Beijing Boyce

Punch a higher floor.

Beijing’s highest bar–Atmosphere–is slated to open Monday in China World Summit Wing aka Tower Three. On clear days, you can see The Forbidden City. On others, you will still have cocktails made under the direction of barman Serhan “Charly” Kusagsizoglu, a selection of whiskeys, cognacs, and other spirits, and a wine menu created by former Maison Boulud sommelier Koen Masschelein. In terms of decor, let’s turn to the press release:

“[Atmosphere has] a smart, almost feminine orientation with delicate ceiling features, cleverly installed lighting and jewel-hued furnishings. A beautifully illuminated wine wall greets guests upon alighting from the sleek glass-enclosed lift that ferries guests between the dining and entertainment venues on the 79th and 80th floors. A subtly lit spirits cellar at the bar’s entrance provide hints of icy cool, ethereal elegance that awaits inside. Inside the bar, the designer’s interpretation of “heaven” is highlighted by the dramatic expansive backdrop of Beijing cityscape, framed by a ceiling resembling a constellation of delicate stars and matched by comfortable lounge seating in delicate amethyst shades and plush olive-grey walls.”

The person who wrote that deserved a double at the end of the day. Atmosphere can seat ~130, is open Sunday to Thursday, from noon to 2 AM, and on Fridays and Saturdays to 4 AM, and ranks among Beijing’s biggest openings of the year. I’ll soon post more about this bar.

Also opening Monday on the eightieth floor: Lounge. It seats 80 and will have a wide selection of teas, cocktails, and coffee, as well as takes–based on cuisines from around the globe–on the hamburger. The hours will be 6:30 AM to 1 AM. One floor below will be steakhouse Grill 79, also slated to open Monday.

See also:

• High in Beijing: Grill 79, Atmosphere Bar to open on floors 79-80 in China World Summit Wing

So many bars and restaurants are opening when so many people I know are on vacation, but such is the current state of getting fire safety, business license, etc chops these days that delays are the norm and you open when you can. Anyway, some happenings in the Saniltun area…

The second edition of Stumble Inn opens tomorrow night (Friday) on the third floor of Sanlitun Village. Like the first edition, it has two floors, though this one is above ground and includes a deck. The public launch is at 10 PM and will have drink specials.

Also on floor three, bar and grill Flamme opened last Friday (the very hungry can try the massive steak for two for RMB398). And Queen’s Cafe, with a nod toward Russian food, opened today (the RMB70 lunch special, with soup, salad, main, dessert, and coffee or tea, is good value). Still to come is Modo, which is in the midst of a series of food tastings as it fine-tunes the menu. As far as I know, Modo will have the first enomatic machines in Beijing that allow customers to use a prepaid card to select from among 16 wines.

Speaking of wine, in about a month Enoteca will leave The Place and reopen on two floors of Nali Patio, above Mosto and close to where former Legation Quarter outfit Agua is expected to go in.

DJ Phil, long-time music mixer at Poacher’s on Friday nights and at Tun on Saturday nights, says come to 1F on Wednesdays as he spins American indie music and some eighties tunes from 10 PM. Poacher’s was recently sold, so expect some changes there.

Finally, the moose is loose: Canuck brew Moosehead is now available in Beijing, with Fubar at Workers Stadium and Union Bar & Grille in Sanlitun Village both stocking it.

Plan: To have a few drinks and finally watch the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony. Reality: Had a lot of drinks and missed most of the ceremony again. Such is life and I did have some fun during last weekend’s Olympic Flashback that ended up involving Paddy O’Shea’s, China Doll, Fubar, George’s, and Gung Ho Gourmet Pizza Factory, and raised ~RMB4000 for the charity CAI. (A modest sum but OK given I organized the bulk of the event in 36 hours. If only I had come up with this idea a week earlier, it might have raised RMB4100.) I already posted about the Futathlon and here are five more photos from the weekend.

We started on Saturday night with mixed drinks at Paddy O’Shea’s, which sold the most beverages, under the watchful life of Major Tom.

We then moved to China Doll, which made a special banner for us. The rain meant we couldn’t use the sky deck but also meant more people in the lounge and on the dance floor.

On Sunday night, we started at at Fubar, which held the Futathlon and made Fu Wa cocktails.

Then headed over the George’s, which raised the most money as we sold the donated Gung Ho pizzas here, too, to drink martinis, watch the opening ceremonies, and eat some…

pie!

Thanks to Paddy O’Shea’s, China Doll, Fubar, George’s, and Gung Ho Gourmet Pizza Factory, the team at CAI (especially Will “The Wallet” Hsu), and the contestants in the Futathlon (Gordon, Maggie, Shane, Will, and Kirby). As for the opening ceremonies, I’m going to have to borrow a DVD player, plug in my TV, get a couple of beers, order a large pepperoni pizza, and watch it at home. Don’t tell me how it ends…

When I  went to Queen’s Cafe to meet owner Susanna Tang for lunch today, I didn’t realize this place had finally opened for business on the third floor of Sanlitun Village. But it has and the lunch special ranks among the better values in this part of town. It includes a choice of borscht or mushroom soup, potato or green salad, a plate with lamb, pork, beef, or fish “shashlik” (think meat off the kebab), rice, and veggie, dessert, and coffee or tea. Price: RMB70.

I tried the lamb (see photo below), which was tasty with the dipping sauce, and the fish, one of those “melt in your mouth” experiences made even better by the caramelized onion. The borscht is a bit rich, while the potato salad is an interesting combination that includes egg, carrot, peas, and cucumbers. The panna cotta surrounded by fruit morsels (see photo below) made and the coffee, made from “Queen’s beans” and tried with one of the place’s homemade chocolate candies, made for a nice finish.

While Queen’s is positioned as a Russian restaurant, Tang notes there is some localization of the recipes, the result of her family’s nearly seven decades in the restaurant business in Hong Kong. (Queen’s Cafe was first opened there in 1952 by Tang’s grandfather, who was a chef in a Russian restaurant, she explained.)

Queen’s is huge, with seating for more than 200 people on two floors, and includes a bar, a cafe (to open in a few months), several private rooms, including one with a lounge area and decorated with armor worn by Leslie Chang and Maggie Q in a movie in which Tang was involved, and a long narrow deck on the second floor.

The a la carte menu includes all manner of meat, rice, spaghetti, and omelet dishes, with numerous set menus from RMB120, and I will visit again to check out the drinks and wine menu, but for now, that lunch special looks like the main attraction.

See also: Queen’s in Sanlitun Village