Er go: The Japanese bar scene in Beijing just got smaller
But only for a while…
Cocktail joint Er closed this week in the Long Bao Building. The bar’s original location on the first floor seated 20 and offered the city’s best Bourbon selection and one of its best hideaways. Last year it moved across the lobby to bigger less cozy digs and now it has left the buliding altogether, all apparently due to–shocker–landlord issues. An unfortunate ending, but the odds are the two faces behind the place, Motonari Uchiyama and Daisuke Onishi, have more bars to come.
For now, you can catch them at Apothecary, where they trade duty behind the bar, and at Twilight, which arguably offers one of the best cocktail happy hour in Beijing: from 6 to 8 PM, RMB20 off for top-notch drinks like the Smoky Martini, which will erase memories of a tough day at work, and the refreshing and potent Saigon Mistress. Twilight has also added a glass door near its stairwell entrance to reduce noise from downstairs, added a few touches to the interior design, and will soon make changes to the menu, including the addition of pork cheek sandwiches — I tried one a few weeks ago and it was delicious.
(Big hat tip to Miss Saigon)
No commentsBYOG: Hundreds of free wines at Carrefour tomorrow night
If you enjoy sampling hundreds of free wines, then you want to be at Shuangjing Carrefour on Friday night. This place holds a wine fair twice per year and the spring one is tomorrow from 6 PM to midnight. While lots of the wines are entry-level, and include more than a few cheapies with cute animals on the labels, you can nevertheless find some good deals, especially as there is a 20 percent discount tomorrow.
I recommend you BYOG — bring your own glasses. I always take three or four big Bourdeaux ones. Not only will you get more out of the tasting, you will also draw looks of envy as others sip and sniff from the equivalent of a Dixie Cup.
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See also:
- 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
