Beijing Boyce

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Revolution is doing decent pub grub just west of Yashow Market in Sanlitun. I joined owner Xiao Ming for a sampling last week and enjoyed the bibimbap (rmb25). It is not done in a strictly Korean way, coming with carrot, zucchini, onion, mushroom and spinach, with hot sauce on the side, but is tasty and will keep you fueled at rmb25 (add rmb10 for meat). The marinated beef (rmb35) with lettuce for wrapping and sauce for dipping is tender. Revolution does other snacks, from baked potatoes stuffed with bacon and sour cream (rmb10) to chicken wings (five for 4mb30), and has a happy hour from 2 PM to 8 PM, with rmb10 off all alcoholic drinks, including house cocktail The Revolution, which includes gin or vodka with fresh lemon juice and mint shaken and served over ice (rmb40). Check the blackboard inside for the daily special.

The beer scene is starting to hop with another home-brew operation, Slow Boat Brewery, on the scene. The outfit is near the Olympic media village, says beer maker Dan Hebert, and presented one of its products — an American pale ale — at last Friday’s Foreign Correspondent Club of China meeting at The Bookworm. The beer used four kinds of imported hops, said Hebert, and cost rmb35 per glass. I found it to have a medium body , a fairly light finish, and pine, citrus and, as it warmed, spice aromas.

The Box marked one year in business by holding a burger-eating contest and four hours of free draft last Sunday afternoon. P.J. Yeomans emerged from a pack of ten competitors to finish a massive burger, fries and drink in 2 minutes and 24 seconds. (He somehow made it through with all ten fingers intact.) The Box has seen some changes in the past month as Arthur Hagopian, who popularized the place as a “Canadian bar“, is no longer involved. The bar sports a new decor and sign and owner Paca Lee is re-launching the menu: I tried one of the new items, a lamb burger topped with goat cheese, lettuce, tomato and spices, and it was delicious. Look for Hagopian to return to the scene with a new Canadian bar.

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 I could figure out how to download photos from the camera I have today, this space would contain a shot of a small bar with a sign featuring a moose and Canadian flag. You'll just have to imagine it.]

The Box is the name of: (a) a Canadian band, (b) a Canadian destination for naughty hockey players, or (c) a Canadian bar in Beijing. The answer is (d) all three, but given this blog’s theme, I’ll focus on (c), although the song “Closer Together” gives me flashbacks. I have written about the Aussie-backed bars in Beijing–notably those in the Vegemite Triangle–that draw a heavy Australian crowd (Ned’s), provide Down Under drinks such as Coopers and Bundaberg rum (12SQM), or have food–pizzas–inspired by the homeland (Mao Mao Chong). So what is “Canadian” about The Box?

• The two Canadian flags on display
• The moose and yet another Canadian flag on the sign
• The Canadian ownership
• A food menu that includes poutine
• A drink menu that includes Canadian beer Moosehead (RMB28) and whiskies Canadian Club (RMB25) and Crown Royal (RMB30)
• A white dog with pink ears that no doubt symbolizes the Canadian flag and its white field flanked by two red fields
• The patrons watching a Russell Peters video
• That most patrons were Canadian when I arrived, though by the time I left the crowd was mostly English and included one comedian who, looking at the handful of Canucks, made that never-tiresome “It looks like the entire population of Canada is here” joke.*

In terms of design, The Box lies somewhere between a garage converted to a bar and a common living room on the back forty (as opposed to the “good” living room where the sofas are covered in plastic). In terms of Beijing bars, in reminds me of Ned’s and The Irish Volunteer in spirit. Let’s call it “extreme casual.”

The lights are bright, the furniture consists of six wooden tables and chairs (aka a euchre tournament waiting to happen), there is a large screen TV on which to watch Canadian content, and apparently the walls will soon be adorned with Canadiana. The pub grub ranges from burgers (RMB35) to chicken wings (RMB30) –several people have told me the latter are tasty and I’ll soon give them a try.

The Box is directly across from Café Sambal and features five-kuai pints of Tsingtao this month, which gives you a few more days to indulge.

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* Two can play that game: What do we do in Canada when we have a forest fire the size of England? Get out the marshmallows.