Beijing Boyce

Update: Here are the three photos I got after the game (unfortunately, my camera battery died).

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Security around Workers Stadium for today’s Beijing Guo’an football finale is heavier today than I remember it being even during The Olympics. I popped out of my apartment building across from the southeast corner of the stadium, quite far from the main entrances, to find four policemen at the gate, and then walked along the eastern side of the stadium where I passed more than a dozen police cars, vans, and buses as well as more than a hundred officers in uniform. Either the Beijing Guo’an, who are playing for the title right now, have a lot of fans among the police or the fans they do have the potential for a bit of misbehavior. I’m betting on the latter. A few shots from the walk…

Guo'an fans get some garb.

Police vehicles near Workers Stadium east gate

A group of five officers near China View

Officers test chair safety at Drei Kronen.

East gate from the fourth floor of China View

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Spotted these signs about 20 minutes ago attached to Cosmo Lounge, just in front of Cosmo Hot Dog, outside Tongli Studio. The one on the right basically has “give our hard-earned money back!” in Chinese. I asked The Village Grouch for a translation of the other. Here is his take:

Tong Li, give back our sweat blood [hard-earned] money / Who will uphold justice?  / Give back the peasants’ and workers’ hard-earned money

(Hat tip to DJ Chunky)

Help Jackson lose his shirt!

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Jackson Bai is one of the coolest guys in the local bar scene. He is personable, he keeps the homemade rum flowing at Sanlitun Salud (map) and… he always wears a white T-shirt. We all need a little diversity in our lives, thus, with his permission, I am launching a T-shirts for Jackson Campaign.

Participation is easy: Simply give Jackson a new T-shirt, take a photo of him with it, email that photo to me at beijingboyce (at) yahoo.com, and you will be entered into a draw for a slew of stuff, including a bottle of seven-year-old rum, a bottle of sparkling rose, and a bunch of other booze that I will list after I raid my liquor cabinet this weekend.

Note: Jackson reserves the right to refuse any T-shirt, so don’t try giving him one that is used or that has holes, stains, or the aroma of a night spent in the gutter.

Also of note, Nick Lara will be guest bartending at Sanlitun Salud this Saturday as the bar celebrates its 100-day anniversary. Expect him to wear his custom-made red devil suit.

Relieve yourself before you enter.

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Nearly fifty moons waxed and waned between my last descent to the Bomb Shelter Bar (map) and one earlier this week as part of planning a long-promised visit for some readers. (By the way, this place is ideal for a “tweet-up” since the odds of getting a signal and using Twitter are low, thus people would have to go old school and talk to each other.)

Accessed via a hole in the courtyard of the Red Capital Residence, getting down requires flexibility given the steep stairs and low ceiling. After scooting through a tunnel, you emerge into a three-room bar decorated with Cultural Revolution kitsch, old communications equipment, and roughly hewn furniture. A screening of a propagandist opera is optional. (See photos below)

Out of sheer laziness, I’ll borrow an excerpt from my February 2006 write-up of this place:

Fancy an eve of claustrophobic fun? The bomb shelter bar below Red Capital Residence might be your glass of maotai. It’s definitely one of the more interesting drinking holes (in the ground). Getting there is half the adventure as you climb into a manhole-sized opening and down steep stairs under a low ceiling: awkward for all but the most nimble. (Note: The toilet is upstairs, so go before starting your journey to the center of the earth.)

The house drinks are, uh, revolutionary. I tried the “Lin Biao Crash” (88 kuai), which includes vodka, apricot and lemon juice, and peppermint white and blue caracao. It’s topped off with maotai and lit afire: thus, the “crash.” (I took mine “un-crashed.”) When my friend M-Dawg returned from the bathroom (again, go BEFORE you descend), he asked, “What stinks?” That would be the maotai, although the drink was surprisingly good. Other house cocktails include “The Long March” (”for fierce steadfast drinkers”), “Dream of Red Capital” (”in the morning you will feel as if the market has undergone a correction”) and “Black Cat / White Cat” (”excessive intake may inhibit one’s ability to catch mice”). Five-star Beer is 30 kuai.”

Given this space is sometimes booked for events, you are best making a reservation by calling 8403-5308 or emailing Rola Suzanne Heng at rolasuzanne@redcapitalclub.com.cn.

Getting down at Red Capital

Outfitted with memorabilia

When Lin Biao had cache

Pre-Ikea furniture

Pre-iPhone technology

Feel the fervor

Trevor Metz with his designated driver

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Radio show host and voice-over master Trevor Metz is known to enjoy a pint or four. He set aside his smooth-as-Manuka-honey-vodka voice earlier this week and put fingers to keyboard to list his five favorite bars in Beijing. He has excluded his local, Fubar, as his brother-in-law is a co-owner, though you can catch Metz there from 8 PM this Sunday when he does a stint as guest bartender. In any case, his top five emphasizes his preference for beer: “Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a nice snifter of port at Christmas time as much as the next person but I am Canadian and beer is in my blood… as it were.”

Here is his top five, in no particular order:

“Kiosk (map): I love Kiosk. I guess it is more of a restaurant than a bar but they serve ice-cold bottles of Tsingtao. You might say to yourself, “Everybody sells Tsingtao”. But you would be surprised at how hard it is to find beer that is the right temperature in this city. Let’s face it, Tsingtao is not a great beer at the best of times but if you try swilling it warm then you will appreciate the temperature they serve it at at Kiosk. I think it is safe to say I have an almost pornographic love affair with the Big Bite sandwich and the chivapchichi. Chivapchichi are Serbian meat fingers. They don’t sound so appetizing, but they are, and there is a great recipe for them at www.smoked-meat.com. And that is not a porno site! Kiosk owner Sasha is a heck of a nice guy. He always brings me that homemade Serbian brandy for free. That stuff will suck the paint off your house and give your family a permanent orange Afro but it sure gets you where you want to be. Pound for pound one of my faves in Beijing.

“The Tree (map) : Yeah yeah, I know, it is cliche but The Tree stands the test of time. I have been around long enough to remember The Hidden Tree as it was the first bar I went to when I arrived in Beijing, so I have a special place in my heart for The Tree. A pint of pissy beer is the same price as when I first arrived in Beijing, 15 kuai. They still have a two-for-one happy hour and the pizza is consistent. You know exactly what you are getting when you hit The Tree, and there is something to be said for that in a city where whole blocks are here one week and gone the next. The wait staff will politely sit there til 6 AM if you are still drinking beer. They may put their heads down for a nap between rounds but they never complain. The Tree is dark and dirty and I love it. Never change!

“Stone Boat (map): Yeah, I know there has been some drama with the ownership and I haven’t gone back since but I miss it. It is possibly the best place in all of Beijing to waste a day drinking beer. I hear the food sucks but I am not so drunk as to order food there. I like to watch old farts catch fish in the petrie dish they call a pond and bring them home to eat. It makes me feel superior. The cool thing about the Stone Boat is that you can bring your folks there for a drink or you can sit with buddies and talk about girls. Obviously this is a fair weather bar but it is pretty cool to hide inside the boat during a storm. That happened to me once and I still remember how much I enjoyed waiting out a storm in the picturesque setting of Ritan Park while drinking pints. Good times.

“Danger Doyle’s (map), or Danger Doilies as my wife calls it: Now, I only like Doyle’s on cheap pizza Wednesdays. I think the bar itself is too big and the manager Glenn once called me a punter (even though he doesn’t remember). But on Wednesdays, Doyle’s can’t be beat. That pizza is such a good deal at 10 kuai and if you go at happy hour then you can have two pints of beer and a pizza for 25 kuai! Good pizza, too! That is probably the best bargain in town. I am probably starting to sound cheap as I am always looking for bargains but whatever. I am not one of these corporate poofs that thinks it’s cool to pay 12 dollars for a cocktail that is probably made with fake booze. I just want value for my middle income dollars and I appreciate it when a bar can make a schlepp like me welcome. I like a glass of single malt as much as the next man but 10 dollars for an ounce of Scotch is just too much.

“The Irish Volunteer (map): Now, I don’t get out to the Lido area often, too many nose pickers and finger lickers. But when there is an important hockey game, the Irish Volunteer has it covered. I watched my pathetic Canucks get clobbered by the Chicago Blackhawks there and I even got to see Grapes dress and act like a fool. They have a fantastic breakfast for those early morning games and they generally don’t care if you pour your own beer! How many bars do that? The owner will come in and open the doors at any time if you want to watch a game, even if it starts at 3 AM. That, my friends, is commitment to customers.

“Honorable mention: The OLD Goose & Duck. Why John why? Why hast thou forsaken us? The old Goose was dark and stinky but that is what made it so great. It was the best late-night bar ever and also perfect if you wanted to hide from the sun and play darts all day. I once pushed a 6’5″ Englishman over a table and drinks went flying everywhere and I didn’t even get kicked out. In fact, John gave me 24 bottles of VB for free not long after that because they were “samples” and he didn’t want to sell them.  Those were the days. Sadly, bars like this are almost no more.

Westside

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I recently tagged along with Simon Pendergast, the face of beer distributor Dxcel and, along with City Weekend, this month’s Beer Jing festival, to Nola and Westside where some of his products are sold. Before I get to that, the Beer Jing finale will be held tomorrow night, Thursday, at Danger Doyle’s (map) at 9 PM. Attendees can get five VB, five Toohey’s New, or five Lucky beer for RMB100, five Cobra for RMB80, and beers such as Brooklyn Lager and James Boag’s for RMB25 per bottle. Pendergast adds there might be some surprises left over from a tasting of “exotic microbrews” to be held earlier in the night for the first 20 people who completed their Beer Jing passports. On to the visits…

Westside (map) offers an option to those in the Centro area. Nearby, in the Prosper Center, it offers high ceilings, more wood than a lumberyard, and tightly packed formations of photos on the wall – those with a fetish for Big Ben will be happy. As one acquaintance put it, the place feels “colonial.” Then he added: “I wouldn’t be surprised if a messenger enters with a scroll and informs us that the Zulus are amassing.” Anyway, a decent option if you are in the area, though the drinks are not cheap – a craft beer will set you back RMB45. Though the deck season is rapidly ending, this one has an excellent one.

As for Nola (map), bacon lovers rejoice: the green gumbo (RMB25) comes with braised bacon while the New Orleans-inspired menu also includes dates wrapped in bacon (RMB23). The Parmesan fries (RMB23) are tasty and are served in a paper cone.  Appetizers start at RMB27 for white bean and mushroom salad, poboys and sandwiches at RMB40 for a half serving with prime rib and horseradish, and main courses at RMB77 for shrimp and grits.  The beverage list includes a solid lineup of beer and wine. This two-floor restaurant has a light and airy atmosphere, though it could use a few decorations to give it some lift.

Wine lovers have two excellent choices this Friday:

The Shuangjing Carrefour store (map) holds its fall wine fair from 6 PM to midnight with hundreds of bottles to sample. Most of them are entry-level and this offers a chance to find and stock up on “house” wine, especially as most products have a 20 percent discount.

Tip: BYOG. At the spring wine fair, I brought my own wine glasses – 22-ounce Bordeaux beauties – which meant I didn’t have to use the store’s puny goblets or, even worse, plastic cups. See these posts on previous Carrefour wine fairs:

• Spring 2009: Carrefour spring wine fair: Glasses, deals, and labels with animals galore
• Fall 2008: Carrefour wine fair picks: Southern exposure
• Spring 2008: By / buy the case: Carrefour 2008 April Wine Fair

Meanwhile, Sequoia Cafe (map) will hold a tasting of Grace Vineyard and Silver Heights at 6:30 PM. If I had to make a list of my ten favorite Chinese wines, these two producers would take half of the spots. There will be five wines available for tasting for RMB100, good value if you consider it would cost over RMB1000 to buy a bottle of each. For more details on the wines, see this post on sibling blog Grape Wall of China.

Friday will also see a dinner that teams the culinary talents of Albert Adria from Spain’s elBulli, Da Dong from the Beijing duck chain of the same name, and Brian McKenna of Roombmk, the organizer of the event. If you don’t already have a ticket, good luck: Two weeks ago, McKenna told me he already had 9,000 requests.

Finally, Saturday is Halloween – see this list of two dozen parties. You can keep the trick or treat feeling going on Sunday by randomly mystery dim sum at China World Hotel: Summer Palace (map) has an all-you-can-eat buffet from 2 PM to 4 PM for RMB98 plus 15 percent. RSVP at 6505-2266, extension 34 or 6505-5838. (The hotel  press release adds: “In order to avail of this special weekend dim sum offer, the bill needs to be settled and paid in full before 4:00 pm.”).

Note: The deadline for entering the contest is Tuesday, November 3, at 5 PM.

Thanksgiving, the U.S. edition, is just around the corner and I am running a repeat of  last year’s contest. To enter, let us know one thing that happened in Beijing over the past year for which you are thankful. It could be anything from the opening of line four to the RMB20 happy hour drinks at Fubar to finding the love of your life in our fair city.

One comment will be drawn as the winner. The prize: a whole turkey dinner for takeout courtesy of Culinary Capers and a bottle each of Yarrabank Cuvee 2004 (more here) and Yering Station E.D. Pinot Noir 2005, courtesy of The Wine Republic.

By the way, for those seeking Thanksgiving sustenance, Culinary Capers will serve up turkey dinners on November 26 at the Guanghua Lu branch of Sequoia Cafe (map). Along with bird, the menu features butternut squash soup, roasted vegetables with maple butter and thyme, stuffing with cranberry, chutney, celery, onion, and apple, and Grand Marnier and pumpkin seed brittle, and more (see full menu).

There are two seatings - 6 PM to 8 PM and 8:30 PM on – at RMB188 per person. Individual turkey dinners (RMB138) and whole turkey dinners (RMB850) are available for pickup from 3 PM to 6 PM. To reserve a spot, or a take-out bird, contact Jenny at 6532-5905 or jenny.zheng.cccintl@gmail.com by November 21.

Finally, I’ll soon have a list of other Thanksgiving dinners being held about town.

Lamp shades: Not only for the Christmas holidays

Update: The three photos below show the rock-climbing wall in action.

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The North Face rock-climbing wall in Sanlitun Village. Perfect for burning off those calories aquired during Burger Burger Monday at Blue Frog.

Zimbu: Enough booze, time to cruise.

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Halloween comes haunting on Saturday this year and that means everyone and their incubus is planning a party. It also means Zimbu the Plush Monkey will make his yearly outing from Chez Boyce. Here are some of the slated parties. (Note: It’s always best to double-check details with the venue.)

Friday, October 30

The Boat (map) does Halloqueen on Friday – drinks are two-for-one until midnight and there is a prize for “most flirtatious Drag Queen” – then follows it up with Halloqueer on Saturday from 9 PM to 4 AM.

Alfa (map) adds a Thriller theme to its 80s night on Friday, with a RMB500 gift certificate for the winner of a Michael Jackson dance-off, and will  also hold a Halloween party on Saturday.

The Bookworm (map) will host Death in the Palace: A Murder Mystery. States The “Spookworm” newsletter: “you will be thrilled and terrified… as well as be called upon to help solve a truly grisly murder.” (Apparently, the victim is an expatriate living in Beijing who is hanging out at The Bookworm and writing a novel about an expatriate living in Beijing, so there is justice in the world.) Ticket price includes an open bar. More details at www.chinabookworm.com.

Saturday, October 31

For those seeking a night of debauchery, the Yen fetish party is from 10 PM at 706 factory (map). No doubt DJ Blackie – Zimbu’s favorite – will be playing “Whip It“.

Acupuncture hosts its third Spooked party, this time at Lan Club (map), from 9 PM

Disco Ain’t Dead is the Halloween theme at Sanlitun Blue Frog (map): Free food and drinks for those in costume as well as drink specials all night. From 10 PM.

La Baie des Anges (map) is holding an anti-Halloween party called Hallowine. “We won’t put stupid costumes and make up, but will serve you our special cocktails and wines the whole night!” says the invite. Does that mean I can’t wear my beret? Starts at 9 PM.

Scarlett Wine Bar (map) will hold Spooky Scarlett, with RMB10 shots or a rack of 12 for RMB88. Prizes for best costumes include a stay at the hotel, with a Jack Nicholson lookalike as your personal butler.

Getting a groan for its twist on the holiday, Xiu (map) will hold Xiu-loween from 9 PM with some “frightening surprises and performances guaranteed to impress even the undead!” (Like patrons getting their drinks on time?) The theme is Gothic chic.

Bling (map) repeats its Cash Money Halloween Costume Party, with RMB5,000 for the “most innovative and exciting costume.” From 9 PM.

The Saddle Cantina (map) Halloween party includes 10-kuai draft, 20-kuai mixed drinks, shooter specials, and Champagne for those with the best costumes. From 8 PM.

The Schoolhouse at Mutianyu (map) has a pumpkin-carving contest during the day. Judging starts at 7 PM.

Michael Jackson Thriller is the theme at Paddy O’Shea’s (map) – free shots for those in costume, Danger Doyle’s (map) will have “plenty of surprises” and DJ Pinhead, and Hooters (map) will hold a party from 6:30 to 10:30 PM, with a free cocktail at the entrance and a beer-drinking contest.

Bed (map) will show scary movies and spin tunes (the RMB50entry fee includes a drink), Centro (map) will wrap up several nights of celebration, to mark its sixth anniversary, with a Halloween party, and patrons in costume at Union (map) will get a draft beer or sangria – this place has had decorations up for weeks

I also hear there will be Halloween parties at China Doll (map), Fubar (map), and Luga’s Villa (map). I presume Tun (map) will follow up on last year’s bash. Finally, I’m not sure if Chocolate (map) is planning a party, but then again, every night kind of feels like Halloween there.

Feel free to leave details – or email me at beijingboyce (at) yahoo.com – about any other bashes…

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See also:

• Tales of the Plush Monkey (2006)
• Zimbu goes Zim-boo! The weekend Halloween party wrap-up (2007)
• Halloween party wrap-up: One monkey, three boos, and a handful of cheers (2008)

Made a long-overdue visit to Nashville (map) for its superb happy hour, where drinks are two-for-one daily from 5 PM to 8 PM. This includes the bar’s impressive list of single malts. There are nearly 30 choices at the RMB60 mark alone, including Balblair 10, Talikser 12, Laphroig 10, Balvenie 12, Cragganmore 12, and Bowmore 12. Even better, patrons can mix and match: for my RMB60, I had a Caol Ila 10-year-old, followed by a Jura 12-year-old. The pours are not the biggest, but this is still excellent value. The whiskey menu ranges Wild Turkey and Dewar’s at RMB35 to 30-year-old Laphroig and Bowmore at RMB280.

Nashville also has a wide range of beers, with Guinness and Kilkenny on tap at RMB60 and bottled beers such as Flensburger, Krombacher, and Moosbacher for ~RMB60.

The staff is friendly, the theme is country and western, and the place has an earthy feel given everything from the jars of cigar labels to the rough-hewn shelves holding the booze to the display of beer glasses to the album covers on the wall – think Kenny Rogers.

At least they left the fins on...

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Yes, I realize this thing has sat there for ages, but I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when the official decision was made: “OK, it’s down to a stainless-steel dolphin, a three-meter-high pink flamingo, or a giant scorpion on a stick with moving pincers. Show of hands?” Or maybe its all a promotion for the Blue Zoo in Workers Stadium…

Twelve-year test match, chaps?

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Thanks to all who entered the Beijing Time Capsule contest. I asked The Village Grouch to pick the winner, which meant he had to make the ultimate sacrifice and disqualify himself from the contest and, thus, the chance to win the single malt. Who says there are no more heroes?

I select contest winners by writing down the name of each entrant on a piece of paper, scrunching up the papers, mixing them about, and asking someone to pick one. In this case, the pick is… Shannon. (Ironically, he, and anyone else in Beijing who tries to convince me The Ashes are exciting, was my second choice – after a 7-ELEVEN sandwich – for what I would put in the time capsule.)

The new food court in the Prosper Center seems to be seeking some “street” cred, of sorts. Located in the center’s lower level, just below Westside bar (write-up coming shortly), it features Italian, Japanese, Vietnamese, and other eateries in a layout that – at least early on – feels like a movie set, a “foods of the world” Disney exhibition, or a culinary training center. A bit plastic for a food street, in other words. I ran into a group of patrons in the Italian joint and one declared the pizza to be “good“. Maybe all those waterways weaving through the place evoked thoughts of Venice?

Curry above, corner kicks below

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Kamat’s : A group of lads at Luga’s Villa said they tried this new Indian restaurant above Paddy O’Shea’s (map) and found the food decent but the curry – or at least the rice – did not come in a hurry. In any case, I sense some fusion cuisine opportunities. Perhaps an Irish stew with a curry twist?

Let’s Seafood (map): The sibling establishment of Let’s Burger was open on the weekend, but only to accommodate the overflow of patty lovers from the first restaurant. Management says the seafood menu will be available in November. In the meantime, a round-table of Beijing’s leading thinkers made educated guesses as to what the third “Let’s” establishment will be. After discarding dozens of suggestions, the general consensus: “Let’s Pork.”

Xixi: Or is it Sheshe, or even Sheexi? In any case, a new club – looking more like an art gallery given the facade – is slated to open next month on the northeast corner of Workers Stadium. Meanwhile, a handful of spaces are under construction along the stadium’s northeastern base, including a Hong Kong restaurant, while Amigo, seemingly finished months ago, is yet to open. Finally, given the signage, it looks like a new wine venue called Zun will be added to the Jasmine-Buffalo (map) restaurant complex – I will do further checking on this later in the week.

Pullman’s Steak (map): It originally began as a sliver of a place before taking over the space behind it in China View. That space has now been gutted.

Burger, burger: Double the fun...

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Some notes on spots visited this past week…

The Tree (map): I usually get the pizza and Belgian beer, but a recent visit reminded me that this place is good for reasonably priced late-night drinks, with spirits from RMB20 and bottled Tsingtao at RMB15, as well as everything from two dozen whiskeys, including Singleton, Laphroig, and Bowmore, to a selection of beers on tap, including De Koninck at RMB35.

Salud (map): Like many other bars, it has a ladies night, with half-price cocktails on Wednesdays. Unlike others, it also has a gentlemen’s night, with half-price mixed drinks and draft beer on Thursdays. The flavored rums at RMB20 are the highlight, with the spicy Salud special my current favorite, though bar man Jackson says he prefers the jujube (I found this one kind of gross), ginger, and cinnamon apple (I found this the best of the three). This place also has mulled wine at RMB25 per glass.

Luga’s Villa (map): Made a long-overdue visit to have a Mexican burger. Tasty as usual, with the crispy shell offering a nice change from the typical burger bun, though bottled Tsingtao at RMB20 seems a bit pricey at such a spot.

The Saddle (map): Also made a long overdue visit here and tried the Mexican burger, which is a substantial meal priced – if memory serves – at RMB45. The Corona is expensive, so we stuck with draft.

Purple Haze (map): I understand this place has long had Harbin beer, but for those who don’t know, it’s worth mentioning that a 610 ml bottle is RMB25. Available at both the new (map) and original locations.

Fubar (map): The RMB30 mixed drinks were already a good value, given the solid 50 ml pours and the quality booze, with 42 Below being among the house spirits. Even better: these drinks are a mere RMB20 during happy hour, which ends at 9 PM.

Blue Frog (map): I went to “Burger Burger” for the fifth (sixth?) straight Monday. The new spicy chicken burger is excellent, with the bird juicy and the whole wheat bun providing substance, while the Mexican burger is sloppy, though this works well if you let the excess sour cream (ample portion), salsa, and assorted patty juices drip from the burger to your fries. By the way, for those on the prowl, there are plenty of pairs of ladies / pairs of gents here on any given Monday.

Union (map): Love the wings, love the breakfast, love the comfy seating, but a staff – admittedly friendly – that forgets to bring the silverware on five of eight visits? There is something wrong with the training here.

Pomegranate (map): Rare are my visits to Shunyi – last weekend was my second of the year - but this is a decent spot for a few drinks and a chat with Pat the manager. Getting a taxi is another matter.

Kiosk (map): Love the value burgers, but those bringing laptops beware – there is no wireless.

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Well, maybe not so mysterious any more…

The large Le Petit Gourmand sign in the Tongli Studio landing that leads to the restaurant has been vandalized four times in the past month -  parts of it have been slashed and removed. This might make the printing company happy, but it has made restaurant management annoyed. And some bad news for the person doing the damage: LPG apparently has surveillance camera footage of a possible suspect. As a fan both of LPG and of people avoiding trouble, it would be best if the “paper recycler” in question took a live-and-let-live attitude in this case.

Last-minute reminder that Sequoia Cafe (map) will hold a blind tasting of three Champagnes and one California sparkling wine tonight at 6:30 PM. The RMB150 fee includes snacks. RSVP with Frank – the city’s biggest sparkling wine fan. Well, maybe not, I suppose he’s more of a Malbec man – at 13701-178-073.

It's a time capsule contest, did it?

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I recently did a survey of my Whisky collection and recorded more than 30 different bottles of Scotch, single malt, Bourbon, and Canadian rye. These things tend to accumulate since I  load up at duty free when I return to Beijing and don’t drink at home unless I have guests over.

In the spirit of the season, it being fall and all, I’m giving away a bottle of 12-year-old single malt. To win, leave a comment and explain what you would be put in a Beijing Time Capsule that would be unearthed 12 years from now. I will randomly pick one comment as the winner using the tried and true “names in a hat” method. You need to be in Beijing to win. Contest deadline: Tuesday at noon.

To kick things off, here is what I would include: one of these sandwiches.

A few quick notes on Mongolia Bar (map):

- Decor: A tight arrangement of furniture that includes black chairs and gray sofas, a wood floor, red curtains and stage carpeting, and some Mongolia-inspired trim and art. The stage backdrop features a huge image of a howling wolf encircled by a moon. There is also an upper floor with tables and chairs.

- Drinks: The beers include Paulaner (RMB39 and up) and Heineken, and there is an eclectic  bottle list that ranges from Kingston Whiskey at RMB280 to Moet-Chandon at RMB980, with baijiu, vodka, gin, and others in the mix.

- Food: From melon seeds (RMB15) to beef noodles, dumplings, and chuan (RMB25 each).

- Music: Mongolian, with three musicians playing along with tracks. Quite a contrast between the two female singers: One had the highest heels, and one of the shorter dresses, I have seen, while the other was in traditional garb so long they covered her feet.

The staff is friendly and the place could work well with a group looking for  something eclectic. To rip off a previous post, I don’t know whether to describe this place as  Mongo-kitsch, Ulan Boutique, or Mod-goli. I hope to visit again this weekend and post again on this place…