Beijing Boyce

Last New Year’s Eve, I marked midnight with a glass of bubbly and a final smoke at Q Bar, the best stop of about a dozen that evening. This year, I’ll be fresh off a fourteen-hour flight and likely hopped up from mowing down the kilo of Licorice Allsorts my Mom gave me for Christmas. That makes me think of doing something a bit different to bring in 2011, perhaps sauntering over to Shuangjing or going off to Gulou or nipping into Nanluoguxiang and then spending some quality time in Sanlitun. We’ll see…

In any case, I wish a happy New Year’s Eve to all those who read this blog. Have fun, be safe, and if you haven’t decided what to do, check out these lists by The Beijinger and City Weekend. And if you plan to go the Yen Party in 798, the ever-thoughtful JG reminds me to remind you to get there early so you aren’t one of those people who shows up half an hour before midnight and ends up stuck in that massive  line during the countdown (two words: ankle flask).

I spent about 20 minutes in recently opened The Loop in Shuangjing on Thursday and here is my first impression: love it.

I spotted the place as I wandered the streets and I wasn’t sure what to expect given the promotion made it sound like it would be everything from bar to cafe to club to film house to pool hall;  made it sound like it was trying to do too  many things. But it turns out the place does have the potential to be all that.

The Loop has an earthy feel (red brick walls, lots of woods, subdued lighting) and a clever design that divides the open space into seating (with a combination of soft wing chairs and high bar-style chairs), an area that can serve as dance floor or stage and is paired with a DJ booth, a pool table (this is in an elevated area which means players won’t be banging their pool cues into other people’s ribs), and a bar. It seems especially attractive for mid-sized events, from conferences to film screenings, and can seat about 70. The place is headed by BB Deng, well-known in DJ circles and previously involved with The Boat.

Anyway, I’ll be back for a longer visit and to try the food (which includes pizzas, sandwiches, and the like), the coffee and other beverages (to give some idea of the prices, a gin tonic is RMB30), and the wireless.

I’ll also have a post on other places visited last Thursday, including Grinders (the pulled pork sandwich is tasty; this place now has wireless), Lily’s, The Brick, ED Cafe, That Year Cafe, and 1639 Beer House.

Just got off a plane, turned on my laptop, and saw a bunch of forwarded messages titled, “Taking Precautions At Beijing Bars And Nightclubs“. Here it is in full (hat tips to The Frank, niubi, Hart Attack, and Mr Hao):

Warden Message

December 17, 2010

Taking Precautions at Beijing Bars and Nightclubs

The U.S. Embassy has seen an increase in reports of violence against U.S. citizens at bars and nightclubs in Beijing. The most recent incidents began as disputes over small matters, such as spilled drinks or laughter that was taken as a gibe, and then developed into serious altercations resulting in injuries.

In recent weeks, the U.S. Embassy received several reports about the unprovoked harassment of U.S. citizens, including two incidents that occurred at the Club Latte nightclub on the property of Worker’s Stadium near the Sanlitun bar district. In light of these incidents, the U.S. Embassy has advised U.S. government personnel to avoid going to Club Latte. You should take this information into consideration when making entertainment plans.

In order to avoid becoming the victim of such an attack, please follow these safety tips:

- Pay attention to your surroundings. If you feel unsafe or believe that other bar/club patrons or staff wish you ill, leave. Don?t stick around on principle.
-When going to bars and clubs, go with other people. (The more, the merrier, the safer!)
-If you want to go to a new bar or club, learn about it first. English publications geared to the expatriate community may have information about recent criminal incidents.
-Carry a cell phone at all times.
-If you are the victim of a crime or you have been threatened, seek safety. Notify the nearest police station and call the U.S. Embassy at the emergency after-hours number given below.

The U.S. Embassy can be reached 24 hours per day. During business hours, call 86-10-8531-4000 or email amcitbeijing@state.gov. For emergencies after hours or on weekends, call 86-10-8531-3000. The Embassy is located near the Line 10 LiangMaQiao subway stop at 55 An Jia Lou Road, Chaoyang District. The Embassy?s website is beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn.

If you are residing or traveling in China we recommend that you enroll with the U.S. Embassy’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program at: https://travelregistration.state.gov. You should also regularly monitor the Department?s Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet website at http://travel.state.gov while living or travelling abroad.

Um, did something change at Latte because I have never had a problem there, although admittedly I haven’t been there for some time. Anyway, caution is the word.

Need to catch a connection but will post more…

Le Petit Gourmand will officially reopen in Tongli Studio tonight at 8 PM with mulled wine and a performance by No Name Trio. This place, now managed by Alexis Tresor, used to rank among my favorite spots for laptop work and I dropped in over the weekend to see how it changed. Things are looking good:

1. Windows have been added along the west side and provide some needed natural light.
2. The place feels more spacious given that some of the bookshelves in the center of the room have been removed and an open kitchen and a bar area called Le Zinc added.
3. There are lots of large faux leather wing chairs as well as booth-style areas along the walls and these will be good for reading, surfing the net, or chatting with friends.
4. The sandwiches and those tasty fries made it on to the new menu though they are a bit pricier. <– Actually, the old price was RMB48.  Don’t know what I was thinking. My mistake.
5. Coffee starts from a reasonable RMB18.
6. The wood-burning stove remains out back.

Perhaps most importantly, especially for those who don’t like to wear earphones and do like their sanity, Tresor says he plans to have a diverse play list. (I hope that means an end to the days of hearing that freaking My Way compilation album over and over and over again.)

Official opening: 8 PM tonight with mulled wine and No Name Trio…

I’ve bumped into Russell Probert of the Pavillion a couple of times in the past week and he says the temporarily closed place will reopen on December 22 as Solidaz, the name of the New Zealand band he is teaming up with as the place shifts to a greater focus on live music. Word is Probert spent a near-fortune on the sound system. Look for a grand opening on New Year’s eve.

The Pavillion has long been known for its superb patio and perhaps this move will help fulfill its potential as a late-night destination. As for Solidaz, according to the band’s Facebook page, it “first went abroad in 1997 to Beijing China.. [and] have been playing around the world since.”

Santas in the city (all pics: jonahkessel.com)

-

The 2010 Beijing SantaCon Diary

Featuring
Over one hundred Santas
Half-remembered Christmas carols
A scuffle in Tiananmen Square
More mulled wine than you can shake a blitzened reindeer at
Hacky sack

-

A week of insomnia (not even two all-nighters could cure it), some last-minute work duties, a lack of a red suit… it seemed I would be a Beijing SantaCon wannabe this year. But I ended up tagging along for most of the tour. Some diary highlights…

Bang! Bang!

This pizza joint in the Hopson Center (known to the cool kids as the Hip Hopson) is one of two SantaCon starting points, the other being Pyro Pizza in Wudaokou. I arrive at 12:20 and see ten Santas. This number soon doubles. Then it triples. And then…

Naughty: The material in the twenty five-kuai Santa suits is not durable. The first of many crotch tears ensues.

Nice: Along with the Santas, two people dress as Christmas presents and one as an elf.

Milk and cookies: Free mulled wine from Bang! Bang! The fries (RMB25) at this place are tasty and one Santa is pretty happy with his chicken panini (RMB35).

Sleds in the age of the global economic crisis.

-

Subway Line 1

Santas make the long march from Bang! Bang! to Guomao subway station so they can zip directly to Tiananmen Square. Strollers stare at the group: What? Haven’t you people seen 40 Santas walk around Beijing before?

Naughty Nutty: Three Santas cram into the back of a pedicab and drink beer.

Nice: The “blue sky” day.

Fact: As demonstrated on the subway several times, the average Santa only knows the 12 Days of Christmas up to “five golden rings” at best. The next day always becomes, “Six mmm mmm mmm-ing.”

Anyone see a reindeer in this car?

-

Tiananmen Square

Naughty: A Santa outside the square plays carols on a guitar and gets a scolding for performing without a license.

(Almost naughty: People quell the desire to sing “Noel” as “Nobel”.)

Nice: The groups from Bang! Bang! and Pyro meet in the square and they now total more than one hundred Santas.

Nutty: A guard at Tiananmen tells a photojournalist to stop taking pictures of the Santas. He refuses, ends up pushing the guard, and is taken away to be put on the naughty list. (He is released a few hours later.)

Santa squared

-

Drum & Bell

The Santas take buses to the Gulou area and walk to the drum and bell towers.

Nasty: One Santa worries that the “beard” fibers he accidentally swallowed might be “toxic”. At the least, he is getting a rosy glow from the itching.

Nice: Santas race rickshaws, play hacky sack with the drivers, and take photos with people at the bases of the Bell Tower and Drum Tower.

Milk and cookies: I slip into the nearby Sculpting in Time to have a coffee (RMB18) and send some emails.

There's only so much mulled wine a Santa can take...

-

Tao Yao

The Santas make another long march, this time to Houhai and the two-floor Tao Yao. The bar is soon packed with Santas and the staff scrambles to keep them hydrated.

Naughty: Several Santas climb trees, put beer bottles in the branches, and get “bark burns” as they slide down.

Nice: I nominate the eleven-month-old Santa baby in the group as the best-behaved participant of the day.

Milk and cookies: Mulled wine and Harbin beer seem to be the Santa favorites.

-

Salud

I skip Salud and its half-price drinks (that includes the potent infused rum shots) to grab groceries, go home, and drop off my computer. That turned into some weirdness…

Nutty: I leave my apartment complex to find fire trucks and police cars parked outside with lights flashing. The police go into my building, to an apartment two floors below mine, but I don’t have time to find out what is going on because …

Not nice: A friend calls and needs money to go to the hospital. I head off to meet him and make “the drop”. It sucks to be sick, especially when you are far from home. A sobering thought as I go to meet the Santas at…

-

Fubar

Milk and cookies: This place has the usual beverage options plus two-for-one pizzas from Gung Ho!

-

Migas

Naughty: A few of us heed the call to go Migas but it turns out we were sent too early as the place is still full of dinner guests. “You guys aren’t supposed to be here until after 11 PM”, we are told. Santas wait for no one, so we go to…

-

Bar Blu

This place is holding its reopening party and more than 30 Santas end up here.

Naughty: Santas dancing provocatively around the stripper’s pole to Lady Gaga, Shakira, et al. Stay classy, North Pole!

Nice: Santas dancing around a pole?

Milk and cookies: Bar Blu has a RMB20 drink special for its opening party. Two Santas get the honor of being among the first customers to be short-changed.

That pretty much ended the night for me. I popped into Migas once more (still no Santas) and the new Mo Lounge in Tongli Studio (three Santas on the stairs), and did a quick walk around (I spotted one Santa in 9.9: that is probably the last we’ll ever see of him), and then headed home for some real milk and cookies.

It opened in 1990 about the same time as Frank’s Place, is the longest-standing non-hotel bar in the city (I’m talking about spots that have not changed locations), and has arguably served more margaritas than any other establishment in the city. The Mexican Wave is an institution. It also appears to be history as the section of the street it sits on, and that is home to Take 5 and Bleu Marine, faces redevelopment. (Note: Both Take 5 and Bleu Marine are open today.)

Mexican Wave held a small party over the weekend, with customers sharing some final drinks and some picking up memorabilia, and is closed at least for now. And while there are rumors of a possible suitor for the place, owner Greg Elliot said the most likely date is with a wrecking ball.

Sadly for fans of the city’s older bar brands, this is just the latest of a number of changes: the sale of Poacher’s earlier this year saw that spot renamed Youth Club while there are plans to rename Frank’s Place as Johnny Duck’s come the new year.

(Hat tip to Mr Brau)

I doubt he's hiding in someone's throat (sergiosfstop.com)

-

First, I posted no Give a Crap Reports for more than a year. Now, I have put up a pair in two weeks. It’s like going from constipation to diarrhea but only half as much fun. As usual, these are things that would happen if bar owners and managers only listened to me, me, and me.

51. Destinations would hold an I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus party. Add some mistletoe and the double innuendo that comes with a “Santa grab bag” special and I don’t see how this could fail.

52. Just so the straight crowd doesn’t feel left out: We need a cap on sloppy make-out sessions at bars. (I am thinking of a couple at The Brick last Friday who were like two famished anteaters that decided tonsils might do as well as insects. Or maybe they were searching for Bobby Fischer. Actually, could we simply refer to that kind of tonsil hockey as Bobby Fishering?) Let’s establish a certain time limit or “gross threshold”. When violated, the couple gets a zap with the taser.

53. Newly opened House would have a series of “In Da” parties just so I can write “In Da House” and feel cool. Also, I think their opening party should have used a “House Broken” theme. Then again, what do I know about electronic music.

54. We need some kind of protest about the Clamato prices in Beijing. It is good this key ingredient for Caesars is finally available but RMB29.5 for a 473 ml bottle at Marketplace? You might as well sell it from an eyedropper at those prices. Canadian embassy types: Stop focusing on maple syrup market share (we already won that battle) and get on top of this.

5. I covered this idea here but might as well make it official: Given the place looks a bit like a ski lodge, Grinders should hold a Hot Tub Time Machine party over the Chinese New Year for those people staying in the city. Add some ski paraphernalia, a faux fireplace, and a few hot tubs, mix in some eighties tunes, and top it off with old standbys like Sex on the Beach, Tequila Sunrises, and wine coolers.

56. I’m a fan of Café Bellissimo in Solana. I like the design, I like the food (I enjoyed the Caesar with its sprinkling of anchovies and the substantial if slightly sloppy cheeseburger), and I like the staff… when management is around. As with many places, things slide as soon as management leaves. On Wednesday night, the three guys on duty forgot half my order (and I was the only customer), didn’t realize the music had stopped, and spent a lot of time giggling, play fighting, or daydreaming, with an occasional belch. These guys seem nice enough but could use a reminder or two about service.

57. That someone do something about the Ferraris, Lamborghinis, et al that race around or do doughnuts at Workers Stadium every night. Forget the damage the drivers are doing to these cars while zipping over speed bumps. The bigger problem is that even though these shenanigans usually happen after 3 AM, there is still foot traffic in that area, meaning it is a disaster waiting to happen.

58: That Siif add support to the handrails for the stairs. They are already steep enough without having a wobbly rail. I don’t want the last thing I see in this lifetime to be that musty cement basement floor coming at me.

See also:
Give a Crap Report VI: Modo, Q, Bean’s, Fubar, Bang! Bang!, and more
Give a Crap Report V: Blue Frog, Erlitun, Le Petit Gourmand, Prima Taste, and more
Give a Crap Report IV: Tun, Er, Hex, All-Star, Stadium, and more
Give a Crap Report III: This blog goes ballistic
Give a Crap Report II: Tun, Q, Maison Boulod, Press Club Bar, and more
Give a Crap Report I: Bookworm, Klubb Rouge, Maggie’s, All Star, Luga’s, and more

Union Bar & Grille now has a high-definition satellite feed which means superb clarity and depth when you are watching sports: just ask anyone who watched the Patriots thrash the Jets there this week on Monday Night Football. Manager Andy Bright says this is the first such system in Beijing.

Saddle Social, the recently reopened first floor of The Saddle Cantina, has made adjustments to  its taco prices.  The place now has a “taco of the day” for RMB10 while the happy hour tacos are RMB15 from 4 PM to 6 PM.

A big thumbs up to Modo for knowing exactly what “medium rare” means. I went with DZ and Sneaky Pete for lunch yesterday and the place delivered a perfectly cooked tenderloin. For dessert, we went for the crème brulee with cardamon flavoring: it tasted even better when we dribbled some black coffee on top. The three-course lunch special is RMB90, with the coffee an extra RMB20. And another thumbs up for those enomatic machines on the second floor: there are 16 wine options available in 25 ml, 75 ml, and 150 ml pours.

Sunday’s Beijinger Super Quiz at The Hard Rock Café drew ~150 people and raised ~RMB30000 in donations and pledges for Ping An Foster Home. Hard Rock worked as a venue given its layout, stage, and sound system but I wonder about return business given the high beverage prices.  I live-blogged part of the event, though “live” might not be the best word as I was about an hour behind the quiz masters. Anyway, if people want to see what kind of info they need to know to win, see here (check the comments section as quiz master Tony Tao left his questions and answer there).

As mentioned yesterday, I’m happy to see Clamato juice is available in Beijing but the prices are prohibitive. Same with Canadian brew Mill St., which I spotted in Marketplace from RMB28 per small bottle! Then again, both of those are a lot cheaper than the RMB18000 whiskey recently launched in Beijing.

Lots going on tomorrow (Saturday)…

• Ladies and gentlemen, start your sleds: SantaCon begins at noon at Bang! Bang! Pizza (map) in Shuangjing and Pyro Pizza (map) in Wudaokou. Pace yourselves as it will be a long day (and night). See here for the SantaCon Beijing site and here for Santa’s top five Beijing bars.
• Time Out and Tiger beer are teaming up for a pub crawl that will finish with a Christmas party at The House (map).
• The Loop, billed as everything from afternoon laptop spot to restaurant and bar to film-screening venue, will hold its opening party. You can find it south of Pingod (see map below).
• With renovations complete, longstanding Sanlitun North drinking hole Bar Blu (map) will hold a reopening party. See here.
• Fubar (map) will hold a Chartreuse party.
• The Australia China Alumni Association will have its Christmas Party from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM at newly opened Gori, just south of Central Park (RMB120 at the door for members, RMB150 for nonmembers, more info from events@austchinaalumni.org).

Also of note:

• Lush (map) is celebrating its seventh anniversary, starting at 9 PM tonight (Friday).
• As noted here, Room Beijing (map) is taking it up a notch starting tonight (Friday).
• Sing Christmas carols, drink mulled wine, and get into the holiday spirit at The Irish Volunteer (map) at 2 PM on Sunday.
• Cabare, In Vito, Water, Café Bellissimo, Swiss Restaurant, and Summergate are joining together for the Solana Lakeside Christmas Market a.k.a. “The longest Christmas table in Beijing.” According to this post, the event will be held on weekends in December from 11 AM to 6 PM and include wine and cheese tastings, roasted chestnuts, gifts for Christmas, and more. Santa will be available for photos from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM and 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM.

Map for The Loop:

OK, I invented the “hot” and “single” part but website traffic monitor Alexa claims the rest. Here is its “audience snapshot” for this blog:

Based on internet averages, beijingboyce.com is visited more frequently by females who are in the age range 35-44, are graduate school educated and browse this site from work.

More generally, Alexa shows that readers tend to be aged 25 and 44, have a degree, and be in China. Hmmm. I know plenty of people who read this blog and don’t fit those categories and some of my friends in the industry say Alexa isn’t the most accurate way to determine trends. Even so, these results suggest I may need to allow more of my alter-ego, Joyce Bim, into this blog.

She has the degree. Now if she were only six years older and lived in Beijing, Ms Portman would be a typical reader.

But which one is the *real* Santa?

-

He’s jolly by golly so deck the halls with boughs of holly, Wally, because The Man in Red will make an early appearance when he flies to Beijing this Saturday for the second annual Santacon.

(That whole rhyming thing is because this is the day after one of those all-nighters I pull every few months to try and reset my internal clock. Thus, I am giddy. Maybe Santa can bring me a nice new shiny internal clock for Christmas. And an air filter. And some Taco Bell hot sauce. I don’t ask for much.)

What is Santacon? “SantaCon is a non-profit, non-political, non-religious and non-sensical annual Santa Claus convention celebrating cheer, goodwill, and fun.” It happens in Beijing on December 11 this year. You can get info on where to buy a Santa suit, the starting points (to be announced tomorrow), and how to participate in the charity coal drive here.

In the meantime, I asked Santa where he likes to grab a drink while in Beijing. Here are his top five watering holes:

“Bringing happiness to the world’s boys and girls is a huge responsibility—gathering intel to decide whether Bejiingers are naughty or nice, constantly innovating to be on the forefront of toy technology—and being Santa can be stressful! I wouldn’t trade this job for anything in the world. But when I need to take a break from the North Pole, here are five places that keep me jolly:

“Fubar lures me back again and again with its guarantee of merry times. Hidden entrance, solid drinks, friendly staff, ready access to hot dogs, what’s not to like? I’ve never had a bad cocktail in this place. As a post-work hangout for me and my elf friends, it hits the spot. And its mulled wine has a way of mellowing me out even after a tough day in the workshop. Big plus: I can always find a parking space for my sleigh in Workers’ Stadium.

“Pyro Pizza is my go-to pizza place in Haidian. A few rowdy Santas studying at Tsinghua tipped me off to this place. When milk and cookies do not satisfy my appetite, I dash down to this Wudaokou underground bar for thin-crust pizza, laid-back attitude, and value-priced beer.

“Tao Yao Bar is one of those hidden Houhai gems among the blaring music and flashing lights of neighboring bars. Tucked away on a narrow park by the southern end of the lake, this chill Tibetan-style bar sets the tone for a relaxed afternoon over a few Harbin beers. The comfy cushioned second floor begs you to prop up your boots and recline after a night of climbing up and down chimneys.

“Bang! Bang! Pizza & Bar is one of the reasons why my belly jiggles like a bowl full of jelly! This addition to the Shuangjing scene serves tasty pizza and soups (try their potato, bacon and cheese soup –drool-inducing!). Perch on one of their tall chairs and munch on some pizza while gazing at the paintings adorning the walls. This place can be a bit hard to find with scaffolding currently obscuring its signage, so keep a sharp eye out.

“Chocolate: the skimpy outfits those Chocolate dancers wear make my cheeks rosy! Some of their cocktails can be a bit too sweet, so I usually just stick to drinking vodka and smoking hookah when I roll into this Russian club. The over-the-top décor and floor dazzle. I don’t often go there, but when I do, watch out: Santa is on the loose! I hope no one Facebook-ed photos of my swinging around the stripper pole last weekend.”

Jacket and tie needed for the martini deal at George's

-

Attention Suit Up Day fans: George’s at Workers Stadium has two-for-one martinis for women every Wednesday. Men get the same deal–if they are wearing a tie and jacket. By the way, it’s good to see proprietor George Zhou has more time to spend behind the bar now that his place has settled in at Workers Stadium (try his Alfonso Special).

China View is turning into pizza central given the thin-crust pies from Gung Ho!, the wood-fired oven at Danger Doyle’s, and the superb value a few meters away at The Den (half-price from 5 PM to 10 PM daily), while Kro’s Nest Tube Station is nearby at the north gate of Workers Stadium. The delivery niche will heat up as Annie’s has thrown its chef’s hat into the ring and taken over the former Bella space beside Gung Ho! And don’t forget Buona at Workers Stadium West: they offer speedy deliver and good pepperoni pies.

Maxim’s in Solana has a lunch special from 11:30 AM to 2 PM, Monday to Friday, in its first-floor bistro. You get soup or salad, plus main course, dessert, and a soft drink or coffee for RMB88. I have only eaten at Maxim’s a few times but have enjoyed it. (Maxim’s will also have Christmas and New Year menus.)

Speaking of bistros, In Vito in Solana is closer to that niche and away from fine dining. The place is offering a more casual experience as well as good wine value given that all bottles under RMB1000 are two-for-one from 7 PM each night. This place also has a excellent Grappa selection, with 17 selections.

The bar and restaurant scene is fickle: Open a successful place and you are hailed as a genius; open one that struggles and you are accused of being out of your element; face delay after delay getting the place open at all and people wonder if you are a has been. Few people in this town have been in that spotlight like Brian McKenna.

McKenna left a high-profile position at Blu Lobster to start Room Beijing, a project of major scale and ambition that faced those numerous delays and invited whispers that maybe he was a one-hit wonder. But McKenna did get Room open, indications are the place is going strong and drawing solid crowds, and for time being he is the good. (Now he faces continuous rumors that he has left Room. Sometimes you just can’t win.)

I last visited Room a few weeks ago and found the place had a warmth and fullness that stood in stark contrast to the clutter of building materials, paint cans, and ladders I saw on my first visit. The ceiling lights, wall murals, and layout created a nice mood and it didn’t hurt that the wines of the night came from Louis-Roederer and Torbreck or that a cigar roller was on hand. Good vibe. (In terms of design, though, I still think the urinals are ridiculous and a concussion risk.)

McKenna says he will have plenty of surprises come New Year–a few weeks ago he mentioned the idea of cooperating with Alan Wong of Hatsune to hold cooking events in each other’s restaurant. (Speaking of urinals, Hatsune in Sanlitun Village could do with some, or at least a toilet.)

In the meantime, he says that, as of Friday, dinner will be available at Room until 2 AM on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, some 40 Chinese dishes were added to the menu after three chefs from Hakkasan in London spent weeks training the Room staff, and that it would be wise to RSVP if you plan to visit Room.

A few other updates re Room:

• A singer from Ireland–Raye–will perform six nights per week (Sundays off)
• Wednesday is Supreme Divas Ladies Night, with free Champagne for women and a “model material” dress code (9 PM-1 AM).
• Thursday night features two-for-one bottles (9 PM to 1 AM)
• And to end the work week: Thank ROOM It’s Friday, with two-for-one martinis and food and wine deals (9 PM to 1 AM)

With newcomers Bang! Bang! Pizza and Grinders, with diverse and longer-standing spots such as The Brick, D Bar (Renaissance Hotel), and Unconditional Love Coffee (nice beer and whiskey collections), and with The Loop about to open, Shuangjing is gaining increasing appeal as pub crawl territory. I checked out three spots on Friday night with Mr Hao, Ms Hao, Dirty, and Nasty.

Grinders held its soft opening—let’s rank this one Brie or even, given how the chairs showed up part-way through, oven-melted Brie—last Friday in Shuangjing with plenty of beer and wine. The team includes Fubar co-owner Chad Lager (formerly at Tun and The Rickshaw), his wife Fiona Liu, brother-in-law Trevor Metz, and sister-in-law Jing Liu.

Grinders is bigger than I expected and similar in size to fellow Shuangjing establishment Bang! Bang! Pizza. The airy main floor includes the bar, restaurant-style seating, and floor to ceiling windows, while the half second floor is accessible via a spiral staircase (watch your head) and offers views of below. Lager says the place aims to attract a lunch and afternoon crowd, including the laptop crew, as well as drinkers later on. The food menu–the focus is on sub-style sandwiches, or “grinders”–should be available by week’s end.

Actually, Grinders looks a bit like a ski lodge and seems perfect for a Hot Tub Time Machine party during Chinese New Year. Add some ski paraphernalia and a faux fireplace, install a hot tub or three, throw on the eighties tunes, and go retro with the beverages (think Sex on the Beach, Tequila Sunrise, wine coolers). That would be a good option for those staying in the city for the holidays.

The Brick, now run by Lee Mitchell (formerly at Blue Frog, Luga’s, and Parkside, currently at Stumble Inn), showed its two sides on Friday as I made a pair of visits. Earlier it had a sleepy local pub feel with a handful of patrons drinking, chatting, and watching TV. Later I found it packed and somewhat rowdy, with the drinks flowing and patrons singing along to parts of songs. Most of our crew stuck to the Hard Lemonade (RMB30) as it seemed best to save, for another night, The Terminator (an extra strong Long Island with blackcurrant liqueur and topped with cider and beer). By the way, White Russian fans will find numerous options on The Dude list and Mitchell should also have that Canadian classic, The Caesar, available by now.

Bang! Bang! Pizza, headed by Robin Howlett (formerly at Souk), was our final stop. This place is sporting a new menu and Mr Hao and Ms Hao say the fries and chicken wings are very good. The prices are fair on the drinks, with Jack and Coke at RMB30, capirinhas and mulled wine at RMB25, and Beijing draft at RMB10 (that seemed to be the drink de jour for most patrons).

By the way, if you are looking for a place to grab Christmas dinner, Bang! Bang! will have a roast turkey menu. In addition to the bird, the meal includes sweet potato and bacon bisque or tomato soup, garlic bread, sage and onion stuffing, everything from roast potatoes to parsnips, Yorkshire pudding, and mince and apple pies. The cost is RMB250 per head. For more details or to book a table, contact Howlett at 13601-000-343 or enquire at the bar.

Mo Lounge had its soft opening on Saturday night on the main floor of Kokomo in Tongli Studio and patrons can expect a stark new look. The homey and arguably hokey decor is gone. In its place: white walls, an exposed white ceiling, white furniture, and a three-sided white bar. There are some lashes of color, such as the wood ceiling beams and faded cranberry bar seat and lounge cushions, and co-owner El-Mar Bengel says the place is a work in progress, but for now I’d argue it’s whiter even than a certain singer’s derriere.

Anyway, given the layout and the ease with which the furniture can be cleared, Mo has the potential for plenty of impromptu fun. And Bengel says he plans to team up with a different DJ each Thursday.

Fans of the old Kokomo can rest assured that the drinks menu is largely unchanged from the old days, which means you can still act like a drunken sailor by guzzling Navy Grog at RMB50. (Cocktails start at RMB40, shooters from RMB20, and there are bottle and mix options.) Not only that, but the rooftop still retains that grungier feel and, given its winter cover, is accessible during the colder weather.

Ever been in a really big darkroom?

The House, a project that brings together Club Mix and local electronic music outfit Acupuncture, opened at the north gate of Workers Stadium last Friday. Always fashionably late, I went on Saturday.

First stop: the second floor. Expect a black and burgundy color scheme, offset by the lighter tones of the bar base and throw pillows, in a straightforward layout: a three-sided bar with views of Workers Stadium sits at one end, a DJ area at the other, with seating along both sides and a dance floor in the middle. This easy-to-memorize scheme will be useful when you get blurry eyed since this floor  is lit solely by scattered red Lan-like chandeliers and ceiling lights and is, well, imagine being in a really big darkroom… with loud music… and a lot of booze.

Speaking of booze, the beverages are relatively inexpensive, with mixed drinks in big glasses at RMB35 (though the Gin Tonic was only so-so). Shots start at RMB30, basic whiskeys such as Jameson are RMB50, and bottles with mixers start at RMB690. Most of the bar employees apparently hail from Mix and are more familiar with bottle service though I had no problem quickly getting a drink.

The first floor also has a bar, a large dance floor, and red lights (including plenty of LED), and it had a bigger crowd on this night. I only spent a few minutes there, gabbing with Acupuncture queen bee Miao Wong, who told me that the abrupt end of the previous project, Lantern in the 3.3 building, turned out to be a blessing in disguise given that The House space is much better. Keep those fingers crossed.

I have to admit I’m not much of an electronic music fan but I did like The House layout and vibe. Even better: the fact I got in is overwhelming evidence there is no dress code.

(Photo: softpedia.com)

I’m live-blogging The Beijinger Super Quiz tonight here. I’ll be posting comments and questions so you can play along at home…

Salt celebrated its third birthday last night with free-flow appetizers, wine, and butt-shaking (my Dancing with the Stars picks: Gordon Kutil for his interpretation of C+C Music Factory and Segolene Dufour-Genneson for Flashdance). As usual, a solid party by the team at Salt. (Even better, the RMB150 door fee went to UNICEF, my favorite charity.)

Paddy O’Shea’s celebrates its third birthday tonight. Expect some booze giveaways, prizes, the antics of Karl Long, and plenty of Guinness and giggles.

Head to The Hilton Beijing tomorrow for a charity bazaar with more than 70 stalls (4 PM), the lighting of the Christmas tree (6 PM), and the arrival of the Christmas train. Free mulled wine and hot chocolate from 6 PM and 7 PM. Those staying for dinner can grab the buffet in Elements for RMB216 or a three-course set menu in One East for RMB 238.

Grinders, the new project in Shuangjing by a team that includes Fubar co-owner Chad Lager, is in “soft opening” phase from tonight (translation: the place will serve booze, the chairs are supposed to arrive shortly, and the food won’t be available for a bit yet).With The Brick, Bang! Bang!, Unconditional Love, and other nearby places, this area is getting bar hop potential.

And also in the queue: the second Beijinger Super Quiz this Sunday and both SantaCon and the Time Out-Tiger pub crawl on December 11.

(Credit: oldmagazineads.blogspot.com)

Fans of Canadian cocktail The Caesar have long lamented the nonavailability in Beijing of key ingredient Clamato juice and have gone to extreme measures to  overcome this (see Fubar + one-kuai drinks + Canada Day + DJ Man Boobs = photo essay). Word is that this product is now available at BHG. I’ll drop in this weekend to check on prices. (Double hat tip to Lee Mitchell of The Brick for the heads up.)