Beijing Boyce

Look for dining choices at The Village in Sanlitun to increase as the two newest Alan Wong projects are slated to open there in mid-January. Joining restaurants such as Blue Frog, Union, and Peppes Pizza will be the second Beijing branch of his Japanese restaurant chain Hatsune as well as his new Hunanese restaurant Karaiya Spice House, according to Kristen Lum, who is handling PR for the projects.

Hatsune will top out at more than 400 square meters and 100 seats, while Karaiya will be slightly smaller at 350 square meters and around 85 seats. Lum says the two Hatsune branches will share the same menu, which will be updated for the Sanlitun opening.

In response to this post about Element Fresh on Monday, regular commenter The Village Grouch asked, “How about doing a wrap-up of recent Shanghai entrants to the Beijing market and how they’re faring?”

Done and done: In alphabetical order, here are 3.5 places that hail from our sibling city to the south and opened in Beijing over the past six months. And yes, I realize some might be getting their houses in order*, so consider this post as based on first impressions (or in these cases, second, third, or even tenth impressions).

-

Blue Frog (Sanlitun Village)

If they knocked one-third off the prices, I might become a regular. But given RMB75 for not exactly the biggest hamburger, RMB35 for a small Carlsberg draft, and a staff that is a bit too keen, this will be an occasional retreat, especially in the winter when getting to the rooftop at The Village will be no treat. Good for casual business meetings or for watching televised sports in more upscale surroundings.

Why I would go: To watch a special sports event or because I am looking for a kid-friendly spot, I have an expense account, or they knocked one-third off the prices (speaking of which, cocktails are RMB25 on Tuesday nights).

Why I wouldn’t: The Den, The Rickshaw and Paddy O’Shea’s are nearby and offer good screens and, especially in the case of the first two, lower prices.

Grade: B

-

Element Fresh (Sanlitun Village)

As noted earlier, I’ve been there five times, been highly annoyed four times, and left without ordering the last time. Nice layout, decent coffee, and friendly staff, but something went awry with the training because the service is poor, while the food is getting mixed reviews.

Why I would go: To chill on the deck, have a coffee, and surf the Internet.

Why I wouldn’t: Given the service, nearby places such as Le Petit Gourmand and Panino Teco offer better value.

Grade: C

-

Enoteca (The Place)

I’ve walked by it dozens of times – at lunch, in the afternoon, and at night – and seen it not even half full. The view of the big screen at The Place is excellent. The wine choice is based on what is imported by the owners, which limits consumer choice, though some bottles do go for less than RMB100. Several readers have complained of “attitude” here. Perhaps the “official” opening tonight at 6 PM will mark a new phase.

Why I would go: To drink wine while watching a screen the size of a handful of football fields.

Why I wouldn’t: The nightmare of getting a taxi at The Place at night and the wealth of other wine options in this city.

Grade: C

-

Klubb Rouge

While not officially linked to Bar Rouge in Shanghai, a handful of top employees from that hot spot came north to open this pricey China View venue (they have since left). The staff ranks among the friendliest in town, the place is huge, and the rooftop deck offers excellent views. Unfortunately, this place has struggled to establish an identity and draw crowds, though new management is in place so perhaps some changes are on the way.

Why I would go: To hang out on the rooftop deck or to park at the bar and daydream while looking at those weird red glass blobs hanging from the ceiling.

Why I wouldn’t: The place often has a very light crowd, the drinks are expensive, and I always end up at The Den afterward eating my weight in deep-fried goods.

Grade: C

-

* Though still charging full prices.

A quick post…

The Village Grouch and I wandered about Sanlitun and Workers Stadium last night lamenting the growing challenge of finding a main (burger, burrito, etc) and a drink for less than ten of his country’s dollars (that would be the greenback and convert to about RMB68) in this area. Then, we popped into The Kro’s Nest.

Few and far between were empty seats and the reason soon became clear: “We Hate Tuesdays” is that night when the first two kegs of beer are free and then it is five-kuai Tsingtao until 10 PM. With our medium PMB (pepperoni, bacon, and mushroom) and a pint apiece, we not only managed to ring in at around RMB100, but also hover on the edge of carb coma. (Similar deals apply at the Beida and Beitai locations.)

Given the size of the crowd, the staff did a decent job, though that enthusiastic efficient edge of the early days has been dulled.

By the way, if you haven’t tried some of the American craft beers popping up around town – Rogue, Dead Guy, Brooklyn – you can get a bucket of five of them here for RMB80 on Thursdays.

Finally, another place serving up decent value in the area is late-night snacks favorite The Den. The happy hour, from 5-10 PM, includes half-price pizzas and drinks.

Lots of recent posts about the burger battle in the Sanlitun-Workers Stadium zone (see at bottom), so here is something a bit further afield as regular contributor and fellow beverage researcher 8 Songs reviews the patty at CJW in The Place:

“This “roving reporter“ sacrificed his healthy diet for the sake of reporting on burgers at CJW at The Place.

“Mindful of the recent focus on this incredibly important topic, which is clearly at the root of the global financial crisis, your trusty reporter forsook the salad for the burger and fries. The latter was priced in at RMB70, which compared admirably to the quesadilla that my partner took at RMB60. Though not to the heady days of burgers at RMB35.

“I was asked how would I like it cooked, to which I answered medium. (I couldn’t help but recall the evening with my friend from Chicago who ordered a burger at Union Bar & Grill and was told she was not able to get the patty cooked “medium rare.” The lightest they would cook the patty was “70%”, to which my friend replied, “In that case, I want 70% plus nothing minus 20.”)

“We started with pumpkin soup which was delicious, but why should I need to ask the waiter for a simple accessory like a pepper mill? On to the main course, which you North Americans call “entree”, even though it’s not served at the start. My burger came in halves, top and bottom. The patty sat atop a relish with a grilled cheese slice for a topping. The other half had the gerkhin, tomato, lettuce and a fried egg which must have been cooked first. It was cold, cold, cold.

“But the patty was grilled to perfection, and was about half an inch (12 mm) thick.

“I can’t report on the price of beer, since I headed straight for the red wine list. An entry-level Australian Shiraz set me back RMB50 for one glass – it was the cheapest on offer by the glass. Not good value.

“Cheque time brought one moment of slight relief. No sign of a service charge on this bill, despite quite a good job being done by the wait staff.

-

See also:
Luga’s Villa: Bumping up burger prices
Sanlitun burger battle: The Rickshaw fights back
Today’s beef: Union Bar & Grill
Let’s Burger: A bit too saucy
Bits and bites: Burger battles et al.

Beijing will see a good crop of wine events over the next few days, with everything from the return of the Friday with Frank gatherings at Sequoia Cafe to a tour of New Zealand wine regions by The Wine Republic to a tasting of over 100 wines for RMB150 by Palette Wines (with 20 percent off on bottle sales). Looking ahead, Carrefour has slated its fall wine festival for late October while the Hilton is gearing up for its eleventh annual Food & Wine Experience in late November (click here for the long-term schedule). Here’s the lineup for the coming week…

-

Wednesday, October 15, 7-10:30 PM, Cafe Europe (Jianwai Soho, Building 15), RMB260
New Zealand wine dinner, with four wine-food pairings; by The Wine Republic; RSVP at events@thewinerepublic.com

-

Thursday, 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.

-

Thursday, October 16, 7.30 PM, The Bookworm, RMB150
1000 miles from top to bottom; tasting of four New Zealand wines; by The Wine Republic; RSVP at events@thewinerepublic.com or 5869-7050

-

Thursday, October 16, 6:30 PM, Capital Club, RMB1088+15%
Bordeaux Cru Classe Autumn dinner, with 5 wines; by ASC Fine Wines; RSVP with Helen Lu at eventsbj@asc-wines.com / 6587-3803

-

Friday, October 17, 6:30 PM, Sequoia Cafe, RMB120
Margaret River tasting, including Cabernet and Chardonnay blends; RSVP via E-vite; to get on the list, call Frank at 13701178073

-

Saturday, October 18, 5-6 PM, Pinotage, RMB60
Weekly tasting; by WineLink; RSVP with Chris at 13611-207-396 / chrisb@winelink.com.cn

-

Saturday, October 18, 1-6 PM, Palette Vino, RMB150
Mundo Vino; tasting of over 100 wines, 20% discounts of bottle purchases; by Palette Wines; RSVP with Dazz Ma at 8046-4461 / dazzling0828@hotmail.com

-

Note: See the long-term schedule. 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 an event listed, send the details to beijingboyce@yahoo.com.