Beijing Boyce

After watching Canada pound Great Britain into the floor during last night’s men’s wheelchair rugby game – yes, it was for bronze, and the United States took gold by beating Australia, who dashed the hopes of my nation a night earlier with a 41-40 overtime win against the Canuck team, which was obviously superior but made the mistake of thinking ahead to the finals and, yes, I’m really trying to convince myself of that – I headed to Sanlitun to see if I could find any partying Paralympians.

The scene fell far short of the throngs that descended during the Olympics, but I did spot numerous athletes in China Doll and on the streets, including about 30 in wheelchairs along the main drag, where they were drinking, smoking hookahs, and getting harassed by lady bar touts.

Speaking of which, for those who erased the touts from memory, let me assure you they are returning in all their annoying and persistent “lady bar“, “lady sex”, “sexy massage”, “young girl” non-glory. Their absence made this strip bearable to walk, but I guess as with the light traffic and clear skies, the relief will turn out to be only temporary.

After spending way too much time compiling the names of celebrities spotted by readers (and me) during the Olympics, I decided to give it a pass for the Paralympics. I’m reversing the decision to make a single post, since the PR people at Mosto, the newest restaurant in new Nali, sent in this photo. Pictured (from left) is chef Daniel Urdaneta, Swedish Crown Princess Victoria, and restaurant manager Alex Molina. Also, I’d had hoped to run into some of the men’s wheelchair rugby athletes last night, some of whom featured in the movie Murderball, but no such luck.

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See also:

Beijing Olympics Celebrity Watch: August 7, August 10, August 11, August 12, August 14, August 17, August 18, August 19, August 23, Jared Leto special edition, Evander Holyfield special edition, and the medalists.

Celebrity Pub Crawl: The series

Element Fresh opened Saturday and seems aimed at offering something for everyone – from coffee, smoothies, soups and salads, to main courses for around ~RMB150, to wine, beer, and house cocktails. The place can seat more than 150, includes a nice rooftop deck, and could become a regular stop for the laptop crowd given a large coffee is RMB22 and the wireless signal is decent. (Note: If your power source plug includes a round prong, bring an adapter, as the place doesn’t have any.) I’ll soon have a longer write-up on Element Fresh.

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One place that already is an excellent stop for wireless is Le Petit Gourmand, although the staff can get quite noisy at times. No such problems yesterday, and after several hours of glancing up and seeing the “beef sandwich” special chalked up on the board, I bit. With a generous slab of French bread, garnishes, and roast beef, as well as sides of Bearnaise sauce, fries, and salad, this is good value at RMB35.

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Sunday quickly transformed from a get-healthy day to a double-my-weight one as I ended up joining about a dozen of the city’s French chefs for brunch at VIC – “Voyage of International Cuisine” – in the Sofitel. While this place has about as much charm as a Starbucks, the buffet is pretty good and offers the usual seafood, cheeses, roast beef, desserts, and so on, though don’t expect to get the full Chinese food throwdown you find at the Westin and other places. My burning question: what do chefs eat when they hit a buffet? My observation: I saw heavy activity around the shellfish, sashimi, pan-fried goose liver, cheese, and desserts.

UPDATE: And the tickets go to… Fletch. Thanks to Paulina F for help with the draw and to everyone who recommended wheelchair-accessible bars.

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Wheelchair rugby ranks among the most competitive sports at the Paralympics and I have four tickets to give away for the finals, slated for next Tuesday at 6 PM.

I have been wracking my brain the past few weeks trying to think of bars where wheelchair athletes might drink – after competing, of course – and the situation seems rather dire. Among the best spots I could come up with are hotel bars, though even those such as Centro and Aria require going though the lobby to hit the loo. Bars in China View, first-floor venues such as Aperitivo and Face, and others offer access, though in some cases I’m unsure about toilet facilities.

So, here’s the contest: leave a comment and suggest a good drinking venue for wheelchair athletes, or anyone in a wheelchair for that matter, and you’ll be entered into the draw for four general admission tickets.

I’ll put the name of everyone with a decent recommendation in a hat and pull one name. We’ll then need to arrange for me to hand them off , preferably either in Sanlitun or Nanluguoxiang on Monday night.

The contest closes at 6 PM on Monday. Let’s get rolling!

“Excuse me” has become a license for wait staff in the city’s newer restaurants to be annoying. You might be on the verge of sealing a desperately needed business deal or intently listening as one friend explains about another, “So she picks this guy up at Block 8, takes him home, he takes out his fake eye, and…”

And… there’s some chirpy guy – “Hi, I’m Derrick!” – excusing himself for the tenth time in under thirty minutes and asking if he can remove a once-used napkin, if you’d like the water topped up in your almost-full glasses, or if you’re enjoying your meal. It’s happened to me at about a half-dozen new places in recent months, all of them “Western” restaurants.

The year’s best (worst?) example is Noodle Bar, in 1949: The Hidden City, which I visited with an acquaintance. We had our noodles, side dishes, and beverages, and required only some peace and quiet. We didn’t get it. Instead, at least five employees interrupted us, including the chef from Duck de Chine next door, to see if we liked our noodles (yes, Yes, yes!, Yes!, YES!). Add in the persistent queries about our need for side dishes and beer, and we basically had to leave the place to talk.

Look, as a former waiter, I realize it can be a tough job. And I realize it is difficult getting any service at some Beijing restaurants, so at least an effort is being made. But the solution is not to go to the other extreme.

Which leads me to a comment left on the blog recently by Shanz, who suggests these new restaurants might be using a service flow chart that would greatly benefit from one simple change. To wit:

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Current service flow chart:

1. Seat customer

2. Take order

3. Bring order

4. Wait 90 seconds

5. Pester customers

6. Go to (4)

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Proposed service flow chart:

1. Seat customer

2. Take order

3. Bring order

4. Wait 90 seconds

5. Are customers talking? If yes, go to (4). If no, continue

6. Pester customer

7. Go to 4

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That might not be service nirvana, but it is an improvement. I further suggest that when servers see a water glass is more half-empty than half-full, they just fill it without asking (well, unless the place is charging for it). And when they do need to break in, they handle it better than this guy…

Upcoming wine (and one single malt) events

September 12, 7 PM, Aria (China World Hotel), RMB3888
Hart Davis Hart wine dinner, with 6 wines; limited to 10 customers; RSVP at 6505-2266, x36 or
danny.kane@shangri-la.com.

September 13, 6 PM, La Baie des Anges, RMB150
Cheese and wine tasting, with 3 wines, 3 cheeses; www.la-baie-des-anges.com / 6657-1605 for more information.

September 18, 7 PM, Café Europa (Jianwai SOHO, Building 11), RMB15+ per half-glass
By-the-glass tasting of new wine list; half-glasses at less than half price; call 5869-5663 for more information.

September 20, Radisson SAS Hotel, RMB 228 (RSVP essential)
Taste of the Nations (12 countries, 150 wines), by Torres China; RSVP with Tony Li at 51655519-284 or tonyli@torres.com.cn.

September 24, 7:30 PM, Westin Chaoyang, RMB2888
Grange dinner and auction, with wine maker Kym Shroeter; auction of 2003 Grange magnum; RSVP with Helen Lu at 6587-3803 / eventsby@asc-wines.com

September 25, 7 PM, Aria (China World Hotel), RMB1788
World Series of Wine: New Zealand Chardonnays and Pinots vs Burgundy Classics, with Summergate; RSVP with Danny Kane at danny.kane@shangri-la.com / 6505-2266, x36.

October 11, 3 PM, Aria (China World Hotel), call for info
Single malt tasting, including Glen Elgin, Glenkinchie, Royal Lochnagar, and Talisker, with Peter Kendall; for info, call 6505-2266, x36 or email danny.kane@shangri-la.com.

October 16, 7-8:30 PM, Amigo (Central Park), free
Chilean Wine Tasting, by Top Cellar, RSVP at www.topcellar.com.cn, marketing@topcellar.com.cn or 13241-220-468.

October, 7 PM, Aria (China World Hotel), RMB1788
World Series of Wine: The Tour of Italy, with Summergate; RSVP with Danny Kane at danny.kane@shangri-la.com / 6505-2266, x36.

November, 7 PM, Aria (China World Hotel), RMB1588
World Series of Wine: The Grange Challenge, with Summergate; RSVP with Danny Kane at danny.kane@shangri-la.com / 6505-2266, x36.

December, 7 PM, Aria (China World Hotel), RMB1388
World Series of Wine: Hidden Gems, with Summergate; RSVP with Danny Kane at danny.kane@shangri-la.com / 6505-2266, x36.

January, 7 PM, Aria (China World Hotel), RMB4888
World Series of Wine: The Ultimate Dinner – The Judgement of Aria, with Summergate; RSVP with Danny Kane at danny.kane@shangri-la.com / 6505-2266, x36.

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.

If a weird night of pub visits represented the perfect way to wrap up a month of indulgence that began just before The Olympics, then Friday fit the bill. I joined Chad Lager, recent Beijing returnee, former Rickshaw / Saddle manager, and newest smiling face at Tun, for a not-so-quick run around town.

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OT Lounge: See here.

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The Stone Boat: The rock rudder, the marble mast, and the, uh, slate sails had us headed on a trip around the wine world as Jebsen provided four free-flow options from Australia, Italy, France, and the United States. The rock-bottom price of RMB60, snacks from Tuk-Tuk, and a cool comfortable evening made for a good time.

Guantanamera: A bar and lounge downstairs, a second bar, more seating, and a band upstairs, and a  decent vibe, though my mojito went down rough: if it is representative of the drinks, they need work, especially given that RMB45 price tag.

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FC Barcelona: Remember Mojito, that spacious B1 place near Kuntai that had tasty burgers, the city’s first (as far as I know) draft Weihenstephaner, and a friendly staff? Now it is called FC Barcelona and decked out with the colors and paraphernalia of that soccer – sorry, football – team. The place seemed deserted, but we traversed several rooms and found, in a far corner of the farthest one, several people watching TV. They seemed slightly stunned by our appearance, but then jumped up, started to turn on lights and air conditioners, and repeatedly said “drink.”

Said Lager: “This drives me crazy, the idea that we have to wait until the customer shows up to make it look nice instead of making it look nice so the customer will stay.” And call me crazy, but I’m guessing a sprawling basement bar in a dreary downtown business district is unlikely to become the city’s hotspot for Spanish football fans. Then again, maybe that’s my Guatanamera mojito talking.

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Ritan Hotel (5F): This bar falls somewhere around Limburger in the cheese department. Deep sofas, a design that looks inspired by a cake (creams, chocolates, and lots of white piping), a liquor lineup where Beefeater is top shelf, and The Godfather playing on the automatic piano. To be honest, I liked it – for one drink (a Gin Tonic that Chad taught the staff to make to his liking). The décor centerpiece is above the bar: a massive light made of thousands of glass sticks that slowly change colors and run the gamut of the rainbow. The friendly staff made the visit worthwhile.

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Ritan International Trade Center: This is a new retail complex that starts at the north gate of Ritan Park. It is anchored at that end by The Elephant and its big Corona sign (as Chad notes, “Corona goes perfect with borscht”). Other outlets include Guoding Hotpot, Spicy Loft, Vindobona, Desert Rose Turkish Restaurant, Korea Dynasty, The Pyramids Restaurant Bar, Ramen Yakatori Sushi Restaurant, Full-moon Dream Lounge, Rain Tune Restaurant, another branch of that AOZ wine bar chain, Lalazar Restaurant and Bars, Beenie Bean Coffee (slogans include “Is eating happy?” and “Take a little break with Beenie Bean”), and 68 Coffee and Restaurant, which proclaims itself as open 24 hours. Most of them were empty, aside from Elephant (cue “white elephant” jokes).

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Drei Kronen 1308 / Stadium: This German brew pub-Western sports bar combo totals five floors, two decks, and one shuffleboard table (either the table or I, or both, sloped slightly from west to east on this night). The place held a mere 20 customers, but it took ages to procure our home brew, and even then I received lager instead of the ordered wheat beer. The beer is tasty, if pricey at RMB58, although the place now has two-for-one happy hours from 5-7 PM.

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Second Floor: The street facing Tongli Studio is bustling now that it is car-free. I slipped around to the Cinco de Drinko party at The Saddle, and found the courtyard and interior seething, so I beat a retreat to the calm of Second Floor, where 15 patrons chatted and enjoyed beverages. This is a nice enough place, with stool, bench, and table seating, but seems a bit too open and might do well with a few blinds. It also offers a two-for-one happy hour, with mixed drinks from RMB15.

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Luga’s Villa: The top floor is still under construction, but there were a few dozen people downstairs enjoying cheap beer and, uh, kind of enjoying patrons getting up and singing with the band. Frankly, the only duet I want to witness in that place is two beers for the price of one.

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Tun: After seeing a large crowd outside Nanjie, we did like the man said and kept walking – to Tun. The place needs some work, especially on the toilets and the austere loft, but I like the high ceilings, the layout, and that Great Wall of China DJ booth.

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The Den: Bangers and mash, bangers and mash, bangers and mash…

After Torres China organized Taste of the Nations last November, Beijing consumers found other local wine distributors lining up a good portion of their portfolios for tastings (see these write-ups on events by Palette Wines, GELIPU-Winelink, and ASC). It turned out to be a cheap way to try a lot of wine, so let’s hope it works a second time because Taste of Nations II is coming up in less than two weeks.

This year’s event takes place at the Radisson SAS Hotel in Beijing on September 20 and includes wines from Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, the United States, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa, Hungary, China, and Australia. Here is a snippet of the invite from Torres (I highly recommend making a reservation if you want to attend):

We will prepare over 150 wines from 12 countries. Ticket at RMB 228 including free-flow of wines, canapés, live performance and much more…

我们准备了来自于12个不同国家的超过150种葡萄酒。免费畅饮所有葡萄酒，美味小食，现场表演，以及更多…… 只需人民币228元。

Due to limited capacity, please make your reservations now. Contact: Tony at 51655519-284 or tonyli@torres.com.cn”.

由于席位有限，请您现在就预订：致电51655519-284, 李先生或电子邮件至 tonyli@torres.com.cn

After a tortuous wait at the bank on Friday as several million people picked up their Paralympics tickets, and finding one guy already scalping his recently acquired purchases in the parking lot, I headed to OT Lounge to get the truth about its bitters.

Along with diversifying the cocktail list, boosting the collection of single malts, and adding a thrice-weekly live music program at this bar / lounge / patio near the St. Regis Hotel, manager Leon Lee has started to make house bitters (see here for more on these potions).

The bitters sit in glass jars on the top shelf behind the bar and look like something you would find in a Chinese medicine shop. The base alcohol is erguotou and Lee steeps the ingredients, which include orange slices, ginger, lemongrass, and saffron, for between two weeks and four months. Grapefruit bitters can be made in as little as two days, he says, although because pulp gets into the mix, they have only a one-month shelf life.

We sampled several cocktails, including a version of the Part & Parcel, with vodka, grapefruit juice, and grapefruit bitters. The bitters toned down the juice and made for a pleasant after-work drink. The most intriguing cocktail: Titian’s Temptation, a mix of Campari, Sambuca, and lemon juice. It could use refinement, as the Sambuca blows your socks off on first smell and sip, but it grew on me and left me anything but bitter.

(Photo: www.chow.com)

“I’ve seen the future, baby: it is murder [ball].”
- Leonard Cohen

Sanlitun South bar Tun and The Beijinger are teaming up on Wednesday (7:30 PM) to screen Murderball, a movie about one of the most anticipated Paralympics sports - wheelchair rugby.

“Murderball was… the title of the Oscar-nominated 2005 documentary focused on the rivalry between the US and Canadian teams at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens – a rivalry still at the heart of top-level competition according to the current members of Team USA. Bryan Kirkland, who was on the team that lost to the Canadians in 2004, says “There’s no other rivalry like it in the sport of rugby. We respect them, but we love to beat the crap out of them. Off the court we get along, but when the whistle blows it’s time to pound them.”"

Several tickets to the Paralympics wheelchair rugby finals will be given away as will souvenirs from The Beijinger.

For full details on the movie, the sport, and The Paralympics, see here.

Rare, and without rhyme or reason, is an occasion to visit a new bar, savor a few drinks, and have my faith in humanity – or at least its mixologists – restored. During nearly four years in Beijing, those faith healers have tended to be tiny obscure establishments, such as Ichikura, The Junction, and First Cafe.

Given this, I could predict the outcome at Maison Boulud, which looms in The Legation Quarter as a high-end fancy-pants nouveau riche-catering import designed to empty wallets and (half) fill patrons with over-hyped fare.

I mean, consider that this place serves a cocktail called “Project 23” that includes rum, pineapple juice, lime juice, coriander, and dried hot pepper shavings, and tastes like… well, hang on a second, it tastes… lip-smacking good! Spicy and sour… fresh and fantastic… it’s the most tantalizing and memorable cocktail to pass by my lips in ages.

So much for my prediction.

This menu also includes “Kentucky Iced Tea“, a drink that is subtle, dry, and well-balanced even as it puts a wobble in your step. The key, besides the Bourbon, is to steep the tea for hours and then chill it, thus giving the beverage plenty of tannic sense.

I tried these drinks Tuesday night “on the house” with a group of food industry people after dining at Sadler, the Italian joint next door (more to come on that place). A comrade and I returned unannounced the next night as paying customers to see if a second round of these drinks would be just as good – it was.

Project 23 (expect big taste, but small volume) and Kentucky Iced Tea each cost RMB68, plus five percent service charge: pricey for the average Beijing cocktail but decent value for drinks of this quality. The service at Maison Boulud is excellent, the bar décor and mood a bit austere, and the typical dress about two notches above my Tommy Bahamas-style look (think “smart casual” and up).

The Legation Quarter is not a convenient location for most people, but with its sedate and spacious grounds, and its proximity to Tiananmen and other historical sites, it is a nice change of pace for those who tend to chronically find themselves in Chaoyang Park, Sanlitun, or Houhai.

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Notes:
- I sampled the Cucumber Martini on Wednesday and a cocktail that included cherry- and lychee- distilled vodka on Tuesday, but found these far less intriguing than Project 23 and the Kentucky Iced Tea.
- The bar food menu is also quite good, including the tiny sandwiches with foie gras and apricot jam as well as the cubes of seared tuna rolled in spices.

Look for my weekly wine listings to restart next week as I near full recovery from The Olympics. Until then,  here is an event tonight that takes advantage of the beautiful weather and that won’t break the bank.

Stone Boat and Jebsen co-host ‘Wines Around the World“, from 7-9 PM. For RMB60, you get a taste of the following four wines:

• Italy – Chiaro Pinot Grigio IGT
• Australia – Rosemount Diamond Cellar Semillon/Chardonnay
• United States – Talus Cabernet Sauvignon
• France – Chateau Cardan

My burger expeditions in the Sanlitun-Workers Stadium patty zone continues unabated, investigating newcomers such as Blue Frog, Let’s Burger, and Luga’s Villa and revisiting long-term establishments such as The Den, The Rickshaw, and Hooters (yes, a year in business does qualify as “long-term”, at least in China View). The most recent journey saw m-dawg and I check out Union Bar and Grill, atop “The Village” in Sanlitun.

Brick walls, dark wood trim, a large three-sided bar, and plenty of booth seating give this spacious place an upscale steakhouse look. We grabbed a booth (a bit of a tight fit), surveyed the one-page menu (front and back alternating between food and beverage), and ordered cheeseburgers – one with blue cheese and one with cheddar (RMB78; RMB10 more for bacon or mushrooms).

I asked for mine medium-rare and apparently such descriptors are no longer in vogue. Instead, my choices were revealed to be 70-percent, 90-percent, or 100-percent “done” (I’m not sure what the latter means – burnt to the consistency of a blowtorched shoe heel?) I chose 70-percent, though in hindsight, I suggest a 50-percent option be added.

Anyway, the burgers looked great, from the cherry tomato and green onion garnish on top, to the slick slabs of melted cheese on the patties, to the large mound of shoestring fries and the little cup of coleslaw on the side. The only hitch: the bun, which m-dawg called “uneventful” and which we found surprisingly ordinary given the basket of freshly baked bread on our table. In any case, the burgers turned out to be juicy, delicious, and more than filling – and they bloody well should at RMB86 kuai.

Some observations about Union Bar & Grill:

- The menu offers full and half servings of some appetizers, salads, and sandwiches, though more details on certain dishes would have been nice (Do the burgers come with fries? What exactly is a “Racquet” club sandwich?). m-dawg found it odd that a place with “grill” in its name lists only one kind of steak.

- Why is mustard a rarity in Beijing burger joints? Mustards and relishes are like salsas – the more choices, the better. A plea for our tangy friend saw the staff produce a small bottle of Dijon, presumably from a safe.

- The menu announces: “We proudly offer a plentiful 188 ML pour for red & white wine by the glass.” That means you (proudly) get a (plentiful) quarter bottle rather than a fifth. The wine list includes dozens of options, including 10 by the glass (48 kuai and up), progressively listed from light-bodied to full-bodied. Other beverages include US craft beers, such as Kona and Brooklyn, at RMB40, bottled Tsing-Tao at RMB25, Yanjing draft at RMB30, and spirits from RMB35.

- The staff is a bit overly keen, which seems to be an issue at many of these newer upscale places (see: Blue Frog and any venue in 1949: The Hidden City). The apparent rule: As long as I smile and act friendly, I am allowed to annoy and continually interrupt the patrons.

- There is a 10-percent service charge. Open note to restaurants: If you want to bill me for service, then I should be able to reduce my bill for disservice. Let’s cut the losses: up the menu prices and drop the service charges.

A fun part of the Beijing scene is the “do it yourself” attitude of numerous bars, which range from Salud with its house rums to spots such as Toper, Drei Kronen 1308, and Beijing Okhotsk with their home brew.

Add OT Lounge to the list. The cocktail / live jazz venue across from St. Regis Hotel is making its own bitters. States OT in an email:

“As much as we love Angostura bitters, we’re missing Fee’s, Regans’, Hess House, and others that we haven’t been able to find in China and the man doesn’t go lightly on those who sell stuff not imported through the proper channels – so we’re reading up and making a go of it – go bitterness, go!”

Look for flavors such as grapefruit, orange, and a blend of lemongrass and Sichuan peppercorn.

(Photo: www.chow.com)

The Saddle Cantina continues its monthly Cinco de Drinko tradition with half-price drinks during September 5. Then at midnight, sibling establishment The Rickshaw starts its inaugural Hair of the Dog party, which will run all September 6 with the same half-off deal. They should be billing this as two nights of partying for the price of one.

Also related to The Saddle Cantina / The Rickshaw:

- That 15 percent surcharge applied during The Olympics is no more. While ingredients and logistics are admittedly more expensive these days, it seemed a risky move to disgruntle the regular crowd, already depleted by visa issues, given the number of alternative places – Blue Frog, Union, Luga’s Villa, Let’s Burger, etc – that have been opening up.

- Expect the owners to soon open a burrito stand in Nali Studio, facing the streets and just a few doors down from Ciro’s Pomodoro.

Birthday bashes, going-away parties, returning friends, and visits to places both new and old made last weekend a busy one. Here are some quick notes. But first, fond farewells to two people who have helped this blog – Ali Robinton and Mark Rybchuk.

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Rumi
Not much to say about this Middle Eastern restaurant across from Pacific Century other than that given the laid-back vibe, clean and comfortable surroundings (especially the deck), and platters of meat, it’s no surprise it’s a hot spot for parties.

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Klubb Rouge
Not counting the packed-to-the-rafters launch party, my half-dozen visits to this Workers Stadium East club have found it pretty much empty. A pleasant surprise to see a decent crowd amassed around that “stretch limousine of bars” as well as a few dozen people busting moves on the dance floor, though it might be an idea to turn down the smoke machines.

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Q Bar
During the Olympics, I made a single short visit to this regular haunt, both because the fun and games were farther north and because I was a tad annoyed that the place increased drink prices. A weekend visit reaffirmed why I like Q: the Raspberry Martini, Side Car, and Tom Collins all were a cut (or two) above the vast majority of drink joints in Beijing.

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Northern Tribute
This restaurant is in a new serviced apartment complex near Sichuan hotspot Chuan Ban, but don’t expect a hot and noisy time. The focus is northern Californian cuisine and the 70-seat restaurant faces a serene lawn dotted with sculptures, trees, and… a swing. Lounge areas along the sides can accommodate up to 48 imbibers. I’ll have more on this place soon.

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Tun
About a hundred people downed reasonably priced drinks, which is far less than capacity but far more than usual. This place is my sleeper in the bar scene. The spacious but warm surroundings, ample nooks and crannies, and cheap drinks make me think business will pick up as temperatures go down, especially if Tun can feature some live music and become a kind of Yugong Yishan of Sanlitun.

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Luga’s Villa
In the former space of ex-Vietnamese restaurant Marguerite, this place evokes The Rickshaw, which is no surprise to those who know proprietor Luga used to work there. Expect a mix of the former restaurant’s decor and orange booths, as well as RMB15 Coronas, RMB35 burgers, friendly service, and a relaxed vibe.

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Mesh
Mesh provides comfortable seating, a stylish decor, a polite staff, and big pours (this time Gin Tonic). But lighting issues remain. On one hand, it’s annoying to have a waiter hold a flashlight over the menu. On the other, the headlights of cars pulling up to the hotel regularly pierce through the bar and temporarily blind patrons facing that way. Both problems should be easy enough to fix and make Mesh a player in the lounge scene.

City Weekend is looking for someone who is handy with pen and fork to be a dining columnist:

Love to eat?  Want to try some of the best restaurants in Beijing and get paid for it? Then we want you as City Weekend’s dining columnist. Competitive pay plus entrée to all the entrees.

The columnist will write for both the bi-weekly English-language magazine and the Web site. Submit resumes to leemack@cityweekend.com.cn or call 13401-183-401.

In my mind, something called an “Original burger” should include a patty, toppings such as tomato and onion, and a bun. It should not include a slathering of what looks and tastes like – and might well be – Thousand Island dressing. Which is what came on not only my “Original burger” (RMB48), but also the “Nicoise burger” (RMB48) ordered by 8 Songs at Let’s Burger last night.

On the first floor of new Nali, Let’s Burger opened last Friday and is a long, narrow, and airy venue with Spartan decor and a friendly staff.

Here’s how the place works: You order at the counter, grab a table number, sit down, and wait for the food to be delivered. The burgers come in baskets. (Note: Fries are extra – starting from RMB20.) Both the beef and pork patties are tasty, the toppings fresh if simple, and the bun pretty much nondescript. The seating is comfortable enough, especially, given the weather of late, the tables outdoors.

A self-serve station includes about a dozen condiments in squirt bottles, including “bao bao hot dip,” Mexicano, and Wasabi mayo, though incredibly no mustard. (This is where that Thousand Island / burger dressing should be.)

Let’s Burger offers a small but decent selection of beers, from Grolsch at RMB25 to Old Speckled Hen, Newscastle, and Kona’s Pipeline at RMB35-38, though the wine appears to be limited to house at RMB38.

For another diner’s take, here are 8 Songs‘ notes:

When all you want is a drink while waiting for friends, it’s a little strange that you have to go up to the counter and order. Once the beverage has been selected, you are given not a drink but a numbered table tent so that the waitress can find you. Next time I won’t bother. [Note: The beer, but not the wine, is "take away."]

The décor was not quite American 50′s, not quite modern, not quite flowing, not quite right. Though the smell of the cooking induced hunger.

The drinks selection was interesting, but only one wine – a nondescript French cabernet. RMB36 for it was over the top, especially since the glass was well below half full.

As for the burger itself, my de la Nicoise (the menu board has the spelling wrong) was built on a nice slice of pork. But the toppings left me disappointed. If I wanted thousand island dressing on my burger bun I would have asked for it. A smear of coleslaw should have been aside the meat, not on top of it.

This must be the first restaurant that doesn’t automatically at least offer fries to go with the burger.

Presentation of the food was okay, with my burger on a white plate. But no cutlery. Since we were sitting beside the sideboard, I helped myself to a knife and fork.

The food arrived within 2-3 minutes of us ordering. That means the burgers must be on the hotplate in anticipation of an owner. Pity help it if I wanted mine cooked rare.

RMB48 for the burger was at the low end of the spectrum according to the menu board. And on the low end of the spectrum in terms of value for money.

To summarise, in a town where the flavour of the month barely lasts 3 weeks, this place is in danger. They seem to have a great feel for the meat, which of course makes the burger, but the rest of the offering is not likely to make it a drawcard among Beijing’s fickle diners. Let’s burger? Let’s not.

To be fair, this place has been open less than a week, so I’ll soon return for another try.

Note: Let’s Burger currently opens daily at 5 PM.

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See also:
Let’s Burger: It’s On. 5 PM. Today.

Nanluoguxiang bar 12SQM, which bills itself as the city’s smallest, marks its first birthday on September 3. To celebrate, the pint-sized pub will offer bottles of Coopers at RMB15. Says co-owner Joseph Kornides, “15 kuai is cheaper than you can buy it for in a liquor store in Australia.”

He also explains why the bottles are rolled before they are served: “Coopers beer has a secondary fermentation technique that leaves yeast in the bottle as sediment. Tipping or rolling the bottle before serving mixes this yeast back into the beer making it richer and more even (rather than chunky at the end) and results in a cloudy appearance. Anyone who serves Coopers without the mix doesn’t know anything about the product.”

Given its tight quarters, I advise getting to 12SQM early if you want a seat.