Beijing Boyce

After I posted a dozen pics yesterday of Super Bar Street and its deconstruction, Giorgio Magistrelli – a photographer and long-time China resident – sent a message that he had also taken his camera to the area. It took about a dozen seconds to realize that he possesses a keener eye for detail than do I. Here are twelve of his photos (see here for more on Magistrelli).

By the way, I am not sure what the guy holding the cigarette and pointing at the camera is saying, but the optimist in me hopes he has just surveyed the mounds of refuse in the area and declared in his best Fergie voice, “What are we gonna do with all this junk? All this junk inside our trunk?”

See also:

• Super Re(Bar) Street: Cranes and concrete, trucks and toilets
• Live blogging: The Super Bar Street countdown…
• Photos: Super Bar Street countdown…
• Super Bar Street countdown: A night at Tim’s Texas Roadhouse
• End of an error: Super Bar Street to meet the wrecking ball?

Union Bar & Grille (map) will soon expand its menu to include, among other items, chicken tenders, three kinds of sliders and – the clincher for me – all-day breakfast. As mentioned before, Union is my “go to” spot for eggs benedict, omelets, and the like. Not to mention bottomless coffee for RMB20. I just wish the efficiency of the wait staff were matched by its friendliness.

Le Cafe Igosso, a good spot for everything from a first date to trying single malts with friends, is biting the dust. I suppose fans can migrate to the new branch (map) at Workers Stadium East, near A Hotel, though it lacks the earthiness of the original.

Q Bar (map) is putting the finishing touches on its new and bigger deck – about triple in size by the looks of it. The simple layout of long tables and benches on the sides with smaller tables and chairs in the middle is giving way to a maze-like design surrounded by two-meter-high glass walls consisting of panels that appear to be mostly opaque red. My initial reaction was “hmmm” but, to be fair, I was downing Alphonso Specials at the time and they tend to warp one’s perceptions.

A press release sent on behalf of Karaiya Spice House (map) announces that this most recent project from Alan Wong of Hatsune fame is open in Sanlitun Village. The two-story venue focuses on Hunan food.

The Rickshaw (map) reports that its kitchen will close from 2 AM to 8 AM because the place will “change almost all of [its] kitchen staff… more than 10 chefs” in an effort to improve the food. I hope the place also improves its service.

But putting that aside, my initial reaction to the announcement: The Rickshaw has more than *ten* chefs!? What have they been doing? This was followed by “Were they fired or did they quit?” and “Who hired them in the first place?” Sometimes it is best to avoid provoking speculation and to simply issue an “Our kitchen will close as part of an upgrade” statement.bAnyway, I hope the place gets back on track as I used to visit quite often in the afternoon to have lunch, watch the NBA Channel, and chat with the regulars.

By the way, The Rickshaw has bingo tonight from 5 PM to 10 PM, with draft beer at RMB5. And sibling joint The Saddle Cantina has dropped its prices up to RMB10 on drinks.

People talk about the burgers at Union and Blue Frog. At Kiosk and The Rickshaw. And, in a case that seems to define the phrase “love it or hate it”, at Let’s Burger.

But last night, I finally trudged up the stairs to Bar Blu to try the beer and burger deal and found it among the better values in town. The ambience leaves a bit to be desired: the deck is nice, but the contrast with going to an empty and darkened downstairs throbbing with music to use a toilet that might have the town’s worst paint job, is not.

Anyway, DJ Chunky and I had no idea what to expect from the deal, but we ended up impressed. The patty doesn’t reach the level of, say, Union, but it is a decent size and topped with egg and bacon. The fries came crispy though the dollop of coleslaw was unremarkable. But for RMB30, with a pint of beer? And while relaxing on a deck that for some reason features a disco ball? Give it a try…

According to the Bar Blu Facebook page, the burger and beer deal is available Monday to Saturday, 6 PM to 10 PM.

Bar Blu also continues its long-standing happy hour wherein patrons order a drink and then press a button that gives one or four results (I am going from memory here): 1) free, 2) two-for-one, 3) half-price, or 4) RMB20.

Burger links:
The Sanlitun Burger Battle: A quesadilla twist
Big Mac attack: The 24-hour McDonald’s in Sanlitun Village
Monday walk about: Let’s Burger, Saddle, LPG, Burger King
The Big Bite is back: Kiosk reopens
The Beijing burger battle rages on: 8 songs on CJW
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.