Beijing Boyce

My Taiwanese friend Sherry, among the biggest food lovers around and a Taipei native to boot, raved about this place, so I dragged her along as a consultant. We started off with tasty stewed bamboo and pork with soy sauce, garlic and green onion, followed by sweet and sour breaded fish fillets (excellent: the best dish of the night). Rolling up our sleeves, we dug into steamed pork with salty egg (it’s potent, so best to have it with rice), an oyster pancake (the most recognizable Taiwanese dish, though the large globules of starch make it quite gluey), a wooden bucket of fried rice with peas, egg, onion and pork (enough to serve three to four) and three-cup mushrooms, which were pungent with heaps of basil and spicy with a generous helping of red peppers (I initially found the mushrooms too chewy, but they softened up and were quite addictive, though they brought no hallucinations). Last but not least were the deep-fried shrimp and taro rolls in flaky pastry. “These are very famous in southern Taiwan, though you rarely find them in the north,” said Sherry. They were a bit sweet for my liking and served as dessert, while she had a couple of “ma ji,” a Hakka treat that consists of warm and soft sticky rice coated in peanut powder (these usually come free back home, said Sherry. Shin Yeh charges RMB1 per piece). In addition to the food being excellent, the servers were spot on. As we finished one dish, another would appear, and we only had three items on the table at the end, even more impressive given that the place was busy. Shin Yeh is large, with a dining area split down the middle and private rooms, though it is drafty near the doors. The bathrooms are spotless and well designed. Absolutely stuffed, and having finished a bottle of Qingdao (they don’t have Taiwan beer, among Asia’s best), we faced a very reasonable bill of RMB213. Good food, good service, good value.

Note: Shin Yeh does not serve stinky tofu – chodofu – nor does another nearby Taiwanese restaurant, Bellagio, despite this odorous food being among the Taiwan’s most ubiquitous – well, at least in olfactory terms – and famous. Is this because the smell bothers customers? In any case, it’s a pity because a proper chodofu fits in with kimchi, sauerkraut and blue cheese in the family of smelly but tasty foods.

(From Beijing Boyce VII, first emailed on December 29, 2005)

When Frank’s Place (between The Den and City Hotel) closed a while back, its two partners went separate ways. One opened The Pavillion two weeks ago while the other is completing a 1400-square-meter monster of a bar, due open in January, near Lido Hotel. Last issue, I included random observations about The Pavillion’s opening night. I’ve since returned thrice, including trips with Agent Red Wolf and Agent Hidden Dragon, and can provide a fuller report.

The Pavillion has done an excellent job with layout and decor. It has large and comfy leather chairs, a faux fireplace, two stand-up bars, various cubby holes, a glass-walled wine room and a forest out back (spend a few moments looking at it and feel your blood pressure drop). It’s a bit too spic and span, but character will come in time. The staff is friendly, the service is solid, and one hopes the employees can walk the fine line between friendliness and obtrusiveness, a little known skill in this town.

In any case, Agent Hidden Dragon liked the Champagne (Laurent Perrier; RMB78 per glass) and the decor, but thought the music was “too common.” Agent Red Wolf also liked the decor (“it’s like a five-star hotel lounge”) and the spring rolls (excellent presentation, though pricey at RMB45), although she didn’t find the Americano cocktail strong enough and thought the martini sub-par (I gave it a sip and she was right). She also thought the music “too old” and “not sexy enough.” Let’s face it, RW is a hard agent to please, but she did have a point: it was odd to be reclining in luxury in the early eve and listening to ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” and Prince’s “1999.”

This mismatch is reflected elsewhere in the Pavillion and suggests the place is still finding its identity. Let’s take a couple that arrives, sits by the fireplace and orders a nice bottle of wine. How happy will they be when, 30 minutes later, the music cuts out and the TVs come on, high volume, with the pre-game analysis for a rugby game? What is the Pavillion? A sports bar? A wine bar? A restaurant? A cigar lounge? A dance club (there was live band on opening night)? All of the above?

The other issue is clientele: Based on my visits, the target market appears to be over-35 expatriates with decent salaries. I’m guessing the new bar in Lido, not to mention other establishments, are targeting the same crowd. Given the finite number of moneyed foreigners, are there be enough to go around or will The Pavillion have to seek patrons from elsewhere? In any case, it is a welcome addition to Beijing’s bar scene and definitely worth a look. It’s just across the street from Babyface, about 10 meters to the south.

Two final notes: 1) Last issue I griped that the The Pavillion lacked a foot rail. The proprietor, Russell, said they didn’t like the rail they ordered and will get another one. Fair enough. 2) The Pavillion plans to have barbecues out back once the weather warms up and this should be an excellent place to sit back with some food and drinks.

(From Beijing Boyce V, first emailed on December 1, 2005)

I made my first visit – post-breakup era – to First Cafe and Midnight. For those who don’t know the story (and Buddha knows most people on this list are sick of it), First Cafe once offered an unbeatable combination of cozy ambience, superb cocktails and interesting clientele. Then two months ago, the owner Keiko and the only two bartenders, George and Echo, fell out. About a month later, George and Echo, believing droves of customers would remain loyal to them, opened a bar called Midnight less than a meter in front of First Cafe.

I’ve walked by these bars dozens of times during the past month on my way to and from The Bookworm. Based on window gazing, First Cafe has been doing fine, but patrons at Midnight are few and far between. However, such observations do not research make, so in the interests of accuracy, I embarked on a two-night project with a comrade, known only as Agent Red Wolf.

Night 1 (Friday): We slid into First Cafe around, of all ironic times, midnight. Red Wolf made a surreptitious visit next door to the bar of same name and learned that it was nearly empty. Meanwhile, First Cafe is bursting at the seams with over 30 guests. Spirits were high and spirits were flowing, the service was passable, and business seems to have gone unabated at First Cafe.

Night 2 (Saturday): We popped into Midnight around 1 AM. Again, Agent Red Wolf again went on the prowl and soon reported that First Cafe was quite busy, while there were but four patrons – including us – in Midnight. The martinis were excellent and we got to try George and Echo’s coffee vodka, but unfortunately the ambiance was wanting.

Just to ensure the accuracy of my observations even further, I made a few more trips back. First Cafe continues to do well, while Midnight has quickly been picking up steam, no doubt fuelled by ample coverage in the free English-language magazines. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens but given the dearth of decent bars in Beijing, both places may end up doing pretty well.

(From Beijing Boyce IV, first emailed on November 18, 2005)