Beijing Boyce

Heads up: Shanghai is slated to get its own Belgian Beer Cafe in the second half of the year and the search is on for a general manager for the nearly 200-seat restaurant. (See here for more about the Belgian Beer Cafe operation.)

The manager will be responsible for training and supervising the front-house staff, managing P&L, handling customer relations, ordering supplies, and keeping the restaurant in compliance with health codes, among other things. (I assume they will also have a taste a few Belgian beers in the interest of quality control.) He or she should have at least two years of experience in a Western-style restaurant, have in-depth knowledge of beer, wine, and food, and be fluent in spoken and written English.

To apply, send your resume to Roque del Rio at roque@el-willy.com.

This is part twenty in the Must Tries Series that asks people in the Beijing bar, restaurant, and wine business to give us their recommendations. This time up: Simon Amos, food and beverage manager at Hilton Beijing, on One East restaurant. (Heads up: The hotel will hold its annual pancake race next Tuesday, March 8.)

Sunday roast at the Hilton

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What is the “must try” food at One East?

Every Sunday we hold “An Authentic American Sunday Roast @ One East” (rmb198 plus 15% surcharge for three courses; rmb98 more for unlimited wine buffet). We offer something different to the normal mass market buffets in Beijing with our very relaxing “grown ups” Sunday lunch. The silver carving trolley is laden with an eight-kilo Australian prime rib of beef from which guests are carved unlimited servings accompanied by traditional Sunday roast trimmings. I even managed to get the chef to add traditional English Yorkshire pudding and crisp roast potatoes. Even though it’s an American restaurant, for me, Sunday roast is simply not the same without! The signatures for the Sunday lunch are dishes prepared and served table side, another of which is the Banana Fosters Flambe, a great American tradition and flamed with rum in the restaurant… it always draws a “wow!” from guests.

What is the “must try” drink at One East?

On top of the fantastic wine list and cocktails, every Thursday our resident sommelier, Julia Zhu, hosts our One East Wine Club (rmb150 plus 15 percent surcharge). Kicking off from 6:30 PM, Julia and the team take guests through a journey of some of the finest wine regions in the world with a relaxed interactive atmosphere and a sampling of five different wines accompanied by matching canapes. (Tip: Reserve a space at the bar in advance.)

What are three “must try” items at other venues in Beijing?

Every weekend I go with the family and try something new. Beijing is a great city for that, if you manage to get to the restaurant before it has closed!

1. Top of my list has to be the entire menu at the wonderful River Club… simply outstanding service and cooking.

2. Dumplings at Din Tai Fung… consistently excellent and attentive service.

3. A regular haunt for me and one of the few places we return time and time again… Bellagio for the fantastic crispy chicken!

My choices are places that have really connected with me in terms of experience, environment and consistency in the quality of food and service. There are also many more I could list. Can you change the question to “What are 10 ‘must try’ items at other venues in Beijing?”?

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As with the previous seven editions of the Give a Crap Report, these are things that would happen in the Beijing bar and restaurant scene if only people listened to me, me, me!

59. Wine promotion outfits like California Wine Institute and Wine Australia would consider teaming up with Modo to use its two card-based enomatic machines, each of which can keep eight bottles of open wine fresh for up to three weeks. Maybe they could rent a machine for a month or two and stock it with more expensive and atypical wines than are usually seen in promotions. Seems like a low-cost low-risk way to promote a country’s wine, make distributors of that wine happy, and give customers access to samples — pours start at 25ml — from better bottles.

60. Given its positioning as a Canadian bar, The Box would replay the 2010 Olympic gold medal hockey game between Canada and the United States on February 28, the one-year anniversary of that epic face off, with a special on Moosehead and more poutine than you can shake a stick at. (Now that I know how it ends, I could watch it without risk of ulcer when the Americans tie the game with 24 seconds left in regular time.)

61. It would be also great if The Box held a euchre tournament.

62. This one comes courtesy of The Wise Bartender, namely, that more bars state on their menus the size of their pours when it comes to spirits, wines, and draft beers. Is that whiskey pour 25ml or 50ml: nice to know before we order.

63. A downtown Korean restaurant would have a regular Korean street food night that includes dukpukki (sticky rice cylinders in red pepper paste with fish cake, onions, and other stuff), kimbap (steamed rice, egg and veggies rolled in seaweed), mandu (dumplings, especially kimchi stuffed ones), hoduk (pancake with brown sugar and cinnamon), and more. Korean street vendors make some of the world’s best late-night eats and we need them downtown.

64: This thing where employees are armed with walkie-talkies… please stop it. Why submit customers to loud static and garbled messages every few minutes in your otherwise quiet cafe or restaurant? Lots of places survive without such noise: so can yours!

65. The Jing Fling at Mao Mao Chong is among the best baijiu cocktails I have tasted and it might be even better if the baijiu were infused with plums rather than mixed with plum-infused vodka. Sounds like a worthy experiment…

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See also:
Give a Crap Report VII: Give a Crap Report VII: I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus, and more
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

I’ve asked many Beijing residents about their top five watering holes so for a change of pace I asked Shannon Roy to list the five best whiskeys widely available in our fair city.  (If memory serves, the request came as we sampled some of the more than 100 whiskeys available at one of my favorite Beijing spots, Ichikura.) Like a red deer on a far hillside — hmm, where did I read that? — here they are…

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The Great Wall between whiskey and Sprite.

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Whether you’re getting into spirits because the carbs in beer are expanding your waistline, or you’ve always been curious about whiskey but simply don’t know where to start, or even if you just want to be able to bluff your way through a whiskey conversation, let me see if I can help you with any of those things in our smoky Chivas-quaffing city of Beijing.

To be clear: this is not a “Top 5″ enumerating my personal favourite tipples. Nor is it a list of obscure 100-plus-single-malt bars (although there are more of these in Beijing than ever and most of them are great). Or the obscure name-dropping whiskeys you can find at said bars, or how to pronounce the names of said whiskeys! This is a Top 5 of truly great whiskeys that you can get basically anywhere in Beijing – for reasons as obscure as distributor/barkeep guanxi and as unambiguous as China’s import tax policy.

1. Johnnie Walker Black. Available everywhere. Sometimes things are popular because they are actually great. Forget the Red (which is like being smacked in the mouth with a burning tire) but the Black is all good. I never cease to shake my elitist head in amazement that something so available and so fundamentally 18th Century in outlook is just so reliably good here in 2010. The sweet liquorice or maple syrup is firmly in the velvet-over-iron grip of the Talisker-derived salt. Big rolling-tobacco and vanilla palate (Jackson’s notes: “marijuana”). Sweet fading to mellow in the finish.

2. The Macallan 12. Available at an astonishingly vast number of cafes and eateries in Beijing, which is awesome because it’s a terrific after dinner whiskey. Without ice, of course. Lightly watered, if that’s your thing. Buttery, Christmas pudding beginning. The palate is Mrs Field’s cookies when you’ve left them overnight and heated them up in a microwave — yum! A lovely long wine-like finish with very little “smoke” which, again, suits the after meal theme.

3. Highland Park 21. You may not be able to find the 21 as easily as some of its younger siblings, but anything from the 12 and up is going to be great. Surprisingly available. Although it doesn’t have a cool marketable “Celtic” name like Auchentoshan or Lagavulin, Highland Park 21 took out Whisky Magazine’s “World’s Best” in 2009. It’s just that good. And actually, if you add a (very) little water, “Highland Park” is a great name, redolent as it is with smoke from your campfire, dark chocolate from your hiking rations, heather, venison on the spit, and a glimpse of a red deer on a far hillside to give you that wild unpredictability of nature’s elements.

4. Taketsuru 21. Another blend! And not even a “scotch”! Sacrilege! But this is a great blend that, again, passes the availability test because of Beijing’s huge array of Japanese, Korean, and Japanese-and-Korean themed restaurants. I’ve found this as the only non-sake in even very small places. Stay away from the 12-year-old of the same name (really, it’s utterly unremarkable) but the 21 has lovely coffee-and-expensive-leather notes with a delightfully different finish (like Lao Chen Cu on Bitter Melon).

5. Talisker 10. To return to my theme, I’m always amazed to find this so freely and readily available in Beijing. It is the “Big Skye” I guess, and certainly deserves its place on any list of the truly good and great, but this is about availability in China’s capital, which means the Talisker pips out some of the Islays I could have filled a “Personal Top 5″ with. Jim Murray called this “razor-sharp” and he was right. It’s got a huge build-up, which keeps devolving different complexions as it moves across the palate. A true banked-hearth scotch finish.

Cheers!

Shannon Roy  has lived and worked in Beijing since 2002. Traditionally a “software guy” he now earns his whiskey money as an independent board member on a half-dozen foreign-invested Chinese companies, doing his bit to improve corporate governance, one fired rogue CEO at a time.

This is part nineteen in the Must Tries Series that asks people in the Beijing bar, restaurant, and wine business to give us their recommendations. This time up: manager Alex Molina and chef Daniel Urdaneta of Modo (and also of Mosto).

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Daniel Urdaneta and Alex Molina of Modo

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What is the “must try” food at Modo?

Urdaneta: From our evening menu of small plates to share, the Wagyu Beef Meatball with Heirloom Tomato Sauce (rmb80), because it is one of the most popular. Same goes with the Spinach & Ricotta Malfatti with Roasted Pears, Mushrooms and Shaved Pecorino Cheese (rmb75). It melts in the mouth and is such a pleasure to serve as this dish is rarely seen on pasta menus.

What is the “must try” drink?

Molina: To accompany the five or six different plates people typically order to share, I recommend trying some of the different wines from our Enomatic wine dispenser. [The machine includes 16 wines and allows small pours of 25ml up to full pours of 150 ml. See here.]

What are three “must try” items at other venues in Beijing?

Molina: I love Sureno’s pizzas! I would also recomend the afternoon tea at Capital M. Last but not least… Nobu, as soon as it opens.

Every time Beijing sees a food or drink special that involves Belgium, I can’t help but post a photo of the most famous person I know who was raised in that country:

I believe I'll have the Chimay Blue.

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Anyway, I know Vandergeeten best as a distributor of Belgian brew, including Hoegaarden and Stella on tap, and now it has teamed up with five of the city’s eateries for a beer and food pairing promotion that continues until the end of March, says brand manager Fredrik Esbensen. Here are the five specials:

• Tonic Lounge (Beijing Hilton Hotel): Stella draft with baked cheese and onion quiche and Belgian fries (RMB138)
• Aria (China World Hotel): Leffe Blond with beef bourguignon
• Fuel (Langham Place): Hoegaarden draft with baby back ribs (RMB180)
• The Summit Club (Kunlun Hotel): Chimay Blue with pork medallion in beer sauce and with mashed potatoes (RMB298)
• Ferry Port: Chimay Tripe with braised veal and Caesar salad (RMB158)

Get all the details here.

The Cellar Rat spends his days deep within a maze of spreadsheets, monthly reports, and order forms so dizzying that he can barely wobble out of his hole by 5 PM every day for happy hour. No doubt due to such stress, he called one recent Sunday night to see if I would partake of a beverage of two and I soon found myself trading my pajamas and slippers for my burgundy cashmere smoking jacket and Italian leather dancing shoes in the interest of comradeship and research. Our itinerary…

George’s: Our first stop, for Perfect Dry Manhattans (RMB50), and they are tasty libations. George’s can be hit and miss with the crowds–when it is busy, it tends to be really busy–but the drinks are fairly consistent and that is key for me. If you like butterscotch, the new martini using a liqueur of that flavor is worth a try. And if you want George to make your drink, your best bet is on Mondays when he gives the other bartenders the night off and handles all the mixing himself. I still think this place would do well to have an English-speaking host or hostess on busier nights.

Scarlett: This bar manages to be somewhat upscale without being snooty and offers good seating options, including at the three-sided bar. The bartender lets us sample several wines by the glass before we picked one. Frankly, Scarlett seems too classy to have only a handful of options at either RMB38 or RMB68, including brands available in Carrefour or Jenny Lou’s, and it would be nice to see some more options. Anyway, after six years of reading journalists write about Chinese mixing wine and cola, and not having witnessed such, I decided to give it a go. A glass of Los Condas Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile? Check. A well-chilled can of Coke? Check. Mixed together? Not bad. By the way, Scarlett continues to offer a tapas buffet for RMB88 each Thursday.

Face: The subdued and shadowy lighting, the mish mash of antiques, seating styles, and textures, and a wealth of nooks and crannies make Face good for anything from a date to a gathering of friends to a meeting with your artsier-fartsier clients. Good, except for the brainless techno beat that lightly thumped through the place on this night. I ordered a dry gin martini (RMB60) which came cold but not “stunningly” so as advertised, accompanied by olives with pits (tooth chip alert), and a service charge. On a positive note, the pour is generous and I would order this drink again, though I would ask the staff to set those shakers on stun and add pitted olives. The free spicy popcorn is a nice touch. And this was a fun place for my biannual game of pool. It is pretty sad if you lose to me, so I’ll keep the final score between myself and The Cellar Rat.

Q Bar: While the décor and layout could use a makeover, this place still works on most levels. The music fit the mood, and The Cellar Rat even found himself exclaiming, “Hey, this is my favorite artist!” The drinks are consistently good, not an easy feat to accomplish year in and year out. And the staff is competent. Head bartender Wendy informed us of the newly infused vodkas and whiskeys and even gave us a few sniffs and sips (see here for more details).

Yes Club: Even late on a Sunday, this place—as it has on every one of my visits—had a sizable crowd. For those who have not been, this place doubles as a singles club. There is a board near the entrance where attendees can write down their details and those of their ideal partner, corny match-making games inside if you come at the right time, and always a dozen or two people hanging on into the wee hours to dance and/or drink. The design and lighting are a bit gaudy, and a bottle of Carlsberg Chill is a prohibitive RMB40 (honestly, it’s questionable value even at RMB4), but if you are facing a return to a dizzying maze of spreadsheets et al in the morning, it is worth getting one last drink.

Is it just me or did everyone and their siblings, buddies, and workmates, their visiting cousins and blind dates, their ayi and baoan, not to mention Yan Xishan and his Juicy Pants Army, go out and party last weekend? A survey of friends who were out and about suggest than most every place was far busier than usual…

Kro’s Nest: I wondered if this location would work but so far the place is thriving, especially as an event venue. Saturday night, I attended a 100-person birthday bash organized by Minnesota Slim, just one of four parties being held, said owner Olaf “Kro” Bauer. The recently introduced quiz night is already a big draw, with nearly 20 teams last week. (I attended one quiz and while our team finished last in terms of points we came first in Moosehead consumed per capita. Take that knowledge!)

Migas: We arrived about midnight on Friday for Funk Fever and found the place wall-to-wall party-goers, with a trickle out the door. Patrons were four deep at the bar but after a 20-minute wait they were only… three deep. Here’s a suggestion for next time: set up 20 cases of Spanish beer at a makeshift bar in the back, charge RMB25 a pop (or more), and not only help take the pressure off the main bar but also give those waiting in line something to sip–thus lessening the chance of them getting annoyed–as they wait to get cocktails, wine, or water. (Even if you make RMB15 a pop on 20 cases, that comes out to RMB7000+.) Anyway, a big turnout and I can only imagine what this place will be like when Migas excellent deck reopens.

Aperitivo: An old Sanlitun standby, a favorite of the food and beverage crowd, some of the cleanest toilets in the land. Unfortunately on this night the place also had a group of French citizens who were a collective pain in the ass. Let’s put it this way: If you put a skewer through them, you’d have a douche-kabob. I particularly liked the guy who got upset because I don’t speak French and told me he was recently fired by a company that hails from my country. “They treated me like a rrrrrrrrrat,” he said. I like the place but these guys hastened our exit…

1F: So busy on our first stop that we left and came back an hour later to find it only very busy. I like the diversity of the crowd, the beer options, the late hours, and the general vibe. One of the past year’s best additions to the scene…

Yugong Yishan: Listening to Chinese rock is like trying Chinese wine–you have to suffer through a lot of it before you find anything good. And that’s good by local standards. What really bugs me is bands that thrash about like they are mimicking some video but have the underlying passion of a tribute band covering tunes with which they are slightly bored. Cut and paste. Not saying it’s true of the bands I saw on Friday–Amazing Insurance Salesmen and Rustic–but just explaining why I don’t tend to go to rock shows. I already try a lot of  Chinese wine. Anyway, I promised someone I would go, I did, I found Rustic more fun than the Salesman, and I am again amazed that Yugong Yishan charges RMB25 for a Tsingtao.

I like Champagne but when I think of how many good cocktails or beers I can get for the average price of a bottle of Moet in Beijing, I find it a rare occasion when spending on bubbly is worth it.

But there are exceptions. And the happy hour deal at Flamme that will start in March and go through April is one of them. This place already has a half-price happy hour on cocktails, beer, and wine by the glass that ranks among the best in town given the quality drinks made by manager Paul Mathew and his team of Coco, Sophie and David.

Come March, the happy hour will go from 3 PM to 7:30 PM but also include bottled wine.

And here’s my point: If you have never had Dom Perignon before and want to give it a try, this is about the best deal you will see: a RMB2200 bottle for RMB1100. (Yes, many people will find that expensive but if it something you want to try get a group of six and split a bottle.) A quick look at the wine list shows some other superb deals, including Ridge Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 at rmb475 (regular: rmb950) and two wines from Hewitson, Gun Metal Riesling 2008 and “Miss Harry” Grenache, Shiraz, and Mourvedre at RMB215 (regular: rmb430).

The wine-by-the-bottle deal starts March 1…

"You lookin' at me, kid?"

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Went to D Bar (map), soon to officially relaunch as R Lounge, in the Renaissance Hotel Shuangjing last night after buddy Chuckles McFlint told me not only about a “buy two glasses of wine, get the rest of the bottle free” deal but also that Bertie Higgins, known in Asia for his song Casablanca (“A kiss is still a kiss”) and stateside for Key Largo (“Here’s looking at you, kid”), is playing there. Ten points…

• The wine deal is only on Friday and Saturday nights. And the deal is indeed buy two glasses and get the rest of the bottle for free on a select list of wines.
• Happy hour is from 6 PM to 9 PM, with standard drinks, beer, wine, and cocktails at half price. Beers start at RMB40, most cocktails are RMB60. There is no service charge. The wine list is modest but you can order from Fratelli’s much bigger list downstairs until 11 PM.
• I tried the Dutch Martini, with Absolute Blue, Bokma Oude Jenever (full-flavored Dutch gin), Grand Marnier, and Noilly Prat vermouth (RMB60). Quality ingredients, a generous pour, though a bit sweet for me.
• Wednesday is ladies night, with free cocktails for the fairer sex.
• Bertie Higgins—he of Key Largo and Casablanca fame—will play until March 12. Last night, he played with keyboardist Mark Halisky, though there is usually a six-piece band, and there was plenty of good-natured banter. And yep, he played both of his hits as well as Jamaican Me Crazy and a Gordon Lightfoot tune. I’m going back to hear him play with the full band.
• A singer named Juliana performed between sets, including the song Buy Me Chocolate, with lyrics such as “Africa chocolate!” and “yummy yummy!”. Gotta admit, that performance kind of threw us and didn’t fit the whole Key Largo vibe. You can make up your own mind: the video is here.
• Starting February 23, the Jackson Twins–you might remember them from LAN–will also play. The idea is a short set from The Jacksons, two sets from Higgins, and then two more sets with the Jackson Twins.
• R Lounge have its official opening March 4 and March 5. It is open Wednesday to Sunday until then and Tuesday to Sunday after that.
• “We haven’t played that song since Moby Dick was a guppy.” Yeah, that’s an oldie, but it made me laugh. So did the idea of a song called, “How the Fuck Can I Miss You If You Won’t Leave.”
• And if you are ever in Atlanta, Bertie Higgins recommends stopping by Sloppy Joe’s for Red Stripe beer and conch fritters. Hope you appreciate Bertie acting as your head of China marketing, Sloppy Joe’s…

The Q Blazer (photo: Q Bar)

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Q Bar has long been among the city’s top cocktail spots and is finally joining the ranks of places that infuse their own spirits, a group includes everyone from high-end Maison Boulud to earthy Salud to artsy Mao Mao Chong to chill-out spot Twilight. There are more than dozen different infusions available at Q, including Bourbon with bacon and vodkas with chamomile, basil, orange, and other ingredients. The most intriguing is the vodka infused with garlic and Habanero peppers that head bartender Wendy Yang says works well in a Bloody Mary.

Q Bar has also introduced its version of Jerry “The Professor” Thomas’ classic nineteenth century cocktail The Blue Blazer. The cocktail is known as The Q Blazer (RMB55) and owner Echo Sun notes that the tweaks include using maple syrup instead of sugar, orange peel instead of lemon peel, and both rum and bacon-infused Bourbon. I’m not a fan of having fire around drinkers but this potent concoction goes far beyond the usual brainless flair bartending or Flaming B-52s and is worth a try.

By the way, Q Bar has a martini special every Wednesday, with a selection of drinks at RMB35 until 11 PM.

This is part eighteen in the Must Tries Series that asks people in the Beijing bar, restaurant, and wine business to give us their recommendations. This time: Reto Kistler of restaurant Sureno in the Opposite House. (This is the third post from the Opposite House: see these ones with Leo Liu of Village Cafe and Louis Wu of Punk.)

Reto Kistler

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What is the “must try” food at Sureno?

The handcrafted ravioli (RMB118) with buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil, wood-fired smoked ricotta, fresh tomatoes and Spanish extra virgin olive oil. An amazing pasta dish: simple but beautiful. I have to mention our Sunday brunch (RMB298), with free-flow Champagne and great choices from our set menus instead of the typical buffet stations with food heated under lamps.

What is the “must try” drink at Sureno?

Watermelon Negroni (RMB70): a great aperitif. The watermelon makes it more accessible and the citrus foam on top offers a nice tangy kick. For wine, hearty Chianti is always a great companion for Mediterranean food. The Frescobaldi Nipozzano Riserva Chianti Rufina is an example. It has berry and floral notes with delicate spices, and a refreshing crispness for which the Sangiovese grape is renown.

What are three “must try” items at other venues in Beijing?

For Beijing kaoya, The Fat Duck at the Renaissance offers an absolutely delicious one.

The River Club has some amazing tortello–stuffed with cheese and mortadella and a cream sauce.

There are times when a juicy burger is just what the doctor ordered. My dear colleagues at the Village Cafe do an amazing job. Top quality beef and lots of toppings. Finger-licking good and messy. The way it has to be.

Gung Ho! Gourmet Pizza Factory near Workers Stadium has expanded its menu to include calzones, both veggie (rmb45) and meat (rmb55), new salads (including chili prawn and pineapple salad) and pastas (including mushroom and balsamic cream sauce), and a hot and spicy pizza. Other additions includes desserts like brownies and sides like cheese bread balls. Until now, the key factor for me ordering pizza from Gung Ho! is adding on that tasty Greek salad.

Still on pizza, The Irish Volunteer in Lido has been generating buzz with its pies. While this homey place became known in the early days for its “Big Breakfast“, not to mention its commitment to showing NHL games, co-owner George Smith says pizza now outsells all other menu items combined by more than three to one. He adds that space station astronaut Mark Polansky tried the pizza and described it as “out of this world.” I’m planning a taste test soon.

Still on pizza, a couple of readers in Central Park asked if the new Nasca Café in Sanlitun delivers their way. The answer: yes. The former Nasca branch in Central Park went through a Kro’s Nest-type controversy just over a year ago that saw it renamed Navena and one partner leave to run the branches on Maizidian and now in Sanlitun, the latter now serving people in Central Park. Kudos to the place for doing a decent deep dish pie, and with fresh quality ingredients to boot. One gripe: three levels of spiciness are available but even the hottest doesn’t leave near enough burn.

Grinders in Shuangjing may feel the wrath of Zhongnanhai–not the government office, but the cigarette company of choice for most expats–when it starts its Ashless Wednesdays next week.  That means no smoking inside during hump day, though patrons are free to puff to their lungs’ discontent just outside the door. At least one day a week, patrons will leave smelling more like meatballs than 0.8s.

Start practising those wrist curls...

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Beijing Hilton will hold its second annual pancake race on Shrove Tuesday, 6 PM to 8 PM, on March 8. According to a press release, the hotel’s lobby will be turned into an obstacle course that contestants need to move through while tossing a pancake. “The winner will be judged on speed, style, costume, number of complete tosses and as well of course… not to have dropped the pancake crash helmets provided.” The winner gets a trophy and bragging rights as best tosser. Spectators can enjoy pancakes at a discount as well as half-price drinks in Zeta during the after party. For more details or to enter the contest, email Simon Amos at Simon.Amos (at) hilton.com.

Imagine them with steak knives (timesofmalta.com)

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FAQ (“Kiwi” is used here to denote a citizen of New Zealand)…

1: Are New Zealanders taking over the food and beverage industry in Beijing?

If the key Sanlitun-Workers Stadium corridor is any indication, the invasion is fully under way. A year ago, I knew of a single venue–Fubar–with a New Zealand citizen as manager or investor. Now I now know of four more–The Pavillion, Bar Blu, Gung Ho! and Nasca Café.

That translates to 400 percent annual growth. The rate is likely far higher given rumors of untold numbers of Kiwis in disguise and flipping steaks, popping corks, and investing in bars and restaurants across the city. Some analysts suggest that by year 2025 more than 20 percent of New Zealand’s population will be engaged in Beijing’s food and beverage sector.

2. Should we be worried?

Are you kidding me? Have you seen the All Blacks rugby team do the haka? Never have men in short pants been so terrifying. Now imagine a thousand Beijing kitchens, a dozen cooks emerging from each, every cook holding a pair of knives… and doing the haka?

Kiwis are already loose cannons, known to start fist fights in disputes over the origins of Crowded House or go on ten hour rants about how Australians are “a bunch of wankers” who stole the dessert pavlova from New Zealand.

And if New Zealanders do fully infiltrate the food and beverage scene, it would simply be a matter of time before menus started to list Vegemit-inis and Crowded House Snack Platters.

To grasp of the scope of this problem, imagine the movie 2012, with the threat being not global warming but Kiwis.

3. What’s the difference between a Zombie and a New Zealander?

Zombies don’t do haka, listen to Crowded House, or appreciate wine. They also start eating your flesh right away rather than preceding it with a ten hour rant as to why Australians are “a bunch of wankers” who stole pavlova. Thus, they are slightly more cultured and slightly less dangerous.

4. What should I do if a New Zealander approaches me?

First, you need to be able to identify a Kiwi. The general rule: they are just like Australians except with better manners. Second, keep several small sample-sized bottles of Sauvignon Blanc on your person at all times. If approached, slowly set a bottle down and back up. Once the Kiwi spots it, his or her attention will be captured for at least a minute, giving you time to escape. To increase your chances, affix something shiny to the label or spread Vegemite on it.

5. I’ve fallen in love with a New Zealander. What should I do?

It does happen: there are at least seven documented cases in the twentieth century alone. Your best bets are to memorize the lyrics to every Crowded House song, learn the history of the All Blacks inside out, never forget that Russell Crowe, Peter Jackson, and Rachel Hunter were all born in New Zealand, and always carry several small bottles of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc on you at all times—just in case (see point 4).

6. How many of your readers are actually going to think this post is serious?

Far more than you think. I actually have quite a few visitors from New Zealand…

By the way, there is a “tweet up” tonight at Nasca Cafe, owned by a New Zealander, in Sanlitun at 7 PM. Half-price pizzas and RMB20 glasses of wine. If interested in joining, drop me an email at beijingboyce (at) yahoo.com.

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Update: The voting is now live.

Note: As I publish this look at some of The Beijinger restaurant awards nominees, voting has not yet gone live. I am told it will go live sometime today, Wednesday, February 16. Thus, if you go to The Beijinger website and see you cannot yet vote, do not leave insulting comments here, send me angry emails, or start griping that the awards campaign is already a disaster. Why? Because I just noted that the voting has not yet gone live. If it is still not live on Thursday, feel free to freak out. In fact, start stockpiling bottled water, canned goods, and gasoline-powered blenders because the end is no doubt near. In the meantime, remain calm. Don’t panic. Enjoy a cool refreshing beverage with friends and talk about how the same places win every year anyway / everyone else in this city is like so stupid because your favorite twelve-seat chuanr joint wasn’t even nominated for best restaurant / you can at least drink free booze at the awards ceremony. And remember, the voting lasts for weeks. (The preceding message was aimed at that tiny fraction of the population that reacts to restaurant awards in the most irrational ways. This station apologizes to everyone else for having to read through it.)

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So, I called Beijinger GM Mike Wester earlier tonight, caught him as he picked up some hummus at Biteapitta, and a few hours later he sent me some highlights from this year’s awards campaign. First, there are several reasons why I like The Beijinger awards: they include reader and expert/editor picks; Wester is intense about scrutinizing votes (he missed his calling as a sabermatician); the awards parties tend to be fun; and previous results resounded with me (doesn’t mean I agreed with all of them but that they seemed reasonable). I’m curious to see how much of an impact the ever-increasing power of social media, especially the likes of Twitter and Weibo, have on voting this year. I hope it doesn’t mean a flood of messages from restaurants seeking votes. I’ll be honest: an email or tweet or two is OK but any more than that is alienation territory. Anyway, here is the sneak peak, with a few categories relevant to the focus on this blog…

Most nominations

9 Capital M
8 Maison Boulud
7 SALT
5 Blue Frog
5 Da Dong
5 Dali Courtyard
5 Element Fresh
5 Hatsune
5 Hua Jia Yi Yuan
5 Made in China
5 Modo
5 Mosto

Late night dining

• 1F
• Apothecary
• Bellagio
• Biteapitta
• GL Cafe
• Jin Ding Xuan
• Lush
• Ole
• Terra
• The Den

Wine List

• Aria (China World Hotel)
• Enoterra
• Grill 79 (China World Summit Wing)
• Maison Boloud
• Modo
• Mosto
• Palette Vino
• Pinotage
• Sureno (The Opposite House Hotel)
• Vineyard Cafe
• W Dine & Wine

Burger

• 1F
• Blue Frog
• Chef Too
• Fatburger
• Let’s Burger
• Lush
• Union Bar & Grille
• Vineyard Cafe

Restaurant of the Year (Chinese)

• Bellagio
• Crystal Jade
• Da Dong
• Dali Courtyard
• Din Tai Fung
• Duck de Chine
• Haidilao
• Hua Jia Yi Yuan
• Lei Garden
• Made in China, Grand Hyatt
• Pure Lotus

Restaurant of the Year (Non-Chinese)

• Agua
• Bei
• Capital M
• Flamme
• Hatsune
• Kro’s Nest
• Maison Boulud
• Modo
• Mosto
• Room Beijing
• SALT

Best place that was supposed to open but didn’t*

• Albannach
• California Grill
• M1NT
• Nobu (wait, did it actually open?)
• Beijing Boyce’s Magical House of Donkey Meat Dumplings in Baijiu Sauce**
• Capital Eminem***
• Paddy O’Rice’s Irish-Chinese Cuisine****

* I might have made up this category myself
** I might also have made up this restaurant name.
*** And this one.
**** And this one, too.

Have a Valentine’s Day date with that certain someone but find yourself not only short on cash and time and but also lacking the desire to visit some cheap hole in the wall or order in? Fret not, for less than RMB75 you can enjoy a five-course feast simply by stopping at your friendly neighborhood 7-ELEVEN, open 24 hours a day. A sample menu (apologies for the photo quality)….

Glassware and dinnerware not included

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Maison 7-ELEVEN

Valentine’s Day Dinner

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Amuse bouche

Petite makisushi

Display-counter fresh tuna morsels centered in soft white rice
and hand-rolled in salted laver
rmb3.90

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Entree

Soupe et Salade ‘Duo of Duos’

Two become one with beef- and chicken-flavored ramen noodles lightly sprinkled
with vacuum-sealed seasoning and topped with freshly boiled water
rmb7.80

Two become one (again) with a colorful medley of vegetables,
including sweet pea and corn nuggets, cucumber disks, and cherry tomatoes,
atop fresh potato and iceberg lettuce salads
rmb4.50

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Intermezzo

Mixed fruit, including a heart-shaped cherry slice, in a light translucent jelly
that will gently cleanse rather than scour the palate
rmb3.50

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Plat

“Surf et turf”

Fresh savory noodles topped with slivered carrots, green bean segments,
and a sprinkling of minced beef in light gravy
rmb7.90

Selection of hand-rolled sashimi, including tender shrimp,
that will entice as much with its presentation as with its taste
rmb9.80

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Petits Fours et de Fruits

Mini Mandarin oranges, Hershey kisses, and (what denotes Valentine’s Day more)
candied rose present a bouquet of flavors sweet and sour to delight the senses.
rmb12.70

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Beverages

Sparkling Rose

Forever fresh with its pop tab seal, it will provide the meal with
a bubbly start and ably match the early courses
rmb7.20

Harbin Beer

A local nod that will provide apt accompaniment for later courses
rmb5.00

Caffe Latte

Coffee and milk carefully aged together (check production date),
it will mesh perfectly with the petits four.
Rmb3.50

Hunan Baijiu
An ideal digestif to cleanse the palate and wash away all of your inhibitions.
Zhongnanhai cigarettes (rmb4.5) and Durex prophylactics (rmb13.5) extra.
rmb8.90

All from your friendly neighborhood 7-ELEVEN

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By the way, I do realize it is possible to order in a meal from many Chinese restaurants for less than RMB100, that one could create similar menus by going to Jingkelong, Carrefour, or some other outlet, and that when it comes to 7-ELEVEN the food is not haute cuisine, that there are cheaper items available than what I have chosen, and that the place has its own buffet / soup stand / steamed bun stand / etc during parts of the day. This post is just for fun.

Also, the prices are based on my memory, as I misplaced the receipt, so expect an error of a few kuai either way.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Kro’s Nest wasn’t the only pizza operation to experience a nasty partner breakup last year. Nasca Cafe in Central Park also experienced a meltdown. That branch now goes by the name Navena, kind of like how the ex-Kro’s Nest goes by Tube Station, and the partner who left–Wei–now runs two Nasca Cafe outlets, including a recently opened one in Sanlitun South (see here). I visited on Wednesday night–and today. Ten thoughts on the spot:

• On Wei: A citizen of New Zealand, like the Gung Ho pizza guys, he worked back home at an operation called Hell Pizza. He told me he only uses New Zealand cheese (some cheaper American cheeses get rubbery when they cool, he says), whole wheat flour from the Netherlands, fresh ripe tomatoes for the sauce, and many, many other things. (Don’t get him started on this until after your order goes in.)
• On the pizza: Since it was the first day of my campaign to lose 15 kilograms, I ordered the Hunting Wild, which includes salami, ham, roast beef, pork sausage, bacon, and pepperoni. This is a deep-dish style pizza and comes packed with flavor. While my medium looked small, Wei said what matters is the weight, and that it would stack up to a medium from the big pizza branches or a large from Gung Ho.
• On the sauce and toppings: I found the sauce slightly sweet, though not unpleasant, and Wei attributed this to the use of fresh tomatoes. The toppings all seemed high quality to me.
• On other menu items: I tried the lemon pepper wedges, which came in a large mound and accompanied by small bowls of garlic-mayonnaise sauce and sour cream. Tasty. My friend Ruby ordered a Caesar salad, which turned out to be bigger than expected and looked good topped with a poached egg crossed with anchovies and surrounded by plenty of bacon strips. The menu includes plenty of desserts, pastas, sandwiches, and burgers, including a veggie version.
• On the beverages: I stuck to coffee, with a large mug at RMB22 (get six stamps on your Nasca card and the next mug is free). Other options include yogurt drinks, milk shakes, juices, sodas, teas, and spirits. A bottle of Harbin is RMB15, while at Erdinger is RMB32. The house wine is Black Wing (RMB29-38 glass, RMB158-168 bottle): The Cabernet Sauvignon won as best red in the Grape Wall Challenge I co-organized last year.
• On flexibility: Ruby wanted what she calls a “Blue Belle” pizza, something she had back home and that includes broccoli, black olives, and blue cheese as toppings. Wei whipped one together and she gave it thumbs up.
• On the décor: The atmosphere is light and airy, with pastel walls adorned with colorful paintings. There is a computer terminal for checking email, a small (and I would guess growing) library of books, and seating areas up front, along the side, and in an alcove in back. It could use some material to absorb the sound–or louder music–and works as a laptop stop. Finally, if you want to know the inspiration of the name and logo, see here.
• On delivery: Nasca does it from its Chaoyang Park outlet and its Sanlitun outlet, the latter covering Central Park. It’s free for any order over RMB50. My friend ksquare tested it out and said he had no problem with the service.
• On pricing: My bill came to RMB99 for the pizza (RMB55), wedge fries (RMB22), and coffee (RMB22). Ruby’s came to RMB97 for the pizza and Caesar salad, though she did take half of each home to eat the next day (and said the pizza passed the re-heating test).
• Overall: I’m adding this to my preferred pizza spots and will start working my way through the menu…

Those notes came from Wednesday night. Today, I tried the Mexican Passion: good but in future I would ask for more spiciness (you can choose between three levels and I went for the middle one). Wei also showed me all of his delivery materials to show how the bags, cups, and boxes are all made from recycled materials.

I’ll have more on this place as I work my way through the menu. In the meantime, you can see the menus here, the locations here,

The opening of Mokihi means an auspicious start to the year for cocktail and whiskey fans visiting Lucky Street. (Whiskey fans should also check the daily two-for-one deal at Nashville just a few doors down). The backers include Motonari Uchiyama, bartender and co-owner at Twilight in Jianwai Soho, Apothecary in Sanlitun North, and the former Er on Maizidian Street.

Mokihi is nestled in a restaurant called K’s Kitchen that Uchiyama says will open within a month and feature Western foods with a Japanese twist. It has one long bar with seating for about a dozen, dim lighting and light music, a relaxed atmosphere, and a liquor stock that typifies the Japanese-style bars of this city. Most cocktails cost RMM60 to RMB70.

I ordered the Wasabi Martini, which includes gin, green Chartreuse, dry Vermouth, cucumber, lemon juice, and freshly grated wasabi. This is a cloudy concoction that is refreshing but with a bit too much edge for me. Fellow imbiber Blox said, “it’s vegetal… like a health drink [with gin]“, while The Cellar Rat described it as having “four levels of flavor”. It is worth a try, though I am far more likely to reorder the Smoky Martini I started with. Overall, we found all our drinks above average. Add this place to the quality cocktails circuit…

This is part seventeen in the Must Tries Series that asks people in the Beijing bar, restaurant, and wine business to give us their recommendations. We head to the suburbs this week with Pat Walsh of The Green Cap Bar in Shunyi.

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What is the “must try” drink at Green Cap?

It has to be our ever popular pint of Guinness. Fresh as can be from St. James’s Gate in Dublin. I can safely say it is one of the best in Beijing!

What is the “must try” food at Green Cap?

We have our new chef Bill Marrett cooking up a storm. Quality pub grub. The consensus is our spicy wings/chili. The locals like it hot round here!

What are three “must try” items at other venues in Beijing?

I love lunch at The Orchard. Their bread is the best I’ve ever had and the setting is just perfect.

A pint in Paddy’s with Karl Long. We go way way back so its always good to catch up over a pint or two or three or….

I like the pizza in The Irish Volunteer. A great tasty bite for your dollar in a good non-pretentious setting.