Beijing Boyce

Urban Sambal will close January 15 and the furniture and kitchen equipment is up for grabs, says owner Cho. He suggests that those interested in the stuff come by Saturday or Sunday from noon to 5 PM for a look. Sibling establishment Bed, Paper, and Cafe Sambal – all relatively close to each other – remain open. Given that for many people, talking to Cho is part of the experience at his places, Urban Sambal always seemed a bit remote.

I met my buddy O-Zone on Saturday afternoon in The Bookworm – the place has been hopping during my two visits this year – and we ended up on a wine walkabout. Here are three spots visited, with a pro and a con for each.

Aperitivo
This tried and true venue draws a strong regular crowd and – according to one loyal patron – has one of the best shaken Margaritas in town. With about a dozen by-the-glass choices, we tried the Italian Sangiovese at RMB38 and found it simple, fruity, and easy to drink, that is, something we could guzzle without food.

Pro: This place offers plenty of seating options, a decent deck when weather is warm, and clean toilets.

Con: It doesn’t seem like the wine menu has changed for over a year – a little diversity would be nice.

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Olas
This Mare spin-off is on the west side of The Village. It offers a substantial tapas menu, but only a handful of wines by the glass. We picked a French Cabernet Sauvignon from Languedoc at RMB38 and found it ho-hum.

Pro: This place has a nice long bar for those who prefer to pull up a stool and grab both a drink and a bite to eat.

Con: The toilets are on the second floor of the next building, which means a chilly journey in the winter.

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Boutique Wine Cellar
Located in the former Mingle space below Luga’s Villa, the decor here is a mish-mash of styles that ultimately make me think of eighties living rooms. We ordered the Australian Shiraz-Cabernet at RMB30 for a 250 ML pour, and found it a decent drop for the price.

Pro: The relatively low prices and polite staff would make this a decent stop for a glass or two, but..

Con: Unfortunately, the choices are limited to one red and one white. If you are positioning yourself as a wine bar, and your by-the-glass menu is on par with nearby spots such as Cheers and Nanjie, you might want to take the list up a notch (or five).

…is that twenty-something locals and expatriates at TUN not only apparently know but also avidly dance to songs like Kim Carnes’ Bette Davis Eyes that I figured would never survive the dawning of the nineties let alone the new millennium. I’m not criticizing this, I simply find the popularity of eighties music in Beijing to be interesting.

Much weirder during last Friday’s ladies night is that, like a calm deserted island in the eye of a hurricane, a dozen people played UNO amid both the hundreds of party goers and the Jagermeister dance team – four leggy lasses, two healthy lads, and one dumpy moose (or is it a reindeer?) – that writhed about with whistles and neon light sticks. I tend to misplay my Wild Draw Four card under such circumstances…

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One eighties artist we could use more of at TUN…