Beijing Boyce

Sorry Rickshaw will shut the doors today at 5:00 pm.
We will gladly continue giving service in the Saddle Cantina and Side Saddle…
- Sign on The Rickshaw today

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It looks like The Rickshaw might have deep-fried its last wing and mixed its last Margarita, at least in the present spot, given a sign posted there today and comments by management the lease will not be renewed. The end comes suddenly, with no farewell party, so perhaps there is a chance things might as quickly turn around. Then again, the farewell party for the forerunner of this bar, The Saddle, did not turn out to be a pleasant affair. Management has cited the possibility of opening The Rickshaw elsewhere — the lower level of The Saddle Cantina seems like a good fit. Again, this is rather sudden — let’s see what happens.

The Rickshaw opened just under three years ago and quickly drew a strong following due to its 24-hour service, tasty wings and Tex-Mex fare, focus on televised sports, loyal following from previous spots The Saddle and Cox, and side patio that featured beer pong and general rabble-rousing. It drew a diverse clientele, from sports fans to people migrating along the Sanlitun bar route to people in the food and beverage sector – I remember many a Sunday when half the tables were full of people who work at bars, restaurants, wine companies, and hotels, and enjoyed the earthy atmosphere. The past two years have been rougher, given growing competition in the area, forced closure of the patio, and constant staff changes.

In its early days, The Rickshaw also featured three of the city’s more interesting bar characters — Kris Ryan, Luga, and Chad Lager. Their divergent personalities and background made me suggest the place would be great for a reality TV show.

Since those days, there have been some hard feelings among the three as each went his own way. Ryan and his partners opened The Saddle Cantina, The Side Saddle, and a cafe in the Volkswagen building; Luga wiggled the original Saddle away and called it Luga’s, opened Luga’s Villa, Pho Pho, and Baan Thai (these latter two venues will swap spaces as of tomorrow) and a Mexican restaurant that failed, and is set to open another spot in the Luga’s Villa building; and Lager went on to first work at Tun and now Fubar. This trio has had a good deal of influence over the Sanlitun bar scene during the past three years.

As for what will happen to The Rickshaw space, which in a previous life was home to Midnight Bar, the first spot run by George Zhou and Echo Sun of Q Bar fame, well, maybe the reality show has a few episodes left in it…

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See also:

• The Rickshaw: The reality show that could (should) have been
• Sips and slurps: Let’s Burger, Luga’s Villa, Boutique Wine Cellar
• Saddle up: New project from Saddle-Rickshaw gang opens
• Coming soon: The new Nali studio’s Saddle Project, H20, Pomodoro
• Kicked out of the Saddle?

Hard to believe this was less than three years ago...

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Passing along a quick note from 8 Songs that trouble seems to be, um, brewing at Nasca Cafe in Central Park between some of the stakeholders. He adds that the signboard that said “Nasca Cafe” is now missing the first word. I enjoyed my only visit there, including a talk with the Kiwi manager, so let’s hope a fair solution arises.

I also noted the darkened windows at Hungarian restaurant Budapest–formerly Norwegian restaurant 66 North–and it looks like the goulash is gone. Andy S at Mobile Native notes that the Budapest Web site states rather revealingly, “We are working on that the restaurant would run under Hungarian management again.” He also adds that the “for rent” signs are already up at the Pili Pili, which only recently reopened there in Lido.

A visit to Block 8 last weekend found a guard blocking the elevator and directing patrons to a side entrance. He said only Haiku remains open among the venues that included Ruby Khi and Med. The comedy events organized by Chopschticks have been moved from Block 8 to the Hard Rock Cafe.

Last but not least, for those who wondered if Steaks and Eggs had gone to the great griddle in the sky, Doctor O and BeijingDaze inform that the place is simply under (long overdue) renovations. Meanwhile, the Pink Loft, which moved into the old Browns / Revelations space less than a year ago is currently closed though a source there says it will reopen after the Spring Festival.

Kudos to Mosto for raising RMB35,575 on Wednesday night by holding a charity dinner for Haiti. The money will reach Haiti via UNICEF. I liked this event because:

1. Every RMB from the night went to charity, which meant both Mosto and the five companies that gave wine — The Wine Republic, Torres, East Meets West, Summergate, and ASC — also acted as donors. On top of this, Mosto is a popular restaurant, so it gave up some of its regular traffic to hold this dinner.
2. The money went to UNICEF. This is a well-known organization for which I have done volunteer work, so I felt comfortable with it as a choice, which is not to say other groups are not worthy. A common question about charity events, and one I received numerous times this week, is:  ”How do I know my money actually gets to the people in need?” I feel confident in this case, especially since Mosto informed me that they would be willing to scan the receipt from UNICEF when the donation is processed.
3. The food was excellent. I have been satisfied with my previous meals at Mosto, but this is the first time I have done five courses here and it turned out to be among the best meals I have had in the past 12 months. From the shrimp Napoleon with avocado tartar (I would have been happy to have this five times) to the red wine risotto with its tangy parmesan edge to the tenderloin cooked perfectly to my liking t0–on the intriguing side–the Sichuan peppercorn ice cream paired with chocolate souffle, it was all tasty. On top of this, we had six different wines, including a couple of less common ones in Beijing — a Gruner Veltliner and a Nero d’Avola — and the pours were generous.

I attended the dinner with six acquaintances and I can safely say we all had our fill and, at least my case, a bit more. Once again, an excellent meal and an excellent initiative, so big props to Alex, Daniel, Eva, and the team at Mosto.

So much for the petite Chinese woman. This monstrous madam oversees customers shopping in the Yintai Center. According to an English translation on a nearby plaque, her name is Lili, she is from the future, and, “Maybe she is predicting the end of humanity.” So, hurry and get that LVMH bag!

And I know this has nothing to do with Beijing nightlife, though Lili would be the ultimate door person if a spot called “Lady Bar” ever opened.

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About 200 people are signed up for this Saturday night’s “brain drain” quiz at The Hilton, says Susan Clear of the Australian Chamber of Commerce, organizer of the event. The entry fee is RMB365, includes a three-course meal and free-flow wine and beer, and will see all proceeds go to Yearn to Learn, “a newly established charity with a vision of developing fully functional classrooms and therapeutical facilities for children within orphanages.” In other words, the money will go to help orphans.

“The quiz masters are not Australian, there is not a strong Australian element to the questions,” says Clear, meaning the contest is open to anyone. For more info, or to register, see the poster above or this link.

Happy Down Under Day, eh?

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G’day mates, it’s nearly that day on the calender when those hailing from The Land Down Under jump in the yute, head to the outback, put a shrimp prawn on the barbie, sink a few tinnies, and have a chinwag — and, yes, I’m letting loose with my antipodean vocabulary because that’s the kind of sensitivity Canadians are all aboot, eh?

Australia’s national day is tomorrow, January 26, and one way to celebrate is with a mini pub crawl to three Aussie-run spots within a boomerang’s throw of each other in the Nanluoguxiang area — a tour I undertook last Friday night with Mr Hao and Ms Hao.

Ned’s: Now that 12sqm has expanded, this might rank as the smallest, or at least the smallest Australian-run, joint on the street. The place can get as crowded as a bunch of kangaroos loose in the top paddock — hope I’m using that term right — and there is a decent selection of bevvies. The lads plan to be open from noon, with happy hour prices all day, meat pies, the Pakistan-Australia test match, and the top 100 song countdown on Triple J.

The relaunched 12sqm now comes in a larger format for extra comfort and comradeship. The place has more than tripled in size by expanding into the back of the building thus making possible a three-sided bar and more lounge seating. For Australia Day, 12sqm not only has RMB15 bottles of Aussie brews, including Coopers, but also meat pies, vegemite on toast, Aussie tunes, and Bundaberg Rum — ask for a “Bundy and Coke.” Ms Hao enjoyed her White Russian here.

Mao Mao Chong is about 200 meters down the alley that is beside Pass By Bar. If you reach the public toilet and think you have gone too far: 1) you are only about halfway there; and 2) don’t use it because Mao Mao Chong has superior facilities, though like many other places there is a “no poo” rule.

This new bar impressed us due to the art created by one of the owners, friendliness of the managers, creativity behind the cocktails, and prices — Tsingtao is RMB13, Tiger is RMB16, and Sam Adams is RMB25, while sodas are RMB10 and mixed drinks start at RMB20. There is an intriguing winter menu with cool sounding drinks such as French Toast — Advocaat, rum, warm milk, cinnamon, and honey — at RMB30 to RMB35, and a regular cocktail list with creative concoctions such as Feng Shui — oolong-tea infused vodka, lychee liqueur, sake, lime, and sugar cane stick (this might be even better with slightly less liqueur).

Mao Mao Chong features its own infused vodkas, among other DIY items, with flavors such as ginger, lemongrass, and rooibos, a plant grown in South Africa and apparently a member of the legume family — Mr Hao described that one as “smooth and with a subtle tea-like flavor.” We were told to expect pizza on the menu the next time we visited. For national day, Mao Mao Chong will have James Boag’s, Redbuck, and VB, as well as its own stock of Bundy.

If you are looking for other ways to celebrate Australia’s national day, you might consider dropping into The Den, which offers the lowest regular price (RMB25) on a handful of Aussie beers (Crown, Cascade, et al), heading to Astral restaurant in the Tangla Hotel for a bite of emu, kangaroo, or crocodile, or ordering some beers from Dxcel or some wines from Aussie-run importers such as Gelipu or The Wine Republic — perhaps someone can find the perfect pairing for Tim Tams.

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See also:

• Australia Day: Sink a few tinnies in Beijing
• Australia Day II: Throw yet *another* shrimp on the barbie

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Chaoyang West Gate joint Souk relaunched as Souk Lounge last Friday night. Among the changes: A new paint job and lighting, an upgraded lounge area, a fairly spacious layout that takes advantage of the antique furniture and hookah vibe of the original venue, and an expanded beer list in the large front room, with the pool table being relegated to the back. The toilets are a concern, given they consist of a row of urinals in a passageway so narrow that squeezing by fellow patrons will put you in the mood for luge – hey, I need to start slipping in Winter Olympics references somehow.  When I arrived in Beijing about five years ago, Souk was considered a fairly trendy place, and perhaps these changes will  get it back on the bar route for more people. In any case, you can get there by taking the alley beside Annie’s.

While La Zazou has been serving the drinking and dancing crowds in the club and lounge sections for about a month, the restaurant held its first event last Saturday. Regular contributor 8 Songs, along with his partner Ba Songs, attended and provided this write-up:

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“Ba Songs and I attended Gelipu Wines‘ wine tasting and dinner at Le Zazou last night. Thought I would share some observations with you.

“The “fine dining” section is upstairs, tucked in under the sloping ceiling. Sparsely decorated, it is long and narrow.

“Now, I know that we only paid RMB220 per head, and we were told at the start of the evening that it was the restaurant’s first night of serving guests. So I can excuse some things, like the wait staff trying to figure out how to get around all the guests, but other aspects just don’t cut it.

“Last night, there were simply too many guests in the space. Correction — there were too many tables and chairs, some of which were empty. I watched one chair being shuffled no less than six times as staff found themselves blocked into corners. I don’t know if the restaurant was trying to please the Gelipu people by providing more seats, but it was getting uncomfortable by the end of the night.

“Did I mention chairs? Our chairs were more like lounge chairs. Great for leaning back and relaxing in, but quite awkward for eating a meal. Some people were sitting at higher tables, with (dare I say it) high chairs. I don’t know if they were more comfortable, but if I ever go back there, I won’t be sitting in those lounge chairs.

“Another unfortunately planned aspect of the room was the lighting. Downlights were in a line along the ceiling line, and anyone sitting under them was lit up like they were on a stage.  Conversely, those out of the throw of those lights were in darkness.

“The evening was about matching food and wine, with the idea being that we would buy some of the wines being sampled. The evening started with a choice of a Baron’s Black Wattle Dark Lager (retail RMB350 for a slab), or a Roberts Estate Brut NV (RMB120). The lager was quite enjoyable, with pronounced yeast and hops flavours. It was 5.8% alcohol by volume, but the alcohol did not overpower. The sparkling wine was light and fruity, but not a well-balanced blend. House-made breads and dips came out for this round.

Read more

Simon Pendergast (left) sells the first case of Pedigree in Beijing.

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If you frequent bars and restaurants that stock the likes of Brooklyn Lager, James Boag’s, or Dead Guy Ale, you have likely seen Simon Pendergast of Dxcel, the company that imports and distributes these and other “craft” beers in China. I sat down with Pendergast at The Den to ask him a few questions about the beer scene.

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A few years ago, I could count my beer choices in Beijing on the fingers of two hands. Now we have more than one hundred different bottled beers. What the heck happened?

We have seen a beer evolution in China, an increasing need for choice and variety. Certainly part of this is due to expatriates wanting beers they are used to drinking at home, but Chinese are also thirsting for new products and brands from the Western world. This is certainly not limited to clothes, cars, and fashion labels, but also includes beverages and foods.

Where do your beers sell best in Beijing and which ones are the favorites?

For the Australian beers, The Den is a big seller, and The Rickshaw has been a big supporter of both the American and Australian beers. Let’s Burger also sells a lot of Australian beer and, considering it is a small Japanese restaurant, La Sushi sells a lot of James Boag’s. While Acme is not a huge seller in most venues, it has a real following at Eudora Station — perhaps because we did some good staff training there and because the name translates to “beautiful girl.”

Sales have also been very good since we launched our American beers at the Parkson shopping center about a month ago to support a food promotion run by the American Agriultural Trade Office. And Jenny Lou’s also sells a lot of stock.

The biggest seller last summer was Four Points by Sheraton in Haidian with their “best brews program.” They had table cards to promote beers, including some of our brands, and it was RMB100 for as much as you could drink in four hours, and included a BBQ. Finally, if you are going to drink on Thursdays, you should be going to Kro’s Nest, where they have five of our beers for RMB80.

How does Beijing stack up as a beer city?

Beijing is more of a beer city, whereas Shanghai has more of a wine and cocktail culture. Certainly our sales are greater in Beijing. We’re now looking at northeast China, where people are big beer drinkers but also big baijiu drinkers. The effort to capture market share will include pushing our new product, KISS vodka from China. I like to think people will support a locally made vodka.

How did KISS vodka come about?

KISS makes vodka and liqueurs in Ningxi and is the first 100-percent foreign-owned grower and distiller. The main business is growing raspberries and then freezing them for export, but they are also producing their own vodka from corn. Their products include a raspberry vodka, with every bottle using 1.5 kilograms of raspberries, as well as raspberry, apple, and peach liqueurs.

How does the rest of Dxcel’s portfolio shape up?

At the moment, we have twelve American beers, such as Brooklyn, Red Seal, and Sam Adams, seven Australian beers, such as James Boag’s, VB, and Cascade, and two Spanish beers that are new to this market, including a fantastic one called Estrella Inedit that comes in 750 ML bottles and was created under the leadership of a chef from El Bulli restaurant in Spain to pair with food, especially oily foods, salads, asparagus, fish, and so on.

What new products can we expect?

We just received three beers from the UK that we will exculsively distribute in China. Those beers are Marston Pedigree, in 500 ML can, a bitter from Wells & Young called Bombadier that comes in 500 ML and 275 ML bottles, and Cains Export Lager in 375 ML bottles, a beer that hails from Liverpool. I’ve made a distinct choices in picking these beers — an ale, a bitter, and a lager — and already have a very positive response.

We are also hoping to have beers from Morocco and New Zealand in our portfolio after Spring Festival. And we are also sponsoring events– the next one is Whose Line Is It Anyway? on January 25 in Beijing.

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Note: During the interview, Pendergast talked about every one of his clients — from Nola to Blue Frog to Ned’s to Tim’s Texas BBQ. Any omissions here are due to my editing — blame me, not him.

Mosto will team with five wine suppliers — ASC, East Meets West, Summergate, Torres, and The Wine Republic — on January 27 for a dinner to support the UNICEF aid program in Haiti. The five-course dinner costs RMB600 and all revenue will be donated to the relief effort, states Mosto. Diners can expect everything from Peruvian shrimp Napoleon to red wine risotto to beef tenderloin as well as plenty of wine. Good food, good wine, good cause. To reserve a spot, call 5208-6030.

Souk will re-launch tomorrow as Souk Lounge with Kiss vodka cocktails, Tsingtao draft, and bottled Stella offered for free from 8 PM to 10 PM, says Glenn Phelan, who has been working on the new theme. He says Souk Lounge has a new color scheme, a better bar, and an improved layout, while retaining a bit of its original Middle East feel. The sports equipment — pool table, foosball table, et al –has been moved to the back room. He says the place aims to attract the kind of crowd that used to frequent Browns.

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After nearly two years of anticipation, it looks like ROOM, the brainchild of former Blu Lobster chef Brian McKenna, is on its way to becoming a reality in the Yin Tai Centre. With the likes of Xiu, China Grill, Aria, and LAN already in the area, and Grill 79 and Atmosphere slated to open in China World Summit Wing, this area of town has an increasing number of high-end eating and drinking options.

ROOM totals ~1200 square meters, with ~800 square meters for customer use, and is shaping up to include a bar, lounge, restaurant, and balcony, along with two private rooms that can each hold about 15 people — hisROOM, with a masculine design, and herROOM, with a feminine one, said Shannon Aitken, head of PR, during a tour today.

Aitken says ROOM will constantly reinvent itself by changing its food and cocktail menus, its resident DJ, and its featured artists every three months. The plan is to have one artist from China, one from the rest of Asia, and one from the rest of the world, with the first trio including artists from Korea and Ireland. Aitken says ROOM will include a permanent mural by Hugo Dalton that will take one month to complete.

PR materials state that the menu will include “a mixture of East and West influences. Believing that ‘fusion is confusion’, we respect the origins of both cultures and go back to the basics of cooking.” Menu items will be in the RMB50 to RMB100 range.

ROOM is slated to open in March. Hours of operation are listed as 11 AM to 2 AM, Sunday to Thursday, and 11 AM to 4 AM, Friday and Saturday.

I am glad the resolutions I made for 2009 did not include going to bed early because I would have broken that one about a dozen times already. The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of taking visitors on pub crawls, test-driving the new-to-Beijing “social media” vehicle foursquare.com, cranking out a few dozen favors, and having a drip of tea and coffee during the day to make up for a lack of time spent between the sheets. I think next week will feature more time at home in the tub with a book. In any case, a few notes about spots visited:

Apothecary: I like the DIY angle and range of drinks but find this is becoming a place I take visitors, much like Chocolate, Maggie’s, and D Lounge, rather than a place to simply hang out, such as Q Bar, Ichikura, and Fubar. The design is somewhat bright and clinical (one acquaintance says it has an “IKEA feel”), the staff a bit somber, and the prices stiff given the drink sizes. And that 5 percent service charge? I get the idea of rewarding employees but that can be done by increasing prices and giving them a cut rather than presenting a bill that is higher than expected and causes first confusion and then annoyance for some people. Overall, an interesting addition to the scene.

Q Bar: After a few years of sporadic visits, I have been going here quite a lot lately and enjoyed the inaugural two-for-one martini night on Wednesday — 6 PM to 11 PM, with more than a dozen mix and match options. While the wait was a bit long at some points, the drink quality was good and I appreciated the “last call.” The night included a “tweet-up“, a gathering of Beijing-based twitter users, which added to the fun.

Maggie’s: Beijing’s headquarters for short-term foreign joint ventures has moved… to the back of the building. The space has been reduced — a modestly sized room with a bar to go along with three smaller ones, two of which have a pool table — but the crowd has not, so expect more squeezing than usual. I’ll update when the entire place is open.

Fubar: Several simultaneous parties meant wall-to-wall people last Friday night and, unlike on some previous visits, near parity in the numbers of men and women as DJ Tipsy cranked out pop songs and people pounded drinks – I’m not sure if the theme was cleavage, but it certainly seemed to be. A sloppy but swell affair backed by arguably the most likable bar staff in town, though please note that Sambuca shots do not come with lemon and salt.

Before heading to Fubar, I met Mr Hao and Ms Hao and we found plenty of people at Luga’s Villa (thumbs-up to the food, including my chicken with mole sauce), Nearby the Tree (with few empty seats downstairs, we spread out on the comfy sofas upstairs), and Salud (nothing gets the night started like an infused rum shot). The only place with a light turnout: Ciro’s Pomodoro, where we lasted about a minute due to the ear-splitting sound of cymbals and drums.

Goose and Duck: About two dozen people on hand Saturday morning for the NFL playoff game between the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens. The coffee I had was strong enough to resurrect the dead or perhaps even the Detroit Lions.

Le Petit Gourmand: Love the place, but when my fingers are too numb to type and I lose feeling in my feet, there is a temperature problem. Add some space heaters, crank up the Tongli Studio furnace, start fires in strategically placed oil drums – I dunno, but it’s too bloody cold. The Bookworm gets chilly, though nowhere close to Le Petit Gourmand.

Finally, Bar Blu has gone through a bit of a decor upgrade, though it looks like it is pretty much the same scene up there, Blue Frog continues to pack in people on Mondays, which is no surprise given the two-for-one burgers are excellent value,

A view through the window at Ibn Battuta

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The foods of the world have not fared well in China View since it opened a few years ago. Countries falling by the wayside include Norway (66 North), Italy (Alba), and Thailand (Rupa and Purple Haze, though the latter due to the landlord more than anything else), with the United States (Hooters) the only one that seems to be strongly flapping the flag and Germany (Drei Kronen 1308) and Italy (Bella) among those struggling on. And if a lack of lights is any indication, it appears Hungary (Budapest) might also have made an exit.

Now, a couple of newcomers are giving it a go. Dalyan Turkish Restaurant opened recently beside Pullman Steakhouse, and offers appetizers from RMB20 as well as the expected donar kebabs. The beverage list includes some from the homeland, including the anise-flavored spirit Rakki (~RMB150 per bottle) and a grape wine, Villa Doluca Red (RMB240 per bottle, if memory serves) alongside the usual soft drinks, teas, cocktails, and the like.

Meanwhile, a few meters away, Ibn Battouta Morrocan Restaurant is slated to open in about a week, says manager Toufiq. He describes the warm colorful decor as “Marakesh style” and says the menu will include everything from couscous to tajine (stew) to Moroccan tea.

NOTE: THIS IS THE 2010 LIST.

IF YOU WANT THE 2011 LIST OF PLACES TO WATCH THE SUPER BOWL IN BEIJING, GO HERE.

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Updated again: Same deal as before — new info is underlined.

Update: I’ve underlined below all new info I have on Beijing venues that plan to show The Super Bowl this Monday. I will post a final update at week’s end and add maps for each spot. I’m leaning toward The Den and The Goose n’ Duck,  but, really, who cares now that the Toronto Raptors are on a five-game winning streak?

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The Sweater Game...

No post on watching The Super Bowl in our fair city is complete without links to The Sweater Game that saw one of our fellow citizens cost the New England Patriots a perfect season and, for the  gourmands, to some wine and beer pairings for wings and other football food. Done and done. The game is on Monday, February 8, at 7:30 AM.

More places showing the game: The Irish Volunteer (map) has the game as well as a RMB35 breakfast; Eudora Station (map) will have breakfast and drinks available a la carte;  All-Star (map) will have a RMB58 breakfast, with pancake option.

Goose and Duck (map): Home of the biggest Super Bowl parties the five years I have lived in Beijing, including separate sections with Chinese and English commentary. Strong coffee, plenty of booze, and a pitching cage so Cowboys fans can pretend they are Tony Romo and still have a chance to win. I loved the guys marching the two-meter Larry Fitzgerald cutout around last year. Sounds like quite a few people plan to bunker down here, including numerous participants in the Fantasy Football Playoff Challenge.

Luga’s Villa (map): Home of the NFL China official party, according to Charles “I Am Going to Win My Own NFL Fantasy Football Pool and Be Compelled to Give the Prize to Charity” Silverman at City Weekend. Last year, this place had RMB20 breakfasts; we’ll have to see what the deal is this year. American breakfast, including a coffee, tea, juice, or soft drink, is RMB58, with six Coors light for RMB98, and according to this promo, “NFL cheerleaders from the US!” The American Chamber of Commerce is holding its Super Bowl party here.

The Den (map): The RMB50 entry fee gets you breakfast, with a choice of tea or what passes for coffee, and a 10 percent chance of sitting beside some sweaty dude who has been there since the night before. Seriously, The Den has a pretty tasty breakfast and draws a decent crowd.

Frank’s Place (map): Also draws a decent crowd, and has the added benefit of Devil Dogs to spice up your morning. A convenient stop for those heading into town from Shunyi.

Union (map): A plug for a newcomer. Two 55-inch and one 42-inch screens were put in last night. A bit of a gamble as this is its first shot at showing The Big Game, but the combo of comfortable seats and tasty eggs Benedict is tempting. The Union will have a RMB120 set breakfast with sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns, toast, buttermilk pancakes, maple syrup, and coffee or tea with refills. RSVP if you want choice seats. Management says about 70 spots have been reserved, but there were a few choice seats still available at the bar, at least as of last night.

Blue Frog (map): Another Sanlitun Village venue where you can catch the game — buffet breakfast, including eggs, potatoes, and toast, plus choice of a Bloody Mary, beer, or coffee, for RMB85.

Tim’s Texas BBQ (map): Will have a buffet breakfast, plus a special on Bloody Marys.

Hooters (map): The manager says the place will have Chinese commentary and maybe English commentary. The only place that comes with its own cheerleaders.

Paddy O’Shea’s (map): Budweiser is two-for-one, and Paddy’s season’s ticket holds get deals onf buckets of beers / pitchers of cocktails.

The Pomegranate (map): Same deal as at Paddy’s.

NOLA (map): RMB100 for a brunch buffet; drinks extra. One screen, space for 40 people downstairs, first-come, first-served.

Danger Doyle’s (map): I talked to an employee today who had no idea about the Super Bowl — she kept mentioning “Liverpool” — and said the place was having problems with its satellite feed. Last year, when this place was known as Stadium, it was closed for the Super Bowl, so I’m not feeling confident at the moment. I popped in here again and the new manager says he will soon let me know if they will show the game.

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See also:

• Super Bowl: A Super Blow for local sports bars
• The Super Bowl: A dozen places to catch The Big Game
• A Giants victory: Don’t blame the Patriots, blame The Sweater
• Super Bowl sipping in Beijing: which beer with your wings?

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The first in a series of posts about Beijing bartenders and the drinks they make, this is a spin-off from a project with a local publication.

If you are what you drink, there seems to be  some appeal in guzzling a few Zombies — you would no longer have to think about life’s problems, your confidence would increase, and you would be able to party all night. For sure, being a zombie is a serious lifestyle decision, but it doesn’t mean you still can’t be a productive member of society.

Anyway, I dropped into 2F in Sanlitun, a bar that has developed a loyal following and a neighborhood vibe over the past year, and talked to co-owner and manager Ah Jian about how he makes this mind-altering drink. He shakes together nine – yes, nine – ingredients: white rum, dark rum, and spiced rum, lime juice, orange juice, and pineapple juice, and cointreau, apricot brandy liqueur, and grenandine. He then floats Bacardi 151 rum – that’s the 75 percent alcohol stuff – on top. That alone is almost guaranteed to turn you into a zombie, at least for one night.

I received the following tidbit in an email from Q Bar a few days ago:

Martini Wednesdays @ Q Bar
The legendary Q Bar Martini selection, the biggest and best in Beijing, now has its own night. Whether you like a classic vodka Martini, a Dirty Gin Martini or something a little more exotic, you’ll find your perfect martini at Q Bar. We have picked a selection of your ten most favorite Martinis, get two for the price of one, all Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.

I remember visiting Q Bar several times before it opened and seeing the place take shape; watching a crane haul trees and flowerbeds to the rooftop one day to decorate the deck; many nights, including several New Years’ Eves, when I met friends or took visitors to Beijing there; even when the place jacked up drink prices–and left them there–just before the Olympics. What I don’t remember Q Bar ever doing is slashing prices on its claim to fame — cocktails.

This is good news for consumers since, in my humble opinion, the martinis and margaritas are especially good at Q Bar. But it makes me wonder if the move signifies something more at what is arguably the city’s most successful bar of the past three years.

New bars in Sanlitun are exerting pressure since they arguably offer more in terms of creativity (Apothecary), design (D Lounge), and value (Fubar). Of course, Q Bar could take measures in response, such as jumping on the DIY trend train and making infused vodkas, bitters, et al; upgrading the design and layout inside, as was done with the deck last year;  and picking a few signature drinks, say the martinis, and pricing them at RMB50 instead of RMB60. But two-for-one martinis? Hey, I’ll gladly take them; I’m just saying it seems out of character.

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According to this site, the warlord Yan Xishan uses a Shanxi supercomputer to blog from beyond the grave on topics as varied as his appearance on the cover of Time as “China’s next president”, the “top 10 dynasties“, and recruitment efforts for his Juicy Pants Army (JPA). He also claims the ability to make occasional forays into our earthly realm for a beverage or two. Given this, I asked him to list his five favorite drinking spots. (Note: You can contact him at YanXishan (at) gmail dot com.)

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“Yan Xishan’s All Time Top Five Beiping Drinking Spots

5) Solutions: I may be China’s most successful warlord (suck it, Wu Peifu), but I must give some of the credit to my elite troops, the JPA. Some laughed at me when I first drunkenly suggested arming Juicy Pants clad females for defending the realm, but who is laughing now? Recruitment has been at times an issue, so many of my trips to Beiping included stops at this watering hole to meet and greet some very drunk potential recruits.

4) That Shanxi Jiaozi Place: I really wish I could tell you the name of this place, but every time I visited it was like 3 in the morning and I was absolutely shit-faced. Anyway, it was someplace near one of those lakes. This place was awesome. Tasty jiaozi, served with the world’s finest non-alcoholic liquid: Shanxi vinegar. Nothing revives me and gets me ready for more drinking than some vinegar from my hometown. Wash it all down with a half-dozen large bottles of Yanjing and call it a morning.

3) The Den: What can I say? I enjoy the company of the working ladies, and nothing beats having a drunken conversation with a woman of questionable morals while some Australian dude is dead asleep at the bar at 4:30 in the morning.

2) Phil’s Pub (Sanlitun South Bar Street Edition): Phil is an interesting dude. He speaks German, just like my old military adviser. He sells snuff. And he was cool with having bags and bags of rou chuanrs sent over from across the street. Now, some people would say that having teenage boys and girls hanging out after prom was a problem. These people are half right.

1) The Hidden Tree (Sanlitun South Bar Street Edition): Now I am not one to court controversy. If I have learned anything from my long time tenure in Taiyuan it is that it is best to keep a low profile. But screw it, it needs to be said. Putting in that pizza oven destroyed the greatest bar in the history of your fine metropolis. Sure, the pizza is good, and it goes great with booze. But oh, the countless wankers and tossers that invaded the bar once the damn oven was put in, it is just not worth it. Back in the day you could always find a spot at the bar, and good old Cao Jian would serve up the drinks so fast that my cenosillicaphobia never even had a chance to set in. Now? Not so much. I guess I like my bars the old fashioned way. Empty and desperate for my business.

After two weeks of offering free vodka-based drinks, Le Zazou held its invite-only official opening last Friday. The extremely heavy turnout meant long waits for drinks and coats as well as the inability of most attendees to see the much-hyped show. Not an auspicious start for a place already bucking the odds by opening a massive operation in a mall in the dead of winter. On top of this, a chunk of the staff has since been fired. I understand the Zazou concept, and there is some appeal in having a spot in Sanlitun with comfy seating, live music, and late hours, but this place needs to quickly create a realistic plan – something other than “if we build it, they will come” — and execute it. (And pour decent drinks — the one I had two nights ago was anemic.)

Look for Souk One to re-brand itself as Souk Lounge, with the launch set for January 22. Man about town Glenn Phelan is assisting with the project and says that while sports fans will be able to get their fill in the back area, the place — which will come with a new layout — will focus on being a lounge and bar.

I have been to the Monday “burger, burger” event at Blue Frog more than a dozen times during the  past six months. Longest wait for a burger before last Monday: 20 minutes, though it usually takes about 10 minutes. Wait last Monday: 45 minutes. Given this, and the slow drink delivery, it was no surprise to learn that Lee Mitchell had left as manager. Blue Frog is a rarity in offering good service on the third floor of Sanlitun Village. That is, unlike at some other spots, the staff is friendly and brings cutlery, the right order, and a correct bill, a situation I associate with Mitchell. Let’s hope new manager William can quickly bring things back up to speed again.

Looks like  The Stumble Inn has stumbled a bit. There seem to be complications with the proposed space and that means at best a delay for the second edition of this bar that originally opened on Lucky Street and quickly built a following.

Anyone have RMB9000 to spare? That’s what it will cost to attend three upcoming wine dinners: those who tingle at the mention of Michelin-star chefs and have healthy bank accounts will be happy with two of them, while those who are also vino fanatics will find, as icing on the cake,  a third with someone described as “the first lady of wine.” Frankly, I find the breathless adjective-heavy text that accompanies some of these invites to be a bit rich. There is a great deal to be said for restraint when it comes to cooking and wine making, and the same can often be said of public relations.

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Maison Boulud, January 16, RMB2800

Daniel Boulud, the man behind the Maison, will be in town just shortly after having been awarded a third Michelin star for his New York restaurant. According to the press release, “‘Earning a third star in the Michelin Guide feels like winning a culinary Nobel Prize,’ says Chef Daniel Boulud. To celebrate this achievement, he chose to bring his stellar New York team on tour to Beijing and prepare a sumptuous feast that will surely be memorable.” The eight-course dinner includes frog legs, sole, American rib-eye steak, and more, paired with French wines. It is limited to 80 people. To RSVP, contact Ignace Lecleir at ignacelecleir@mac.com.

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The Summit Club, January 30, RMB3880

French chef Marc Veyrat, who is among the few who have received three Michelin stars at two restaurants — L’Auberge de L’Eridan (2008) and La Ferme de Mon Pere (2001) — will be in the kitchen at the Summit Club on January 30. According to the press release, “Marc Veyrat is a master of extreme creativity who has made revolutionary artistic renovation to gastronomy…. All his dishes are strongly flavored.” The night includes live jazz and a ten-course dinner paired with wine. It is limited to 50 people. RSVP by calling 5824-9888.

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Shang Palace at Shangri-La Hotel, February 28, RMB2500

ASC Fine Wines is teaming up with English wine writer Jancis Robinson — described by the company as “the first lady of wine” — for dinners in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing. According to the press release, “Awarded a Master of Wine in 1984 – the first person outside the wine trade at the time – Ms Jancis Robinson has published countless best selling works on wine, amongst which the best known is the World Atlas of Wines co-authored by Hugh Johnson.” The atlas will be published in simplified Chinese characters later this year. Part of the proceeds from this dinner will go to Room to Read. It is limited to 50 people. Pre-payment required before January 29. To RSVP, contact Helen Lu at 6587-3803 / eventsbj@asc-wines.com.