Beijing Boyce

Paddy O'Shea's as the opening ceremonies opened...

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This Sunday marks the second anniversary of the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games. I missed most of the opening in 2008 due to a seven-hour Beijing bar crawl with Nicolas Carre, so last Saturday I decided to find a bar with a big screen where I could show a repeat this Sunday (August 8 at 8 PM) and get some reasonably priced drinks. That mission changed course slightly as I contacted two other venues and a charity, CAI, that “provides arts and sports programs in migrant schools” (CAI will handle all donations. Thanks to iShaw for the recommendation). Here is the current agenda for anyone interested in a flashback to an event that symbolized change both good and bad for in this city and country.

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Saturday, August 7

China Doll, 11 PM-2 AM

The place: This Sanlitun bar, club, and lounge delivered a winning performance for fun during the Olympics as residents, athletes, and celebrities gathered for nightly shenanigans. Gold-medal moment: Standing beside Michael Phelps at the bar when he said three years had passed since his last cigar. My friend procured a Cuban stogie and Phelps happily puffed away.

The Olympic angle: China Doll will show footage and photos from its Olympics parties and display its flag decorated with the signatures of scores of Olympic and Paralympic athletes, including Usain Bolt.

The deal: Look for “flaming gold medal” shooters for RMB30, with RMB15 going to CAI.

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Sunday, August 8

Fubar, 6-8 PM

The place: The speakeasy present meets the storied past at this bar hidden in the city’s first premium sports venue, circa 1959, and site of football matches during the Beijing Olympics.

The Olympic angle: To honor the Olympic mascots–and because it plays on the bar’s name–the drink de jour will be the Fu Wa. Look for a 500 ml pour that includes pepper berry vodka and other ingredients blended with ice.

The deal: Each Fu Wa is RMB25, with RMB15 going to CAI.

George’s, 8 PM-

The place: A hop, skip, and jump from Fubar, this upscale bar is owned by George Zhou, who has been making cocktails with the precision of a competitive archer for more than five years.

The angle: George’s will screen the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, starting at 8 PM. Well, most of it. As it is a school night, we will stick to the start and finish and leave out most of the agonizingly long entry of the athletes.

The deal: All martinis are RMB30, with RMB15 going to CAI.

Salud, August 8, 2008

Before (left) and after (right)...

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Eric Paris once had a virtual monopoly of my hairstyling budget. For five years, no other establishment in Beijing touched my cascading curls, my spiraling split ends, my devil-may-care do. And demand little I did: Every few months I would arrive, inform the staff I had a maximum of 30 minutes, and get a speedy haircut for ~RMB235, making me a high kuai-per-minute customer. But after several mediocre trims that saw my hair within a week or two looking like an untamed chia pet, and the closing of the Sanlitun shop for renovations, I wandered…

My last two cuts have come at Julie’s Salon (map) in the southeast corner of Workers Stadium. The place is close to my apartment, the owner (Julie) speaks English, the atmosphere is laid back, and a haircut costs ~RMB50 (honestly, there is not much you can do with my squirrel’s nest of a mop other than square it and round the corners, and this place does it fine). That is a nearly RMB200 difference that I can now to put to use on drinks and food nearby…

Table for 120, sir? (Photo: Culinary Capers)

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Canadian catering company Culinary Capers will open a restaurant in the Super Ganbei space in the 798 art district in Beijing. The place will be called Switch, appropriate not only because it is usually restaurants that expand into catering, rather than vice versa, but also because it will involve rotating food and wine menus as well as a “theatrical” edge. A source at Culinary Capers says about 40 people have been hired for the expansion, including chefs and managers from Beijing  establishments such as Brasserie Flo, Jasmine, and Aman Resort.

Culinary Capers first made a splash in Beijing during the 2008 Olympics when Debra Lykkemark and her crew handled food and drink for the British Columbia Pavilion, across from the Legation Quarter. The company is headed in Beijing by Billy Kawaja, who is also executive chef, and Yi Li and Graeme Lahman, who handle operations and business development respectively. It has been using the former Tim’s Texas BBQ kitchen on the first floor of Sequoia Café near Ritan Park and is known for organizing business lunches and dinners on the Great Wall.

The Super Ganbei space has bee the site of everything from the El Bulli dinner organized by Brian McKenna of Room Beijing to a series of wine tasting events by importer and distributor East Meets West.