Beijing Boyce

Preparing for the big event

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One week Two weeks Three weeks Four weeks ago, I finished off a heavy weekend – cocktails at Flamme and all you can eat/drink at Korean restaurant Ssam on Friday, dinner at Argentine steakhouse Obelisco on Saturday, and brunch at Capital M, a menu tasting at Mao Mao Chong, and the Beijing Foodies dinner (a second stop at Ssam) on Sunday – by going to the Beijinger Restaurant Awards party at the Renaissance Shuangjing the following Monday. I thought I had already posted my notes from the event but it appears I did not so here they are. And if they have a hint of delirium, blame it on that 72 hours of food and drink…

- The Beijinger did not reveal the cheaters. Next time I’ll bring big character posters to put the pressure on them.

- A rep from Vandergeeten — which supplies our fair city with Stella, Hoegaarden and other brews — convinced me to try a cocktail of Kriek’s cherry beer and KISS raspberry vodka. Smells like Kool-aid. Drink too much and you will need first aid. Be careful with this one.

- The results (see here) seem reasonable but as usual the event featured no shortage of outrage over certain categories and I heard several groups griping that The Tree again won for best pizza. They in turn had different opinions about who should have won. You mean different people like different kinds of pizza? What a revelation. I didn’t vote for The Tree (I like the pizza but do not consider it the best) or the two runners up, Kro’s Nest (it might make my top five but not number one) and Gung Ho (I find the crust brittle so I usually only order it when in the mood for the Greek salad) but went rogue with a write-in for Nasca Café (I like the combination of crust, sauce, and ingredients). My second pick probably would have been La Pizza, which also didn’t win. Does that mean everyone who voted for The Tree, Kro’s Nest, and Gung Ho is an idiot and the world is going to the hot place in a hand basket? No. It just means more voters in this particular magazine’s contest chose those places.

Such things happen in lots of categories. Hatsune wins every year for best Japanese and my foodie friends then complain that it is an American take on Japanese food. So what? The awards are a gauge of what the readers like. Again, Element Fresh won as best American food which also riled some foodie friends who wonder how it can possibly beat places like by Blue Frog, Chef Too. I voted for Union Bar & Grille. At such times, I find it best to forgo the outrage and have another cherry beer / raspberry vodka.

- I don’t imagine it is easy to perform at 5 PM on a Monday in front an already tipsy crowd but The Jackson Twinz and Zero did a good job. They also seemed open to my idea that I buy a matching suit and join them to create the Jackson Threez — or maybe Jackson Tripletz is better. We upped the ante to possibly include former Beijinger dining editor Tom O’Malley and now I’m thinking we need one more person — I’ve seen Andy Bright from Union bang his head off the bar top in frustration / perfect rhythm a few times, thus suggesting some musical talent — to create the Jackson Fivez.

- Scott Taylor, marketing head of The Beijinger, deserves some recognition for having the biggest tie knot to shirt collar ratio of the night (see photo below).

Anyway, I like The Beijinger parties given the chance to meet people in the bar and restaurant business and enjoy a drink or two. The ballroom looked good, especially that portable bar in the middle, and we had plenty of room to mingle. The Beijinger did a good job on the signage, including the backdrop and the 50 or so banners that each listed a category and its winners. And we had our choice of Belgian beer, ice cream and waffles, Kiss vodka, iF Juice, Grand Marnier drinks, Capitano coffee, and more. Including a big tuna near the entrance for those who wanted a whack of meat or to catch a whiff of something pungent.

Again, good stuff, and I don’t want to be one of those people who bitch and complain about an event even as I enjoy all the freebies and walk off with a gift bag. And I usually have more fun at these awards than at those run by City Weekend and Time Out, so I hope the following comments are taken as constructive.

I know there was an effort to keep this year’s ceremony tighter by only announcing winners in four categories and having the rest listed on banners around the ballroom. And I know there was an effort to impart knowledge by getting Jennifer 8 Lee as a speaker. But the reality is that people get engrossed in catching up on industry news and grabbing free drinks, the award sections were too short to get any momentum and it was hard to hear at times, and this all meant few paid attention to what was happening on stage. I think this show could have used more flash, flesh, and funk. Here are my admittedly amateur suggestions for a schedule:

2:30 PM: The doors open, the drinks and snacks are available, people trickle into the ballroom.

3 PM: When you have the Jackson Twinz and Zero, why wait until the end to get the party started? Throw them up front to get people into a funky mode from the get go. These guys do a great upbeat version of eighties tune Purple Rain. Maybe they could do one of Hungry Like the Wolf or Baby Got Back (Ribs) or some other “classic” tune that suggests a food angle. (I realize an introductory speech is needed to explain the awards and how the results are reached but some of that material could also be beamed on the screens placed around the ballroom.)

3:15 PM: Announce the winners of a handful of arcane / joke categories not included on the ballot. Maybe announce what place received the most write-in votes even though it is closed. Or an award to the chef involved in the most restaurants picking up awards — I’m guessing Jeff Powell who has done work with The Orchard, Kro’s Nest, Element Fresh, Gung Ho, and Flamme. It would be a chance to inject some humor into the event and give some recognition to people in the food and beverage community. At the end of this section, have about half of those 50 banners — the ones that list the winners of each restaurant category — either marched out or unfurled while those results are simultaneously beamed on the screens.

3:30 PM: Have a “quiet” time with music in the background so people, many of whom are just arriving or have only been there for 30 minutes at best, can grab a drink / find their friends / check those banners. Then have a performance that gives into two of our deepest cravings – food and scantily clad people cavorting in horribly cheesy outfits. I’m thinking a combination of cavemen / cavewomen clad in leopard skin loin cloths / bikinis and dancing with giant drumsticks of the animal rather than the musical kind. I admit the concept is still hazy but I have no doubt people would watch something like this, even if it were in horror.

3:45 PM: Announce the winners in three or four popular and contentious categories like Best Burger and Best Pizza. People love to bitch about the winners of these categories so give them their money’s worth even if entry to the restaurant awards is free.

4 PM: Have the DJ or the Jackson Twinz do another set in the lead up to the big prizes like the best new restaurants and the best restaurants overall.

4:15 PM: Announce the four big prizes. I don’t know if this is possible but if The Beijinger could first announce the three finalists in each category and get the reps on stage, and then announce who is the winner and who is “outstanding”, I think that would be more interesting. (Note: Given some of the rivalries, you might have to frisk people for steak knives and the like.)

4:30 PM: The Jackson Twinz and Zero come out one last time and do some upbeat songs. Bonus points if the cavemen / cavewomen with their giant drumsticks perform at the same time.

4:45 PM -Midnight: Cherry beer and raspberry vodka.

Then at Midnight, every goes to The Tree for a pizza party….

Welcome to part twenty-four of the Must Tries Series, where I ask the people who own or work in restaurants and bars what they like best. Up this time: Robin Howlett and Steve Williamson of Bang! Bang! Pizza and Bar. I don’t have a photo of the pair so I picked something from the web (it narrowly beat out this option).

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What is the ‘must try’ pizza at Bang! Bang!?

The Breakfast Pizza: Mozzarella, ham, sausage, bacon, mushroom and a cracked egg on our homemade pizza base with special Bang! Bang! sauce.

Tastes great any time of the day.

What is the ‘must try’ non-pizza item?

Lasagna: Very cheesy, very meaty. Comes with garlic bread. What’s not to like!?

How about the ‘must try’ drink?

Bang! Bang does a great line in martinis. Our Lychee Martini and our Chocolate Martini are particularly popular but the Pomegranate Martini is Steve’s personal favourite. And at RMB35 great value. However, if you want your day to start with a Bang! or end it explosively then a must try is the Bang! Bang! Zombie — dark and light rums, cherry brandy and triple sec, lime and pineapple shaken to distraction.. not for the faint hearted… at RMB60 a banging bargain.

What are ‘must try’ items from other places?

Iki Korean BBQ has opened next door and is our new favourite restaurant in Beijing. The LA style ribs are particularly good and if you are a kimchi fan it is definitely to die for. Very tasty and very kind on the wallet.

On the fly today so just a quick post that a wine shop will open in the B1 level of the Yintai Center next month. Called Vinolia, word is that it has backing from investors from Taiwan and will focus — not surprisingly — on French wines though also include some top drop from other countries. More on this place soon. (Hat tip: The French Connection)

What do you mean by 'comb'? (cousinavi.wordpress.com)

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Grinders is not only the latest place to start a pub quiz but also the first in recent memory to book it on a Saturday night (8 PM), that time of the week when the only questions I want to hear are “Gin or vodka?” and “Olive or lemon twist?” Anyway, this means Shuangjing now has a pair of weekly brain-teasers given that The Brick holds a quiz each Wednesday (9 PM).

I find quizzes as much fun as shaving with a rusty vegetable peeler or debating salesmanship tactics with a persistent ‘lady bar’ tout but some readers value the chance to spend all night arguing with teammates over what answer to list in the hope of winning a six-pack of beer and bragging rights that they know more about TV commercials, bad 80s music and cricket history than anyone else in the room

Attitude aside – and I blame it on the five cups of coffee I have had today – I try to help readers of this blog and thus am listing this Saturday’s first round questions and answers, all of which have a Canadian angle since I figure that will guarantee they get included by quiz master / China Radio International celebrity / fellow Canuck Paul James. Here they are…

Answers

1. Beating the back bacon
2. Celine Dion (if we all sign the petition)
3. The 41-Year-Old Virgins
4. Never
5. True. No, wait: false
6. Yes, Wonder Bread was invented in 1920 and the Eskimo Pie in 1921.
7. Could we please go the next question?
8. John ‘Eh’ Macdonald
9. You be the beach and I’ll comb you.
10. One
11. Lee Aaron, no, no
12. They’re both fucking close to water.
13. Screech farts
14. No, I’m pretty sure it’s screech farts.
15. Canadian Club

• Bonus: True

Questions

1. What is an alternative way of saying ‘manhandling the moose’?
2. Which one of these singers is not Canadian: Bryan Adams, Leonard Cohen, Celine Dion, Nelly Furtado, Avril Lavigne, Sarah McLaughlin or Alanis Morissette?
3. What is the nickname of the Vancouver Canucks hockey team, which was founded in 1970 and has never won the Stanley Cup?
4. When will they win the Stanley Cup?
5. The fabled gables were green in the 1908 Canadian novel Anne of Green Gables. But in reality, the Anne who inspired the story contracted an illness due a diet that almost solely consisted of two new-fangled inventions — Wonder Bread and Eskimo pies — and herself turned green. True or false?
6. Are you sure?
7. Well, aren’t you clever?
8. What is the name of the first Canadian prime minister (bonus point for giving it a Bob and Doug McKenzie twist)?
9. What is the one line that Relic should have said to Nick (see photo above), but never did, on The Beachcombers, the Canadian TV show about driftwood collectors in British Columbia?
10. What should be the official all-time quota for the entire known universe for TV shows about driftwood collectors in British Columbia?
11. Who in Canadian rock music history is known as the Metal Queen? Was she actually made of metal? Did she turn green?
12. How is making love in a canoe similar to American beer?
13. What is that awful smell in Newfoundland?
14. It’s not loneliness?
15. What drink does a baby seal never order at a bar?

• Bonus question: At least half of the goals scored by Wayne Gretzky could legitimately be described as “kind of lucky”. True or false?

Good luck, people…

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The Butcher Steakhouse burst onto the scene by offering its massive gut-busting burger for free — if you managed to down it in one sitting. Now TBS has seared its last steak / is chopped liver / has been gutted / is closed. While this place had potential, and a nice deck on which to chill out, it had an awful lot of seats to fill and struggled with the service and food. That downstairs Japanese restaurant, which opened just a few months, is also closed. This place has been a merry-go-round since longstanding tenant Cappuccino left — maybe it is time for a comeback?

More restaurants for the grinder.

While the price of a bottle of vodka in most Beijing bars, restaurants and clubs is typically in the hundreds of renminbi, you can expect to multiply that four or five times if you buy Beluga Gold Line. One of the most expensive vodkas in the world,  Beluga hails from Russia and is being brought to Beijing by China Wine and Spirits (CWS).

I tried it with Alexandre Cros of CWS, who said only 900 bottles of this vodka are produced each day. What makes it so special? Cros cites the purity of the water and the quality of the grains used. And according to the Beluga site,”Apart from a special malt spirit and the purest artesian water, Beluga Gold Line vodka also contains ingredients such as rice extract and rhodiola rosea extract.” Anyway, even at room temperature this stuff makes for smooth sipping.

But half of the deal is the ritual of opening the bottle and in China, where the nouveau riche are no strangers to displays of wealth, this might go over big. My photo doesn’t show it but the bottle top is sealed with wax. The idea is to take the attached tool to break up the wax and sweep it away. Then, I supposed, it is ganbei time.

China Wine and Spirits also carries the expensive Beluga Classic vodka (does not include hammer).

One of my favorite trends in Sanlitun during the past couple of years is the rise of Spanish restaurants. Nali Patio has become the HQ for this given it houses Niajo, Carmen, Agua and Migas, with Ole and Olas nearby, though there are other Spanish joints around the city, including the relatively new Bar Code.  Anyway, this means Food & Wines from Spain has even more options this year when it holds its second annual Spanish Tapas & Wine Tour, from May 1 to May 23. States the press release:

The Spanish Tapas & Wine Tour 2011 is a fantastic way to promote the delicate and flavorful food of Spain in China throughout a competition among several Tapas bars and refined restaurants. Participants will have the opportunity to delight in showing their creativity using Spanish ingredients for their Tapas-making. There are five categories in the contest that includes cold tapa, hot tapa, traditional tapa, creative tapa and fusion tapa.

Customers who buy a glass of wine at a participating establishment get one dish for free, while those who buy a bottle (RMB150) get all five tapas dishes. They can then cast a vote for which eats they like best. I’ll soon have more details on this and on the participating restaurants and bars.

See also: Last call: Nine-restaurant Spanish wine, tapas promotion ends June 15 (2010)

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I ran into Simon Pendergast and Brandon Hess of beer and spirits distributor Dxcel last night at Q Bar and it transpired that not only does the company distribute VVH VODK Caramel Liquor but also that a bottle of it was on hand. We opened it. The packaging and name don’t particularly resound with me but this stuff does taste good. (And for those into trophies, they noted that this tipple took top spot for liqueurs at the 2010 International Wine and Spirit Competition.)

As luck would have it, Tangla Hotel chef Phil Nock was in Q and he and head bartender Wendy Yang worked on several different concoctions containing VVH, Kahlua and vodka. Good times.

Look for the Paddy O’Shea’s Empire to increase next weekend when Paddy’s Pit Stop opens in the former Top Cellar space in Pinnacle Plaza in Shunyi. Pomme O’Shea’s, formerly known as The Pomegranate, is also in Shunyi.

The bar will measure about 100 square meters , including an outdoor area, and have a 55-inch TV , a good range of beer (including Guinness on tap, of course) and pub grub, says Karl Long. I am still waiting for confirmation of rumors that we will soon seen the opening of Paddy O’Daokou’s.

Almost forgot to post this one: Carrefour will hold its Beijing spring wine fair is this weekend at the Shuangjing store. As usual, bring your own glasses unless you want to sip out of some tiny egg cup-like vessel. This is usually a pretty good time, mainly because it is free, though the last one was a bit disappointing as one distributors wouldn’t open wines that a) they had on display and b) opened at the last fair. The reasons were the most disappointing part: a) it was too late (there was still  90 minutes left) and b) they were going to open them the next day and suggested I come back (uh, are you kidding?). Anyway, that said, there are hundreds of wine you can try for free. Check it out this Friday night, Saturday, or Sunday.

See also:

• Fall 2010: BYOG: Carrefour fall fair kicks off October 15 with free wine
• Spring 2010: ‘Prostitute wine’ and other tales
• Spring 2009: Glasses, deals, and labels with animals galore
• Fall 2008: Southern exposure
• Spring 2008: By / buy the case

TimeOut magazine and Chifan for Charity are teaming up with more than two dozen restaurants for charity dinners on April 24 to raise funds for victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Proceeds from the night will go the Japanese Red Cross Society. The dinners at Agua, Mosto and Modo are already sold out but seats are available at other restaurants. More details here.

Later that night, Moonglow Burlesque will be performing acts in the styles of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s at LAN Club. According to a press release guests can expect “acts from movie ‘Cabaret’, exotic Hula Girls shaking their grass skirts and playing ukulele, Josephine Baker dancing, Marilyn Monroe singing, hot blues and energetic swing dancing all in one show!” (See this video.) The event starts at 9 PM with swing and blues music, with the Caberet kicking off at 11 PM.  (Tickets include one drink: RMB200 at door, RMB150 pre-show from LAN Club, Purple Haze, Purple Haze Courtyard, CD Blues Cafe, One Club.)

Expect this to be the summer of outdoor drinking and dining, with Nali Patio primed to be among the leaders. Not only is the Nali courtyard a relaxing place to grab a bite and a beverage but it should also see Enoterra and Agua open rooftop decks. Add in Saddle Cantina and top-floor restaurant / lounge Migas and this one space alone provides more than enough options. Speaking of which, Migas will officially launch its deck for this year on Friday with a Funk Fever party from 9 PM.

More than a few people were disappointed and/or outraged in August of 2009 when Jonathan Ansfield and Amy Li announced they felt essentially forced out of The Stone Boat in Ritan Park after five years of building it as a business (see here). The pair now plans to return to the food and drink scene by opening a Vietnamese restaurant.

The place will be called Susu and i near the Natonal Art Museum.  Ansfield describes it as a “courtyard kitchen“, says the finishing touches are being put on the menu, and aims to have the restaurant open in early May. I talked to someone today who has already visited the place and he said it looks very good. I’ll have more details on this place soon.

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In the spring of 2008 I watched from my apartment as a construction crew spent more than a month hammering together a two-deck boat in the pond in the southeast corner of Workers Stadium. I figured that boat might become a party place for the Olympics but it never opened and instead drifted on a Sargasso Sea of irrelevance. Three years later it is setting sail into the food and drinks scene and will open to the public on Monday as The Story Ship, says operations director Lawrence Lu, who cites a stint at Agua, when it was in the Legation Quarter, on his resume.

The Story Ship is less than a minute from Fubar, George’s and Le Quai and has two levels with hardwood floors, simple but comfortable furniture, a nice long bar, and a large rooftop that will work well for events. Among the more interesting touches is the kitchen built into the embankment opposite the vessel. In general, imagine The Story Ship as a bigger, cleaner and more convenient version of The Boat / The Showboat. (Speaking of which, does anyone know where the whereabouts of that vessel? The canal in which it floated was drained the last time I passed by.)

The beverage menu at Story Ship will be heavy on beer, especially on bottled Belgian and German ones, though there is Stella and Hoegaarden on tap as well as numerous wine options. The food menu will stress German dishes — I have not seen it yet and will have more on it soon.

It is hard to believe that five years ago, one of the few places to grab a drink in this area was Maggie’s, when it used to be where Jasmine and Buffalo now stand.

(Hat tip to Mr Brau)

Update: Correction from The Beijinger that Xiu has 10, not 11, nominations.

Voting for The Beijinger magazine’s annual bars and clubs awards starts tonight and voters will find Mao Mao Chong all over the ballot like a Dirty Martini — let’s make that a Jing Fling. The modestly sized cocktail and pizza joint is tied with Atmosphere and Xiu with 11 nods, including one for bar / club of the year. They are followed by The Stumble Inn with 10 nods, First Floor with 9, and Apothecary, d lounge, Fubar, Paddy O’Shea’s and Punk with 7 each.

The nominees for bar / club of the year:

• Apothecary
• D Lounge
• El Nido
• First Floor
• Mao Mao Chong
• Mesh (The Opposite House)
• Paddy O’Shea’s
• Punk (The Opposite House)
• Yugong Yishan

And for best new bar / club:

• Atmosphere (China World Summit Wing)
• Contempio
• George’s
• Great Leap Brewery
• Green Cap
• Grinder’s
• House
• Migas
• Stumble Inn

The voting will go live tonight….

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See also:

• Hidden gems and happy hours, service and sports: My picks as Beijing’s best bars (2010)
• Beijinger bar awards: Mixed emotions, deja vu, and body Czechs (2010)
• Blogging live: The Beijinger Bars and Clubs awards (2009)
• My two kuai: Favorites for tonight’s The Beijinger Bars and Clubs Awards (2009)
• Pub picks: The Beijinger bars and clubs awards (2008)
• TBJ Awards: D-22, pole dancers, reality TV, and more (2007)
• It’s a bar, it’s a club, it’s a blub, part 1 (2007)
• It’s a bar, it’s a club, it’s a blub, part 2 (2007)
• My two kuai: Pre-TBJ awards bar picks (2006)

Shanghai-based wine retailer The Wine Way is slated to open a Beijing store this summer. The store will be located in the CBD and include several card-based enomatic machines, with about 20 wines to sample each day, and more than 500 different bottles on the shelves, says Marcus Ford, who heads the operation in Shanghai. Ford says the machines offer plenty of room for themes and will include samples that cost anywhere from a few kuai to hundreds of kuai. It is no secret that I am a fan of these machines and have often used them at Modo, the first to install them in Beijing.

The Wine Way is backed by wine distributor and importer Summergate but includes wine from other operations. I’ll have more details on the store as the launch date nears.

Jasmine MarTEAni at Twilight

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Over the past year, whenever I have made a list of my five favorite bars in Beijing, Twilight and Mao Mao Chong have been on it. I like the laid-back atmosphere, reliable service, and creative drinks at both. If I had to pick and choose, I would give the edge to Mao Mao Chong for being more fun, creative and affordable and to Twilight for drink consistency and quality. But I am happy we have both in Beijing.

Anyway, I went to Twilight last week and tried one of the drinks on the seasonal menu, the Scotch Stormy (RMB60).  It includes Scotch, ginger beer, fresh mint and lime, mint syrup, and soda, and is refreshing and edgy, especially given that touch of Laphroaig.  I also had the Jasmine Martini (RMB60), which includes Jasmine tea-infused gin, honey, egg white, and lemon juice. If you like your drinks smooth and frothy, this is one for you.

About a month ago, I tried another drink on the seasonal menu: Wild Manhattan. This one has Wild Turkey and Laphroaig and will put hair, and possibly peat, on your chest. But my favorite drink at Twilight remains the Smoky Martini, also with that ubiquitous Laphroaig, especially when it comes with those stuffed and marinated olives.

Anyway, it was nice to find both Motonari Uchiyama and Daisuke Onishi there. They are also both involved in Apothecary and Motonari is one of the partners in the relatively new Mokihi cocktail bar on Lucky Street.

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Beijing Kids magazine held a pizza-making contest on Saturday morning at Kro’s Nest and I ended up being a judge. Not only that, I showed up first, at 10 AM and on three hours sleep, and anyone who doubts it can check with Marty Handley of Kro’s Nest or Mike Wester of Beijing Kids. (I was early.) ((I was.))

Each of the twelve teams was asked to pick three meats, three toppings, and one sauce for their pizzas. Kro’s Nest then brought out the ingredients, the teams prepared their pizzas, and the judges scored the pies on factors such as creativity, neatness, and appearance. The judges were Christian Bruhns, executive chef at Hilton Beijing, Xixi Cheng of Beijing Foodies and Summergate wwines, and Handley. Given factors such as “neatness”, maybe future contests need “adult” and “child” divisions, since it was obvious which pizzas the parents had pretty much made themselves.

Anyway, it was a fun morning and it showed again how useful that back room at Kro’s Nest is for events. It was especially nice with sunlight coming through the glass ceiling.

DRiNK magazine has an opening for a manager editor. According to this ad on Shanghai Expat, “Thirsty Work Productions (TWP) is looking for a Managing Editor to oversee the production of DRiNK magazine, a fast-growing B2B publication focusing on the Chinese drinks and hospitality industries.” Duties include editing articles in English, dealing with production deadlines, and liaising with the contributors to the magazine. The ideal candidate is a native English speaker with a background in journalism, including editing, an interest in bars, clubs, and drinks, experience with InDesign software and — this is my suggestion — an eye for what makes a good cover. DRiNK is located on Wanhangdu Road in Shanghai.

Timezone 8 in the 798 arts district will officially re-launch its bar / restaurant tonight from 6 PM to 8 PM with free Carlsberg draft and other goodies. The new space includes a three-sided bar and table seating. I visited last week and found a decent drinks list, including wine from RMB30 per glass, Guinness on tap, and Moosehead at RMB35. As for the food, I tried the wings and found them bland, but it is early days and I will be back to sample more dishes.

Arthur Hagopian at The Box says he plans to show the NHL playoffs, so you can not only grab the game but also a Moosehead and some poutine, although don’t expect it to include cheese curds. The Irish Volunteer and Grinders are also showing the hockey playoffs.

Hagopian is also involved in Windy City Ballroom, which is expected to open next month near Fifth Ring Road North. He says the art deco-inspired space covers 7000 square meters and will be good for events, from corporate outings to weddings. He adds that the site includes a 1500-square meter patio on the edge of a large pond.

Finally, although I have absolved myself of guilt for nearly electrocuting them, I nevertheless have a special place in my heart for the members of Black Cat Bone and their Jack Daniels ways. They’re playing at 2 Kolegas tonight.

See also:

• Dogged by guilt no more: Or, how I finally lost my Black Cat Bone blues <

If you asked me the Beijing bar or restaurant most likely to be the front for a cult, my knee-jerk answer would be Steaks and Eggs, given this kind of promotion material. Now Gung Ho Pizza is getting strong consideration after I today witnessed the scene below. It might look like a harmless struggle session or intimidation tactic aimed at next-door neighbor / competitor Annie’s but an inside source tells me it is a bizarre initiation and brainwashing rite known only as “double saucing“. Don’t let the giggling employees or the fact Gung Ho did this in broad daylight beside a busy sidewalk fool you.  There is some serious mind control going on here and all I can say is Medium Greek Salad Medium Greek Salad Medium Greek Salad Med…