Beijing Boyce

Providing a stellar example of a Shanghai transplant underwhelming the Beijing food and beverage scene, Element Fresh in Sanlitun Village seems determined to lower the service bar in our fair city. Given the reputation of this place and its fairly high prices, the poor performance of its staff and management is astounding. I base this statement on five visits, four of them disappointing, and emails and comments from readers complaining about the place.

Take today: I arrived with an acquaintance for a late breakfast meeting. We decided to sit outside and checked, in Mandarin, if there were any sockets on the deck so we could plug in a laptop. Yes, said the waitress, and delivered us unto a table.

The issue: My prong didn’t fit the socket, so I asked for an adapter. We don’t have one, said she. Yes, you do, said I, because I used it two days ago. This led to a staff scrum followed by this announcement: we don’t want you to use that socket as it would require turning on the power on the deck, and thus the lights, and cost too much money. What!?

We moved to a second table. It had a socket, but again it didn’t match my prong. This time, the waitress found an adaptor, but because the socket was in a well, the prongs wouldn’t reach. I told the waitress this fact, but I guess she didn’t believe me because she took the adaptor and tried to jam it into the socket to the point of pounding it with her palm.

Needless to say, that didn’t work. The normally overly keen staff hovered in the distance and seemed unsure what to do, and it appeared we would have to shift to a third table, EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO ME TWO DAYS AGO IN THIS PLACE.

On that occasion, I talked to one of the managers, as I had about a month earlier, and offered to BUY some smaller adaptors if Element Fresh would reimburse me. They did not take up the offer and it seems did not bother to buy and test some themselves, which I find strange given that times are tough, this is a new place, and you would think the laptop crowd would be one of their niche markets.

Rather than move again, I relayed my disgruntlement to what I assume to be two owners or at least managers (sitting there the entire time), apologized to my friend, and took her and my money elsewhere. We ate sandwiches at Panino Teca and drank coffee at Le Petit Gourmand, two places that are just as good, if not better, and offer lower prices and more efficient service.

Frankly, Element Fresh came to Beijing with a solid reputation. It offers a nice layout, big food portions, and potential as an office away from the office. The staff is friendly enough, but the training focus seems to have been on annoying keenness and glaring ineffectiveness. My experiences, and those of numerous readers and acquaintances, suggest this place is blowing its chance.

I just came across the first edition of the China Daily Entertainment Guide (1992). Here is the intro to the “Nightlife and Recreation” section. Hey, is it just me or did the authors sense a culture gap?

To most Chinese, nightlife probably means watching TV or playing mahjong--for fun or small stakes, just to make it more interesting. There are dance and karaoke halls but they are too expensive for ordinary wage-earners, so TV becomes extremely important.

Many foreigners, however, especially those staying in Beijing, insist that there is simply no nightlife in Beijing. Nightlife in China could never be the same as that in Japan, or the United States, or Europe. The social system, culture and way of life are so different. There are some entertainment outlets specially for overseas visitors and we list most of them here for those who want to look for action in the evening…

And for those seeking “action,” this was China Daily’s list of discos:

• Amigo (Beijing Yanshan Hotel) – “Imported sound and light system”
• Dance Hall (Capital Hotel) – “American facilities”
• Glasshouse (Kunlun Hotel) – “Modern structure, lighting and music”
• House (Peace Hotel) – “Imported equipment with foreign disc-jockey”
• Juliana’s (Holiday Inn Lido) – “the latest American and British hits, oldies, jazz, and rock symphony… It has a large screen and video camera to add to the fun…”
• Jungle (Tianlun Dynasty Hotel) – “African Safari format and decoration”
• The Moonlight (Tayuancun)
• Rumours (Palace Hotel) – “Latest imported sounds”
• Saxophone (Ramada Asia Hotel) – “A combination of disco and karaoke…”
• Talk of the Town (China World Hotel) – “Sophisticated environment, professional disc-jockeys, and latest hits”
• Xiyuan Hotel Ballroom – “Apart from dancing, one can enjoy Beijing’s night scene while sipping a drink”

I’ll post the China Daily’s list of “clubs and pubs” tomorrow – a few of the places are still open!

File this under “twas too good to be true”: In the midst of the rampant burger inflation in Sanlitun, with prices hitting RMB68, RMB75, RMB86, and more, Luga’s Villa slapped down a value patty with fries and salad for RMB35. Even better, beer started at RMB10.

No longer. The new menu now lists a Mexican Burger at RMB45. (I tried one tonight: I found the patty slightly too dry and topped with Swiss cheese and guacamole – I guess that’s the “Mexican” part. I also guess Sunday isn’t the best night to be testing the kitchen.) While this burger is still worth the cash, I think the value prize in the neighborhood goes to The Den, since its version rings in at RMB35 and comes with some of the city’s tastiest fries.

Luga’s Villa also jacked up the drink prices, with a Beijing draft, bottle of Tsingtao, or can of Coca-Cola now RMB20, while Sol and Corona runs RMB30.

Finally, I tried the fajitas here last week. Expect a huge portion with a mound of meat, grilled bell peppers and onions, three dipping bowls (sour cream, salsa, and guacamole), and at least a half-dozen fresh flour tortillas. It’s not cheap at RMB60, but this is a tasty dish worth splitting with a friend.

By the way, given it was 11 PM on a Sunday night, Sanlitun saw quite a good crowd tonight. Apertivo and Luga’s both saw plenty of patio action and I spotted dozens of people outside Kai. This area has become much more tolerable since they have barred vehicles at night from that street in front of Tongli.