Beijing Boyce

Drink beer, eat “beaver” treats, play table-top hockey, and count down to July 1 as Canadians in China holds its fifth annual Canada D’eh party tonight at the Goose and/et Duck (map). I’m planning to live blog the party from 8 PM and to include interviews with famous Canadians in China, including Da Shan (to be confirmed) and my buddies Trevor and John.

So, if you hail from the Great White North, or just want to enjoy a few cold ones, put on your best toque and come on down for the free snacks, extended happy hour, beer drinking contest, and  game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals, all capped by the singing of O Canada at midnight. Time to cue up some Stompin’ Tom Connors…

From 8 PM, catch the live blog here.

I finally moseyed down to this hutong bar run by the former manager of Sandglass (the same day I took these photos of Nanluoguxiang). What can you expect at Amilal (map)? For decor, check the photos below. For drinks, beers start at RMB15 for Harbin and Tsingtao, while there are about a dozen single malts at RMB50 per pour.

Twas a sad day when Mare, my favorite tapas spot in downtown Beijing, closed for good, though the owners had the foresight to open a branch of the place – OLAS – on the west side of Sanlitun Village. Now, that spot is set to relaunch… as Svensen’s and Prima Taste Kitchen. The place had an invite-only party last night but should soon be open to the public (hat tip to ksquare).

Pakistan restaurant Yadgar, around the corner from Luga’s, relaunched last week – complete with a garden full of flower displays – after completing renovations.

Look for Alfa to soon introduce a new food menu. This place has long had some of the best late night food in Beijing. It also recently renovated the covered patio out front by adding a lighter and more-streamlined decor as well as elevated areas that allow patrons to dangle their toes in the water.

Finally, 2F is quietly making a name for itself at the back of Tongli Studio. Numerous readers have mentioned this place to me of late and, indeed, it does offer decent drinks, a friendly owner, and a comfy atmosphere.

People have asked me which Fourth of July party to catch this coming weekend. I wonder if any of them can live up to expectations after Saturday night at 2 Kolegas (map). Sitting on the lawn, drinking beer, enjoying a crowd with a good vibe, and listening to DH &the Hellcats and Black Cat Bone belt out American music. Hard to beat…

The Village Grouch sparked my interest in DH and the Hellcats with this post and the band not disappoint as it delivered a potent mix of musical skill and crowd presence that makes it a perfect match for the uber-professional blues act Black Cat Bone. And the feisty tattoo-laden lead singer served both as entertainer and sage, announcing, “Ladies, you can’t trust men. You can only trust rich men, because they buy you diamonds,” before the band lit into its version of “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.”

Would love to see these two bands team up again…

In any case, here is a video of DH and the Hellcats performing at Mao Livehouse. It shows the last 40 seconds on one song and then shifts to Liquor Store (the sound and video quality are not an ideal, but give an idea of what the band is about). If you want more, check out this vide0.

And as for Fourth of July parties, I’ll provide a list of tomorrow.

Football/soccer fans: The United States and Brazil will face off in Confederation Cup finals and both Paddy O’Shea’s and Danger Doyle’s will show the game live at 2 AM. The third-place game between Spain and South Africa is slated for 8 PM.

I posted last week that Cosmos Hot Dogs would open today, and offer two dogs and a Tsingtao for RMB25, but the date has been set back to Wednesday.

Another reminder to Canucks that the Goose and Duck will hold its Canada Day countdown on Tuesday, with prizes for the first 200 attendees, happy hour prices, a beer-drinking contest, the singing of O Canada at midnight, and more.

This Saturday, Bob Louison will teach the thirteenth in a series of cocktail classes held by his company Spirit It. The lessons have covered everything from the classics to creations inspired by Thailand, India, France, and the United States. I asked him a few questions about the class, the Beijing cocktail scene in general, and my pet peeve – flair bartending.

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What can someone expect to experience in your cocktail classes?

You will experience the feeling of making cocktails like a bartender. You will have your own station and tools, and will learn a few bartending basics, such as how to create balance in your cocktail, how to blend flavors, and how to free pour. During each class, you will learn three or four cocktail recipes that you won’t find in Beijing as well as some classics.They all contain Grand Marnier since it is the sponsor.

Finally, we will test your skills. This includes taking the ingredients used during the class and coming up with your own cocktail. The best one wins a bottle of Grand Marnier.

What are the three biggest problems with the way cocktails are made in most Beijing bars?

I would say the biggest problem is consistency. You can order three Cosmopolitans and each will taste different. Second, bartenders often don’t know how to balance the ingredients, so the drink comes out too strong, too sour, or even too watery if the bartender shakes it too long. And third would be speed. It often takes a long time to get a cocktail because the bartender is not sure of the recipe and has to check the menu and, even worse, guess how much of each ingredient to include.

Where are your favorite places to have a cocktail in Beijing and what do you usually order?

I like Face Bar very much. They have a pretty nice cocktail list and keep the quality high. It is a pleasure to either sit in the lounge or on the patio, with the red lanterns providing a magical atmosphere. I love their Creme Brulee Martini.

I also like Lan Club. They just made a new cocktail list, with every drink containing Grand Marnier, and it is pretty impressive. I especially like their Forbidden Red Dragon cocktail.

And Maison Boulud also makes great cocktails. I think the head bartender is one of the best in Beijing, but few people know about him.

What is your favorite cocktail made with local ingredients?

I like to use local ingredients. I love hawthorn, lychee, ginger, lemongrass, yuzu, dragon fruit, and very sweet Chinese cherries. I even make my own jasmine syrup. My favorite cocktail is my own: the Jasmine Martini. It includes jasmine syrup, two orange wedges, vodka, Grand Marnier, and lemon juice, with a jasmine flower as a garnish.

Flair bartenders: I am not a big fan, especially when it involves fire, but it seems popular in Beijing. What  is your take?

I like it very much, but Beijing bartenders don’t put it to good use. They put the quality of the cocktail aside while they are performing. The purpose of flair is to entertain the customers while you make a quality cocktail. These bartenders need to first learn how to make good cocktails, then practice flair. And flair should be visual and efficient, allowing you to work faster, not slower.

How did you get involved with cocktails and how did you end up in China?

I became a bartender at 18 years old in Paris to help pay for my studies. I fell in love with it and have practiced since. I was attracted to China for years and the Olympics provided a good opportunity to come here and look for a job. Since I wanted to open my own bar consulting and event company, I thought China would offer many chances. Now that I have Spirit It, it has turned out to be true.

The prayers of The Village Grouch* have been answered: Black Cat Bone and DK and the Hellcats will team up this Saturday night from 10 PM at 2 Kolegas (map). Black cats meet hellcats, blues meets rockabilly, beer meet mouths… it’s all good. (* See Sailor costumes, terrifying tattoos & lycra tights: The Village Grouch on 2 Kolegas).

The Stone Boat (map) hosts local jazz band No Name Trio this Saturday night from 9:30 PM. Sitting in the park, listening to jazz, sipping a glass of wine… I can’t think of a better warmup for a vodka-guzzling, hookah-smoking, patron-ogling night at nearby Chocolate Club (map).

Once upon a time, Neo Lounge ranked as the hottest club in town. This Sunday, the China Cultural Center (map) will screen a documentary by Joanna Vasquez Arong that looks at some of the frequenters of this place (from 7:30 PM to 9 PM; RMB40). Arong will be on hand to take questions (more details here).

This one is dedicated to Traci Smith’s recent post on influential music joints in Beijing: rock band Wang Wen marks its tenth anniversary with a gig this Saturday night from 8 PM at MAO Livehouse (map) (RMB60). See here for more details / enigmatic text. Meanwhile, Carsick Cars releases its second album at Yugong Yishan tonight.

Canucks celebrate their national day early as the Canada-China Business Council hosts its annual party at the Canadian International School (map). The highlight tends to be The Beijinger chili-eating contest, though perhaps – hopefully – there will be a beer tent with more than a dozen stools as well as food stalls that don’t run out of grub two hours before the event ends. The fee is RMB100 for CCBC members, RMB120 for nonmembers, RMB60 for those aged five to 12, and free for those under the age of four.

And Canucks, if Sunday is your day of rest, the Goose and Duck (map) is holding a Canada Day bash on Tuesday to count down to July 1. The first 200 people get a free gift (I’m guessing its your choice between a goose or a duck – take the goose, it’s more patriotic). There will also be free snacks, a replay of game seven of the Stanley Cup finals, a beer-drinking contest, all-you-can-eat geoduck, and happy hour until the singing of O Canada at midnight. Did I mention this place has tabletop hockey?

Wikipedia reports that Michael Jackson had 13 number one hits on Billboard, 14 if you count “We are the World”. Jackson made great music and, while thinking about the news of his death and deciding not to get caught up in the Twitter frenzy over it, I decided to match the title of each number one song to a Beijing bar (plus a restaurant or two). Feel free to add your own.

1972: Ben
The character “ben” (third tone) can mean “book”, so this one goes to Le Petit Gourmand and The Bookworm, both of which have thousands of volumes.

1979: Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough
Any place with an all-you-can-drink special, like The Boat.

1980: Rock with You
The Stone Boat, an idyllic place to spend time with a beverage and with the one you love. (I might have gone with  Hard Rock Cafe, but that place hasn’t been the same since BB King played. Oh wait, that was the opening show a decade ago.)

1983: Billie Jean
Chef Too. I once saw Chef Billy wear jeans. Woah, that’s a stretch (I mean the connection, not his pants).

1983: Beat It
Bed bar, for, uh, for the way they mash the limes in those mojitos…

1983: Say Say Say
Face

1985: We Are The World
I’m giving it to Danger Doyle’s, which blends an Irish bar, Italian pizza, American hamburgers, Australian, Belgian, Japanese and Chinese bottled beer, German home brew, a Swedish single malt, etc. And because Michael Jackson songs played at least five times a night when manager Glenn Phelan worked at Browns.

1987: I Just Can’t Stop Loving You
Touch, either the bar in the hotel or in Houhai. Also, Together bar.

1987: Bad
Punk

1987: The Way You Make Me Feel
Mesh, because if you have to use the hotel elevator, you need to grasp in the dark for the button.

1988: Man in the Mirror
Lan Club, the toilets…

1988: Dirty Diana
According to my Insider’s Guide Mandarin Phrasebook, “dirty” is “zang” in Mandarin and that is pretty close to “zing” so I’m going with the pretty much now-forgotten Zing by Doodoo. Also “doodoo” sounds dirty. (See The Poop on Doodoo.)

1991: Black or White
Chocolate, because it comes in both colors.

1995: You Are Not Alone
Tun, Friday, midnight…

Finally, try to catch DJ Chunky the next time he plays in our fair city. He is a big MJ fan and I would wager he will spin a few extra songs when he gets out the vinyl (and, yes, he does have Smooth Criminal).

Oregon wine tasting events are few and far between in Beijing, but this Friday Sequoia Cafe (map) will have five wines from this northwestern state, including a pinot noir, a pinot gris, and a Sokol Blosser Evolution that is made with nine grape varieties. The tasting starts at 6:30 PM, costs RMB150, and includes snacks. Call Frank “Pittsburgh has not one but two championships this year” Siegel at 13701-178-073 to reserve a spot.

An offshoot of the China National Sommelier Competition, a ‘junior sommelier‘ session will be held in Beijing on July 5 (and in Shanghai on July 6). Writes the Asia Wine Institute, the three-hour session aims at “less experienced wine service staff, or simply F&B professionals looking to upgrade their knowledge in wine service” and covers everything from serving skills (tip: never remove a cork with your teeth) to pronunciation of wine terms (I imagine Gruner Veltliner made this list). It starts at 1 PM and costs RMB200. To join, download this form and send it to Francesca Xu at Francesca.xu@asia-businessgroup.com /010-5828-7720.

Arguably the best annual wine event for consumers in Beijing, the Hilton wine fair is slated for November 9. The trade portion of the event will be in the morning, with consumers getting a shot at trying hundreds of wines during the afternoon at the hotel (map). Good news: Sopexa will host its Bordeaux Grand Cru tasting on November 18 – last year both events were on the same day.

See also: The Hilton Food & Wine Experience: Ten thoughts

While walking about the Workers Stadium area a few days ago, I noticed that April Gourmet seems to be going from this:

To this:

The new place certainly looks bigger and, if so, I hope that means even more cheese. And that I can leave my bad fapiao memories behind…

One pleasant change in the Beijing bar scene is the ever-growing number of single malts. I figured we pushed the envelope a bit when I spotted a Welsh variety  in The Bookworm a few months ago. Now that envelope has been given a shove as Danger Doyle’s, the Irish bar / global melting pot that features Italian pizza, Texan rooftop parties, Aussie and Belgian beers and, on occasion, a smart-ass Canadian blogger, has a single malt from… Sweden?

This tipple goes by the name of  Mackmyra and is described on its label as featuring “Roasted Swedish oak, a hint of vanilla and dried herbs.” It is not for sale and thus available only when general manager Glenn Phelan puts down his James Joyce and decides to splash some from the single bottle in stock. Even if the whiskey is not flowing, Phelan is willing to let patrons smell the cork.

By the way, I stopped in at the Texan barbecue party at DD on Saturday night and had a good time, though I felt out of place given I lacked the tight shorts and the plaid shirt conveniently tied to bare my midriff as donned by a number of the Lone Star State lasses. Note to Danger’s: Consider changing Ladies Night to Texan Ladies Night. I have a feeling you will develop a strong following among the gents.

Sanlitun South cocktail joint Q Bar will open its much larger rooftop deck tomorrow night. The deck has about tripled in size and seats some two hundred people, with standing room for a few hundred more. It includes semi-private spaces, a bar at the back, and three-meter-high glass walls aimed at providing enough soundproofing to keep the neighbors happy.

Q Bar’s George Zhou and Echo Sun say the general rule is “first come, first served” and there is no minimum charge for tables. Hear, hear! I’m looking forward to my first Alfonso Special there…

File this one under “a few days late to be a Father’s Day gift”…

Looking for a massage that “reaches parts that normal massages simply do not.” (Yes, but can any massage truly reach my soul?) Desire “candlelit ambience and soft relaxing background music.” (Yes, my Kenny G CD is broken.) Want to “relax on every level as my hands tease and massage your bottom, gently catching your testicles, inner thighs and anus”? (Normally yes, but ever since I started growing oregano in my kitchen window I’ve become a convert to the DIY lifestyle.)

But for those who are interested, check out this ad on Craig’s List. Warning: Only “respectful and polite gentleman” qualify. And you have to have a shower beforehand, though the masseuse in question – Annie – claims she will wear a “sexy tunic“, reveal a “slender figure“, and is a “Beijing model” (so am I, often featured in the “before” phot0s for any number of products).

In any case, this ad takes it up a few notches from the “sir, lady bar, massag-ee, sexy” touts on Sanlitun North…

(hat tip to P8)

Kiosk, home of The Big Bite Burger and other tasty takeout in the original Nali studios will soon open a new and larger outlet, complete with two floors of seating and a deck, one street east of Purple Haze (map). The place is easy to spot – just look for the fuchsia paint job – and is expected to open in a week or two.

Expect a few changes when the JW Marriott relaunches its weekly “hospitality night” at Loong Bar of June 24. The Wednesday night event, from 9 PM to midnight, targets people in the food and beverage, restaurant and bar, wine, hotel, and other related businesses. The entry fee will be RMB150, an increase of RMB50, but rather than include two drinks it will now feature free-flow select cocktails, beers, and Protocola Wines from Spain, as well as appetizers and a live jazz band.

Photo: yacol.com

Traci Smith has been into the local music scene for more than a decade. I asked her to name the best live music spots in town. She went one better: She named the places she considers most important for developing the indie music scene (see below) as well as a list of other key spots (to be posted next week). Here they are…

These three clubs were crucial to the development of the indie music scene.

1. Waijiao Renyuan (Xinyuan Li), late 1980s to 1992-1993

This building is still standing in Xinyuanli and is now the Best Soup restaurant. The bottom had a bar split into two areas, one with a few tables, round seventies-style chairs, and a bar in the middle. Most people didn’t get the pricey drinks here but would sneak in bottles of Yanjing under their coats.

The other area consisted of a stage and dance floor. People would crowd up to the front to watch the band or sit around the dance floor, drinking Yanjing and talking to friends.

The crowd was mostly art students who couldn’t afford tickets, so huge groups of people would mill around out front waiting for their band friends to show up and get them in for free. The venue most likely did not make much, and the bands didn’t either, maybe enough for a big meal afterward with taxi fare left over.

Usually Tangchao, Heibao, Zang Tianshuo, Ziwo Jiaoyu (Self Education, headed by Huazi, who now has a band called Chai-na), Miankong (The Face) and Cui Jian played. In Beijing, this was one of the first venues to regularly hold rock / alt music shows.

2. Scream (Wudaokou, across from the movie theater), 1994-1995 to late 1990s

Scream was the second bar in that area of hutongs across from the movie theater that had already been established as a hangout. Scream was truly the home of punk music in China and most of the shows featured punk bands. The punk scene was very different from the classic metal / rock scene. The band members and audience were intimately linked with the Wudaokou area.

The club was tiny and there was a fridge at the end of the bar. I remember people just going in and shouting, “hey, three beers”, or however many they took, and then paying for it. It was very much like a big extended family. If the show was popular, it would be so crowded you would literally have sweat pouring off you, and lots of folks would go outside to cool off. But the intimacy of the space and the punk music were a powerful combination.

The place was run by Lv Bo and its success led to the start of Scream Records, which is still going. This was also when animation and drawing began to be put together with music, with interesting flyers, the Scream logo, and lots of creative visual art, something that became standard for bands like New Pants.

3. River Bar, Old South Sanlitun, 2000-2004

When the boys from Yehaizi, China’s seminal folk rock band, took over what had previously been a live music bar called 17, they redecorated using only the downstairs part of the space to create China’s first folk rock club. They made the bar very comfortable, with wood tables and benches, and lots of minorities-style cloth and decorations, giving it a relaxed feel, like sitting in the courtyard of a siheyuan.

Up to this point there had been quite a few places for rock, punk, metal, and grunge bands to play, but the quieter or more experimental musicians had nowhere. But they did have lots of fans largely due to the popularity of Yehaizi. This bar was to folk rock what Scream was to punk. The shows were almost all acoustic, and they sometimes featured video art to go along with the shows. River was really the means by which folk rock music, an eclectic and now very broad genre–and one of the biggest genres in terms of fans today–started to gain the strong following it has now in China.

Note: Next week, I’ll have Traci Smith’s list of other influential live music venues in Beijing.

Photo: yacol.com

Dogs inside this door this Sunday

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Over the past few years, Beijing has seen the rise of burger, burrito, and pizza options. Now, we see more spots focusing on hot dogs, a product memorably defined by H.L. Mencken as “a cartridge filled with the sweepings of abattoirs.”

Maggie’s (map) has long been considered by many as providing the city’s best tube steak but the past year has seen spots such as No More Bunz (map), Bar Uno, and the corner near Shooters (map) get into the scene. And two more are slated to open in the next month.

The people behind establishments such as Muse and Alfa are slated to open Cosmos Hot Dogs (map) on June 28 in the southern entrance of Tongli Studio, with a deck / lounge just outside the door. The plan is to offer two hot dogs and a Tsingtao for RMB25.

Meanwhile, as mentioned several times, Chad Lager and Kevin Zhang will open Stadium Dog, which aims to offer more than a half-dozen kinds of hot dogs, at Workers Stadium (map). Stadium Dog will be paired with a “speakeasy” called Fubar and is projected to open in the first half of July.

For hot dogs in Nanluoguxiang

Sometimes a little Chinglish can capture the, um, zeitgeist.  Take the construction site for Gongsan Plaza across from Workers Stadium. The surrounding walls are covered with inspirational tidbits such as  ”No worry be busy“, but one – pictured above – aptly sums up a good part of the business culture in our fair city…

A few things going on this weekend…

Guinness fans: For the next three Saturdays, Danger Doyle’s will have a superb special on this elixir – buy four pints at RMB40 per and receive a free rugby shirt. Paddy O’Shea’s has a similar deal, with the pints at RMB45.

Free drinks fans: The fairer sex drinks for free at Alfa tonight. Kudos for the sleeker design of the covered deck. I will post some photos of it on Monday.

Jazz fans: Christophe Lier will perform his last Beijing gig with New Photon Quartet, tonight at 7:30 PM at CD Cafe. Ah-Q Jazz Arkestra will take the stage at 10 PM. See here for details.

Food fans: Eileen Wen Mooney, author of Beijing Eats, will speak at Garden Books (above Sequoia Cafe on Guanghua Lu) tomorrow from 3 PM to 5 PM (RMB40).

And a reminder that tomorrow is Father’s Day and plenty of places have specials, from The Roadhouse at Mutianyu (with Woodie Alan playing) to SALT (2-course and 3-course brunch at RMB138 rmb and RMB158, or RMB268 and RMB288 with free-flow beer and sparkling wine) to Luga’s Villa (burger, fries and a “fishbowl cocktail” for RMB45 at lunch or fajitas and a “fishbowl cocktail” for RMB60 at dinner).

A few weeks ago, I posted about a slew of places that will open on Workers Stadium grounds. Here is a quick post with photos of some of them. Clockwise from top left:

1. Stadium Hot Dog / Fubar at the east gate: The plan is to provide comfort food (gourmet hot dogs) up front with a “speak easy” (focus on cocktails)  inside. The venue will have high ceilings and three rooms (large, medium, and small), and the plan is to open in early July — mid-July at the latest.

2. A view south of Workers Stadium East. This stretch will soon include bars, restaurants, and a jewellry shop to go with the already-opened beauty salon, A Hotel, Igossa, sports gear outlets, and more.

3. A massive Thai restaurant being built just inside the stadium’s west gate.

4. Amigo, a clean-cut Chinese joint by the people behind nearby Jasmine restaurant. The place aims to draw some of the crowd that frequents spots such as Bellagio and that means late-night dining. The plan is to open in two to three weeks.

5. No. 8 Beer Garden, at the north gate near Vics, Outback Steakhouse, and Kro’s Nest.

6. A three-storey “boat” on the stadium’s south side. Built before the Olympics, it apparently will be for one-off events.