of next issue. If you are in the publishing industry, you might guess the magazine’s biggest problem: it made money. That was, is, and will always be its problem.

If what happens to that’s Beijing is anything like the that’s China saga of a few years ago, we can expect an immediate nosedive in quality and a whole feedlot of stories about pork biotechnology (hmm, I wonder if that had anything to do with those science park ads?).

In any case, True Run Media will not remain idle. Expect a new magazine next month that is similar in layout and content to that’s Beijing. The name: The Beijinger.

Finally, rumors abound that the events staff at City Weekend face deportation after their recent Dining and Nightlife awards party featured frozen pizzas cooked in two small ovens. Just kidding - I’ll have more on the City Weekend awards shortly.