Beijing Boyce

Saturday started with a wine lunch near the Summer Palace that lasted so long it matured into a wine dinner in Wudaokou. Even better, the random bottles brought covered six continents - South American (Chile), North American (United States), Asia (China), Africa (South Africa), Europe (France), and Australia. Plus, I had my first Lebanese wine. Good times! And more than enough reason to head out to celebrate. A brief wrap-up on the night that followed:

Room 101: Despite the rain, the closing party drew a sizable crowd, at least that’s the scene I found at 11 PM. The DJ dropped some funky tunes, the owners hustled behind the bar, and everyone raised a few final glasses. It is slated to be back in November with a new name, a restaurant upstairs, and a bar / café downstairs.

Maggie’s: Someone at Room 101 asked if this Ritan Park hot spot had reopened, so we scrounged up a copy of the Russian-language Yabao Ru magazine, found the Maggie’s listing, called the number, heard the guy who answered say “open”, and headed off. Alack and alas, we found the door shut tighter than a clam.

Swing: This is the only spot I visit on the Sanlitun North strip and things are touch and go at that. Even forgetting the incredibly annoying “lady bar” tout outside, the 40-kuai Gin Tonics lack punch and there is a lone toilet, a squatter, which means a constant lineup. Also, on this night I ended up losing an argument with the bartender about whether I had been shortchanged, though we later received free tequila shooters. Fair enough.

This place draws a big crowd, and numerous regulars, and a big reason is the house band in residence for more than a year. The two singers and guitarist do use preprogrammed music, notably drums, but also display personality and humor as they play sing-along standards - think John Cougar - that keep the vast majority of patrons happy. They did an interesting a capella version of Kylie Minogue’s Can’t Get You Out of My Mind and covered a Korean and a Chinese song. (I learned that fellow beverage research scholar Ping Pong not only can sing, but also is willing to brave the limelight at Swing and jump on to the stage. Who knew!?)

The Rickshaw: We found ourselves on the street, in the chill and rain, seeking comfort food. Hello medium wings! The first to smart my tongue in months, they hit the spot before we hit the road.

I haven’t made it to Japanese spot Shiro Matsu in the Legation Quarter yet, but regular contributor 8 Songs had dinner there on Sunday and here is his take:

“This place reeks of opulence. A huge electronic mural dominates the side wall. Tables and chairs were arranged with decent spacing between them and set for parties of various sizes. Swirls of timber and sombre lighting create a semi-romantic mood.

“The service was quietly efficient, thoughtful, and generally impressive.

“The menu is downright scary. The first item on the sushi list is priced at RMB468. Others were priced at RMB200-400. We hunted for something more within budget and found some premium sushi at RMB200, some California rolls for RMB60, and some tempura for RMB160. Two cocktails and a 10-percent service charge took the bill to well over RMB700.

“The sushi was quite OK, with some interesting fillings, such as goose liver, but I for one can’t justify spending so much on it, no matter how well made it is, when I can eat the same or better at places like Haiku or Hatsune.

“One thing that wasn’t quite right was the arrangement of the sushi chefs. As with most sushi restaurants, the chefs were behind a counter where we could watch them preparing our dinner. But the mood lighting must have made it difficult for them to see what they were doing. Their work space was dimly lit - too dark from what I could see.

“At first we were the only two diners there, until a familiar face entered. No doubt there to check out the competition, Alan Wong of Haiku and Hatsune fame seemed to enjoy his dinner. With prices like those at this place, I hope he doesn’t get any ideas.

“My rating - take an important client and a fat expense account, or better yet, be the important client.

Last Thursday, Meister Brau and I went in search of No Bunz, a new hot dog spot located north of Workers Stadium, but after a long and futile search we instead discovered the African restaurant Turay’s Place.

Turay hails from Sierra Leone, has lived in Beijing more than a decade, and recommended two dishes. First, liver with a blend of spices and onions, which nicely mixed with our mound of rice and left a tingly aftertaste. (MB couldn’t get enough of this stuff.) Second, oxtail in tomato stew, which came with a more subtle sauce and tender meat. Given these tasty eats and the spot’s non-pretentious diner-like feel, I’ll return to sample more dishes, particularly the peanut soup.

We then stopped at Simple Red, which lies on the road that funnels south from the Nanjie, Salsa Caribe, Rock ‘n Roll et al area (go due east from Tun and turn right). I have passed this place many times and hoped it would be one of those unexpected earthy spots where you find good cheap food and beer.

The decor highlights include concrete walls, orange brick booths with faux black leather seat covers and red tabletops, exposed painted plumbing, and walls bedecked with a smattering of Chinese New Year decorations and chalk drawings of a snowman and a witch on a broom. Call it down and dirty urban chic, or even down and dirty, or reminiscent of a back alley converted to a restaurant (I mean that in a good way, though I’m unsure if the coil of wire spread across the floor is part of the look or an unnecessary hazard).

MB figured we could at least get some kebabs here. Alas, we learned they not only have no chuan, but also our presence seemed less than appreciated. Undaunted, he tried his hands at Mandarin, and had both of them full as the waitress mercilessly machine-gunned answers. He stuck to repeating “beef” while she rat-a-tatted replies and I figured we might end up getting any part of the cow.

As we sipped a beer, we saw her approach with a huge metal serving platform that featured - you guessed it! - a fish. Hmmm. It was covered in chili, garlic, and leek slices. Even better, a few minutes later she returned with a second dish, a hot pot full of - you guessed it again! - frogs. Hmmm.

Fortunately, not all was lost in translation as MB’s request to make things “spicy” was carried out in full tongue-numbing force. I had a few coughing fits while he got a fish bone caught in his throat, but other than that, we enjoyed it. I found the food far better than expected, with the portions ample and the fish particularly tender, though also far pricier, with our bill coming to RMB120, including two large beers.