Beijing Boyce

The Stumble Inn, the sequel, will celebrate its first birthday this weekend with a three-night bash that blends booze and bands. (Fans of The Stumble Inn, the original, will remember it from Lucky Street, where it was opened by Glenn Phelan and Shane O’Neill in early 2009, featured a list of 100 beers, and lasted just over a half year before the usual tenant-landlord issues led to its demise). Friday will feature the antics of tribute band The Beijing Beatles. (The rmb50 entry fee goes to the charity Bricks: The Great Wall Appeal). Saturday will feature the musical muscle of blues band Black Cat Bone. (I am unable to mention this act without noting that I no longer feel responsible for its near-electrocution.) And Sunday will feature, according to the  bar’s poster, “some guy named Chris”.  (That would be C’hris who plays regularly at Nashville, among other places, and does a very nice cover of Mark Knopfler’s theme for the movie Local Hero. In another lifetime, I used to help organize an annual summer event and for two years asked Chris to open for Black Cat Bone. Good times, except for that near-electrocution.) Look for booze specials, too.

Also on the verge of celebrating a birthday, its fourth, which on Nanluoguxiang makes it a senior citizen: 12SQM. (This bar now measures 45 square meters after that expansion more than a year ago.) Co-owner and Australian Joseph Kornides, who is such a nationalist that he commissioned that Coopers beer sign out front, says the party is September 3, with drink deals from noon until 1 AM and Australian beers such as Coopers, Cascade and VB at rmb20 per bottle. (I miss the days, before Ned’s closed, when that place, 12SQM and Mao Mao Chong made up the Vegemite Triangle.)

Beijing gourmands can get an early taste of what to expect at Temple Restaurant, which should open later this year as part of the new complex headed by former Maison Boulud GM Ignace Lecleir. The chefs will take over nearby Vietnamese restaurant Susu next Monday for a dinner. Drinks are at 6:30 PM, the meal is from 7 PM, and the cost is rmb550 per person, including wine. To reserve a spot, email meet (at) temple-restaurant.com.

And a date has been set for one of my two favorite annual wine tastings: Torres’ Taste of Nations. I’ve been to portfolio tastings by plenty of wine distributors, from ASC to Aussino, Palatte Vino to The Wine Republic, but the difference with Torres is that the company has made it an institution.  (My other favorite is the Hilton Beijing Food and Wine Experience, slated for November 12 this year. See here for my contest for tickets, dinners and an overnight stay at the hotel.) This is the fifth year, with this edition under the company’s Everwines brand, and will include more than 150 wines from more than a dozen countries.  Even better, Torres cracks open some pretty good wine. (I’m partial to the Australian table, where in the past I have sampled the likes of Henschke, Bass Philip and Vasse Felix. Torres also handles two of China’s best boutique wine brands: Grace and Silver Heights.) Taste of the Nations is slated for September 24 at restaurant Xu Xian Lou just west of Workers Stadium. The entry fee is rmb228 or rmb208 ahead of time — contact Maggie at Maggie at 5165-5519, extension 284 / maggie.wang (at) everwines.com.

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What is the “must try” beer at 12SQM?

Our must try beer is Coopers. A family owned brewery from South Australia producing an excellent quality product and definitely my favourite beer. The pale ale is the biggest seller but I prefer the sparkling ale. It is higher in alcohol and more like a meal with a heavy amount of sediment that we mix back in to the beer. It’s 30rmb for pale ale, sparkling ale or stout.

What is the “must try” drink at 12SQM?

The must try drink is the Long Island Iced Tea. We use five different liquors and the result is always consistent as we use measured shots. I’ve never understood free pouring, because the chances of the bartender producing a consistent amount every time is minimal. It may look flashy, but that’s all it is. We prefer consistency.

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For years I have wanted to organize something called the Johnnie Walker Challenge and now it looks like Joseph Kornides of 12sqm has made it all too easy. But first…

Kornides is introducing a two-for-one deal on Tuesdays, starting next week, that covers his range of single malts, Bourbons and Irish whiskeys. And he has a decent range, too, with ~40 options, including Jameson 12-year-old (rmb40),  Bushmills Black (rmb45), Maker’s Mark (rmb45), Blanton’s Silver Edition (rmb50), Glenlivet 12-year-old (rmb45), Laphroaig 10-year-old (rmb50), Lagavulin 16-year-old (rmb65) and Balvenie 21-year-old (rmb95). Note: The prices in brackets are the regular ones. On Tuesdays, that gets you two pours, totaling 60 ml.

As for the Johnnie Walker Challenge, I’ve long wanted to do a blind tasting with friends of the red, black, green, gold and blue labels — the same colors, as Kornides points out, of the Olympic rings — to see the order of preference. (If you choose the red as best, you can look forward to saving money in the long run.) At 12sqm, rmb188 will get you a 30ml shot of each one of these five whiskeys. I plan to bring along some labels to stick on the glass bottoms so I can finally take the challenge…

(Oh, and 12SQM also has a Czech Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself special: A Budvar and shot of Czech absinthe for rmb80.)

Notes from a trip to Hutong Hipsterville about a month ago…

Aluss is a relatively new gallery / café / event space named after one of the guys behind nearby Amilal. Unlike Amilal, this place focuses more on beer than whiskey: I spotted about 20 options, including Barney Flat’s Oatmeal Stout, at RMB30 to RMB40 per bottle. Like Amilal, it attracts translators like moths to a flame: get to know them and you might be able to swing  a discount on the Chinese-language version of your hutong memoirs. In any case, Aluss is an airy spot with table and bench seating, as well as a few plush chairs, and serves well as a place to plop down with your laptop and a large mug of coffee at RMB20. Expect occasional visitors to mosey around the photo / art displays and perhaps even assume you are part of an exhibition and thus read your work / email over your shoulder.

As it was after 7 PM, Aluss does not serve food, and I had not eaten all day, I wandered zombie-like a few doors down to Cat’s Eye Pizza. I tend to feel obligated to stay at a restaurant once I am seated and have a menu. But given that the food I spotted at neighboring tables suggested a possible pizza experience in The Origus Zone and the attitude of the waitress was less than inspiring – I pointed to the entry for chicken and said “ji rou bi sa”; she pointed below my finger and said “tu-na?” – I decided fate had given me a Get Out of Cat’s Eye for Free Card. For all I know, the pizza at Cat’s Eye is superb: anyone tried it?

Still famished, I crossed the street to Bratwurst. How hard can it be to get sausages right? Grind up some snouts and guts; mold them into tube form; cook. Anyway, this place is tiny (two small picnic-style tables — eight seats in total), has a sense of transience (orange plastic leaves scattered on the ceiling, a lone man-and-his-duck lawn sculpture in a corner), and on this night had drawn a diverse clientele (a man yelling on a phone, a woman wearing those devil horns that light up, and a foursome, one member of which – given the intense looks coming my way –  might not have seen a Caucasian before). I checked the menu (click photo above for bigger version) and picked a combo meal of Thuringer Bratwurst, roll, potato chips and soda for RMB23, and tacked on some potato salad (RMB10) and sauerkraut (RMB5) for good measure. Given a total bill of RMB38, this provided good filler, if nothing else, though the sausage would have been better if served in a moister bun and if the ketchup and mustard had not been pre-applied.

Reef Bar: Coincidentally, as I sauntered from Bratwurst down Nanluoguxiang, I saw the staff barbecuing sausages out front. They have two kinds at RMB15 or RMB20 respectively. This modestly sized place must have one of the highest ratios of alcohol brand signage to surface area, with the bling including Skyy Vodka, Hoegaarden, Guinness, Budweiser and Tsingdao.

It didn’t get many nods in this year’s The Beijinger bar awards but one consolation for 12SQM is that it seems perpetually busy with a mix of regulars, occasional imbibers and tourists. (I wonder how many people came here after playing with those touch-screens in the back of some taxis, clicking the “bar” section, and finding 12SQM as the first entry.) I ordered a Coopers Pale Ale and, since co-owner Joseph Kornides was off work, listened with skepticism as stand-in bartender Tanner claimed to be a Sade fan. Hmmm. By the way, if Kornides is on premise, there is always the potential for conflict should someone happen to use the toilet for anything other than flushing liquids. To wit:

Dude (returning from toilet): Um, there is something wrong with the toilet.

JK: What do you mean wrong?

Dude: There is a metal strainer-type thingy in the bottom that keeps everything from flushing.

JK: What do mean everything?

Dude: You know.

JK: No, I don’t know. I repeat: what do you mean everything.

Dude: Like… the solids?

JK: That screen is meant to indicate that solids should not be put in the toilet. People should look at that screen and think, “If I put solids in the toilet, they will not go down.” Did you not see the sign outside the toilet that says “no shitting”?

Dude: Yeah, but only after I went.

JK: I am now going to take this full bottle of Canadian Club and beat you to death like a baby seal. Assume the position.

Lucky Man: This bar is known for its whiskey and a bar that is known for its whiskey and lists whiskey cocktails should be reasonably good at making an Old Fashioned — at least that is my theory. So, I ordered one. And it sucked. And it cost RMB60.

I didn’t taste like it had any sugar in it. And it was watery and came with what might best be described as ice pebbles rather than ice cubes. I’m not sure what happened since the bartender made the drink on the far side of the bar where I could not see, and he had the ayi bring it over, but I would guess my long wait meant either he left it sitting out far too long or stirred it that entire time. I didn’t feel like a Lucky Man or even like an Unlucky Man but like an Initially Disappointed and Ultimately Annoyed Man Who Hoped the Bartender Would Eventually Come Over and Check on Me But Never Did Because Apparently He Only Had Enough Strength and Willpower to Handle the Other Four Patrons in the Place. By the way, I like the design of this place, from the large sliding door to the three-sided bar, but if I go back I will probably stick with whiskey.

I ended with a visit to Tushuguan 98 but I’ll cover that in a separate post…

No Aussie stereotypes here. None at all. (famemagazine.com)

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Australia Day is again upon us–next Wednesday, January 26–and that means deals from the Vegemite Triangle of 12SQM, Ned’s, and Mao Mao Chong (see below for details). Rather than bringing out the same old tired Aussie lingo, stuff like “shrimp on the barbie“, “sink a few tinnies” and “bilby in the bottom paddock”, I decided to come up with my own….

“G’day fellow inmates! Get your yute warmers down to the Vegemite Triangle next Wednesday and go Irwin. It’ll be double dingo tickety boo. More fun than going back door on a bilby gone boinkers. Gander at the maps below so you don’t pull a Burke and Wills and end up face down in some gutter with a platypus named Matilda. And make sure you wear your koala beards because it’s going to be an eight dog night. Didgeridoo! (See translation below)

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The deal…

12SQM (map)

All imported beers, including Aussie brews Coopers, VB, and Boag’s, for RMB20, plus meat pies and Australian music (6 PM to 1 AM).

Ned’s (map)

Happy hour all day long as well as drink specials. VB at RMB20, Foster’s at RMB15, and snags [sausages] at RMB10, plus the Triple J music countdown.

Mao Mao Chong (map)

Select cocktails, Boag’s, Redback, Cascade, and Bundy and Coke for RMB25.

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The translation…

“G’day fellow inmates [friends]! Get your yute warmers [asses; "yute" refers to "utility vehicle"] down to the Vegemite Triangle next Wednesday and go Irwin [go wild, like Aussie legend Steve Irwin]. It’ll be double dingo tickety boo [enjoyable; well, as enjoyable as two dingos can be]. More fun than going back door on a bilby gone boinkers [not sure about this one but it sounds illegal]. Gander at this map, this map, and this map so you don’t pull a Burke and Wills [two explorers who got lost in the Australian "outback" and died] and end up face down in some gutter with a platypus named Matilda [make a bad decision as to a potential mating partner]. And make sure to wear your koala beards [ear muffs] because it’s also going to be an eight dog night ["three dog night" means so cold you need to use several live animals as blankets; "eight dog night" is even colder". Didgeridoo! [w00t!]

Enter my Aussie slang contest here and win Australian wine and Austrian wine glasses.

Nanluoguxiang bar 12SQM will celebrate its third birthday party on September 4 with discounts on drinks and specials on Aussie beers, including Coopers  and VB at RMB15 and James Boags at RMB20. Even bigger news: 12SQM is for sale. After building up an established clientele, expanding the bar to 45 square meters, and adding a toilet, Joseph Kornides says he and wife Li Mei have decided it is time for a change and are seeking a buyer. Interested parties should inquire with Joseph at the bar.

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Tonight's theme is 12SQM and the categories are: Singles, Single Malts, Home Chemistry, Taxi Driver, and The Ashes.

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Do any of the following apply to you?

• Don’t play well with others?
• Are unable to make friends?
• Believe you are smarter than everyone and this would become evident if people would only listen?
• Have a pioneer go-it-alone spirit and dream of one day living in a log cabin, writing treatises about what is wrong with the planet, and perhaps tinkering with explosives?
• Like easy access to dozens of single malts and a fridge full of beer.

If you answered “yes” to one or more of the above, you should probably forgo a career in the post office. But you should consider joining the “individual quiz” at 12SQM bar in Nanluoguxiang tonight (Tuesday).

With team-based quizzes almost every night of the week in our city, 12SQM owner Joseph Kornides has started a quiz that will let one light shine. For some, it will mean no more pesky teammates voting down your obviously correct answers. For others, it will mean a chance to test if you really are as “dumb as fluff” and along for a “free ride“, as your regular quiz teammates claim. And for others, it might mean an opportunity to find that long sought after brainy partner.

But for everyone, it means being within an arm’s reach of some of the town’s coldest Cooper’s Pale Ale, not to mention plenty of other beers, and a good selection of single malts (and some Maker’s Mark to boot).

The quiz is from 8 PM to 9 PM. There are four rounds. The winner gets a 100-kuai tab at the bar. Check your semis at the door…

* Possible category given the quiz master is Australian.

Update: The Brick is also available for the final. See comments…

For those people who 1) continue to follow the World Cup despite the nonsensical rules of football leading to Ghana being robbed of victory and making the tournament meaningless* and 2) seek a private venue in which to watch the final, Joseph Kornides at 12SQM in Nanluoguxiang informs me he is willing to rent his bar for that 2:30 AM match. 12SQM includes three TVs, can fit about two dozen people, and is well-stocked with beer (including ice-cold Coopers Pale Ale), whiskey (including Maker’s Mark), and other enjoyable beverages. If interested, call Kornides at 6402-1554 or email him at twelvesqm@yahoo.com.

* Yes, I’m bitter.

But can he save The World Cup? Unlikely...

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Saturday night will feature the most anticipated World Cup match yet — Australia vs Ghana.

Can the Koala Kissers from Down Under beat the Black Stars? Given that Ghana’s best player is out, I suppose a slight possibility now exists that those prawn-barbecuing, Tim Tam-munching, vegemite-spreading oi oi oi-ers could win this one.

That makes it a good time for Aussie fans to head to Nanluoguxiang and patronize the Beijing Billabong / Vegemite Triangle. Both Ned’s and 12SQM will show the match, while at Mao Mao Chong they can eat Cherry Ripe to their Les Patterson-loving, platypus-poking, Bundaberg-guzzling hearts’ content. (I could add something about dingos, but I think my point has been made.)*

In case it isn’t obvious, I will be cheering for Ghana. And I will be wearing a GongTees shirt with the crest of that nation, a shirt I bought on Wednesday night at Paddy O’Shea’s with a 100-kuai note that looked like I blew my nose into but in reality only suffered from pocket sweat. Memorable moment. Anyway, click here for info about how to get your own shirt…

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* For the record, I like prawns, Les Patterson, and Tim Tam, have never seen let alone touched a platypus, think Bundaberg Rum would be useful for unclogging toilets, and believe the best use of Vegemite is to plug that oil-gushing hole in the Gulf of Mexico.

Happy Down Under Day, eh?

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G’day mates, it’s nearly that day on the calender when those hailing from The Land Down Under jump in the yute, head to the outback, put a shrimp prawn on the barbie, sink a few tinnies, and have a chinwag — and, yes, I’m letting loose with my antipodean vocabulary because that’s the kind of sensitivity Canadians are all aboot, eh?

Australia’s national day is tomorrow, January 26, and one way to celebrate is with a mini pub crawl to three Aussie-run spots within a boomerang’s throw of each other in the Nanluoguxiang area — a tour I undertook last Friday night with Mr Hao and Ms Hao.

Ned’s: Now that 12sqm has expanded, this might rank as the smallest, or at least the smallest Australian-run, joint on the street. The place can get as crowded as a bunch of kangaroos loose in the top paddock — hope I’m using that term right — and there is a decent selection of bevvies. The lads plan to be open from noon, with happy hour prices all day, meat pies, the Pakistan-Australia test match, and the top 100 song countdown on Triple J.

The relaunched 12sqm now comes in a larger format for extra comfort and comradeship. The place has more than tripled in size by expanding into the back of the building thus making possible a three-sided bar and more lounge seating. For Australia Day, 12sqm not only has RMB15 bottles of Aussie brews, including Coopers, but also meat pies, vegemite on toast, Aussie tunes, and Bundaberg Rum — ask for a “Bundy and Coke.” Ms Hao enjoyed her White Russian here.

Mao Mao Chong is about 200 meters down the alley that is beside Pass By Bar. If you reach the public toilet and think you have gone too far: 1) you are only about halfway there; and 2) don’t use it because Mao Mao Chong has superior facilities, though like many other places there is a “no poo” rule.

This new bar impressed us due to the art created by one of the owners, friendliness of the managers, creativity behind the cocktails, and prices — Tsingtao is RMB13, Tiger is RMB16, and Sam Adams is RMB25, while sodas are RMB10 and mixed drinks start at RMB20. There is an intriguing winter menu with cool sounding drinks such as French Toast — Advocaat, rum, warm milk, cinnamon, and honey — at RMB30 to RMB35, and a regular cocktail list with creative concoctions such as Feng Shui — oolong-tea infused vodka, lychee liqueur, sake, lime, and sugar cane stick (this might be even better with slightly less liqueur).

Mao Mao Chong features its own infused vodkas, among other DIY items, with flavors such as ginger, lemongrass, and rooibos, a plant grown in South Africa and apparently a member of the legume family — Mr Hao described that one as “smooth and with a subtle tea-like flavor.” We were told to expect pizza on the menu the next time we visited. For national day, Mao Mao Chong will have James Boag’s, Redbuck, and VB, as well as its own stock of Bundy.

If you are looking for other ways to celebrate Australia’s national day, you might consider dropping into The Den, which offers the lowest regular price (RMB25) on a handful of Aussie beers (Crown, Cascade, et al), heading to Astral restaurant in the Tangla Hotel for a bite of emu, kangaroo, or crocodile, or ordering some beers from Dxcel or some wines from Aussie-run importers such as Gelipu or The Wine Republic — perhaps someone can find the perfect pairing for Tim Tams.

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See also:

• Australia Day: Sink a few tinnies in Beijing
• Australia Day II: Throw yet *another* shrimp on the barbie

… but is slated to reopen on Wednesday, if the sign on the door is any indication. Apparently, some changes to the design are required before the Rabbit comes back out of its hole.

Earlier today I explained why Nanluoguxiang is earning a bigger chunk of my nightlife budget. That spend trend continued yesterday as BeijingDaze and I headed there for a few drinks.

12SQM: We started at the self-proclaimed smallest bar in the city and found it – with eight people inside – fairly busy. I ordered a Black Russian while BD went for a White Russian (RMB30 each). He prefers to have the Kahlua poured in first so it can settle at the bottom, while bartender Joseph says his regulars like to have it mixed. (Frankly, I prefer Coopers Pale Ale to both.) By the way, for a bar of its size, 12SQM offers a big selection of single malts.

Passby Bar: We passed by this landmark but it deserves a shout for its house pies, especially the Hutong pizza, which comes with roast lamb on top.

Utopia: Another pass by, but its worth mentioning that though one of the decor highlights is ballpoint pen graffiti on white brick walls, this place often draws a crowd and offers an excellent beer selection.

Sandglass: Yet another pass by, though I stopped here last week with fellow bloggers and ended up drinking German Lowenbrau and Spanish Mahou, both at RMB35 per bottle. We managed to amass a bill of over RMB1000 – its always those flaming shooters for the birthday boy or girl that do it. This is a place to drink and chat, so much so said one in our group that bringing a laptop and surfing the Web is Verboten.

Fish Nation: “They have the cheapest cider in Beijing,” said BD, but then we had to shift to past tense as we found the place sold out of Woodpecker (RMB20), though it had Strongbow (RMB35). Our White Russians were tiny, about one-third normal size, and around RMB30 at that. We would have been better off ordering the Brooklyn, Rogue, Kona, or other craft beers for the same price. The fish and chips (RMB49) were fine, coming with a lone piece of battered fish, while BD found the onion “marmalade” pizza (RMB38), topped with caramelized onions, OK (I thought it too sweet). He reminisced about watching the Olympics opening ceremony fireworks from Fish Nation’s rooftop while I marveled that not even two months have passed since that day – it seems so much longer.

Treehouse: We found this bar down an alley from July’s (keep going past Super Box). Many NLGX places are hard to distinguish from each other on initial glance, since they tend to have similar facades, the wooden furniture, the shelf of entry-level brand-name booze behind the bar, and so on, but for those looking to get away from the bar street proper, this place at least offers isolation.

Reef Bar: Ever since The Rickshaw Rally last October, I have liked this place. It has a decent number of Whiskies, starting with Grant’s (RMB15 per shot) and Jameson (RMB25 per shot), and beers that range from Tsingtao (RMB10) to more than a dozen Belgian and German selections (RMB30 and up). There is also an extensive cocktail and shooter menu.

The bar proper takes up about a quarter of the place, with the remaining space dedicated to five bar stools and five pairs of facing sofas. The crowd is local, and seems like a regular one at that, and the bar staff is attentive. BD stuck to his White Russion regimen and found this one pretty good.

Guitar Bar: A good crowd on hand to watch a pair of guitarists play. With few seats available and a bit too much noise to make conversation possible, we continued on.

“Ten kuai” bar: This long, narrow, and grungy place felt somewhat like an abandoned house converted into a bar and evoked the spirit of the original Nanjie and Kai Club. The main feature is a long bar faced by about 20 stools and, behind these, small high tables and chairs. People played dice games in a room in the back. The white walls are dotted with enlarged photos, music and movie posters, and the graffiti of a thousand patrons. The bar had a fair-sized crowd and kudos to the lone bartender who zipped about and made sure everyone had drinks.

Speaking of drinks, the menu lists about 20 cocktails, 15 shooters, and Tsingtao at 10 kuai, with another 15 choices at 20 kuai. I had a Black Dog (tequila, Coke, and lemon) while Badr stuck with the White Russians, finding this one a bit too milky.

Boheme: Save for the wood floor, this place looks like a big garage or storage room converted to a bar, with sofas covered with red drop cloths and walls bare save for a few decorations – sketches, a Dogs Playing Poker poster, and a Chinese flag with dozens of Mao pins. The most spacious place of the night, I nevertheless found it a bit grungy. The White Russian research continued, with BD finding this one (RMB25) better than Ten’s but worse than Reef’s. (We are going to need a scorecard here.)

Salud: We immediately indulged in the homemade rums – mango and anise, banana and honey, ginger, and (a freebie!) the special spicy blend (which includes Tabasco). This place consistently offers good times with its generally laid-back patrons, friendly staff, rums, and ample seating options (bar, table, and loft). I’ll write a more detailed post about Salud soon, but on this night, it took top spot as our favorite stop, with the runners up being Reef Bar and the “Ten Kuai” bar.

Nanluoguxiang bar 12SQM, which bills itself as the city’s smallest, marks its first birthday on September 3. To celebrate, the pint-sized pub will offer bottles of Coopers at RMB15. Says co-owner Joseph Kornides, “15 kuai is cheaper than you can buy it for in a liquor store in Australia.”

He also explains why the bottles are rolled before they are served: “Coopers beer has a secondary fermentation technique that leaves yeast in the bottle as sediment. Tipping or rolling the bottle before serving mixes this yeast back into the beer making it richer and more even (rather than chunky at the end) and results in a cloudy appearance. Anyone who serves Coopers without the mix doesn’t know anything about the product.”

Given its tight quarters, I advise getting to 12SQM early if you want a seat.

Part five of a series on where Beijing residents enjoy a beverage (or two). This round is with music and nightlife lovers Elisabeth Tchoudjinoff and Katrina Arndt.
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(1)

Black Sun Bar
This is our neighborhood bar and a good place to start the night. The cocktails are standard but cheap. This is the only bar we know in Beijing where the foosball players’ feet are not too high above the field. It doesn’t meet professional EU standards, which is probably why we are used to it. We enjoy kicking sets of men off the table and we do so often. We are not cocky, just confident.

(2)

Liang 30 Bar
Elisabeth: This is my reason to visit Houhai. The young (read: uncomplicated) Xinjiang musicians listen to our requests and the service is friendly. We also get to plug in our iPod during music breaks, us being the music snobs we are. Plus: Live music can still be heard from the upstairs, which offers a view of the rooftops of Houhai. Major plus: The flattering mirror in the bathroom helps you turn into Narcissus for a few hours or to see the rings in your eyes Downside: The bartender can only be trusted to make Gin Tonics. And open beer bottles.

Katrina: I only come for the music and the mirror.

(3)

Salsa Caribe
If we don’t dilly dally too much, we might try to catch the end set of the salsa band, since they play with explosive energy. We don’t know how many bands play in this venue, but they recently had a singer from the Middle East. A sweaty salsa band + Amr Diab’s ‘Habibi‘ live = very happy moment. Afterwards, we dance to salsa and Arabic and African music until the wee hours. Sure, this place can be a bit of a meat market, but at least the women are playing games as well as the men.

(4)

Le Petit Gourmand
The terrace seating is comfortable (when the weather is not too hot), the food is consistently good, and it is a good place to bring a laptop and concentrate on work. We once ordered food and told them we didn’t think the wine list was sufficient, so we were allowed to bring two bottles of our own. They provided the ice bucket and glasses. However, now this place has a new wine selection, so we might not be able to do that anymore. Still, it’s a fond memory.

(5)

Ichikura / 12SQM
Katrina: Ichikura is a one-of-a-kind bar with a very nice intimate setting and a bartender who takes great care in all the details that go into making a cocktail. Each drink is like a piece of performance art. It is nice to see someone in Beijing who puts so much passion into his work. To be honest, I don’t really want to mention this bar because it doesn’t have a lot of space.

Elisabeth: 12SQM has a nice cozy setting and offers Grey Goose vodka and lychee liquor on the beautiful back wall full of liquor. The lighting is soft and the conversation is low. It is nice to sit on the cushioned window sill and watch Nanluoguxiang life pass by.

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Previously:
Paul Adkins, Entrepreneur
Chandler Jurinka, Local Noodles
Kevin Shen, T3 Terminal
Steven Schwankert, SinoScuba

See also:
Beijing Olympics picks: Wine bars
Beijing Olympics picks: Sports bars