Beijing Boyce

Some notes from recent journeys about town.

1.
Known for tasty tapas and a relaxed atmosphere, Mare on Xindong Lu is expanding.

2.
Just west of Mare, on Xingfucun Zhonglu, lies Sunset. This place is dark, dingy and dirt-cheap (RMB100 for 14 shots of some beverages) and will please those who pine for Beijing dives. I’d suggest this spot forgo table clothes, which look like they just survived a food fight, and stick to linoleum. (Unfortunately, a rumored ‘baijiu quarters’ game didn’t materialize Sunday and thus denied us some unintentional humor.)

3.
At least as of the weekend, Maggies remains closed.

4.
Ritz-Carlton Hotel’s Italian restaurant Cepe gets high marks for décor (cozy, warm, glimpses of the kitchen) and service (from handling reservations to keeping wine glasses full), but lower ones for food (note: the prices are my guess-timates, since I forget to grab the invoice).

The Portobello mushrooms with shrimp and baked eggplant puree consisted of four mushroom caps, two small shrimps, the puree and a tiny salad. While the mushrooms were meaty, I found the dish anemic and - given its size - outrageously priced at RMB140. The caviar with tuna tartar and seaweed (RMB175) came off as too fishy, while the codfish with green lentils (RMB200+) saw the vegetable overwhelming the fish. The gnocchi (RMB175) fared best - a sizable portion, with a nice mushroom sauce and Ricotta, though it could have used a bit more zip.

Cepe offers an extensive wine list that is conveniently segmented by wine style, rather than grape variety or country. We had Dr. L Riesling (RMB450), which went well with the fish. Wine starts at RMB318 a bottle. Our bill totaled RMB1435 - a bit pricey for what we got, to say the least.

5.
Q Bar now offers food, with just over a dozen items on the menu, including chocolate mouse, mini-bagels, and prunes and other items wrapped in bacon.
6.
I have returned to Ciro’s since my first unfortunate visit. This time The Cellar Rat and I parked at the bar, where, to our surprise, there is no service charge. Two sizable pours of Sacred Hill Sauvignon Blanc (RMB45) did us proper and the bartender did a decent job. The only suggestion - the vertical neon tube, in the glass-fronted fridge, gives off far too much glare. That should be easy enough to fix.

7.
I pray for many things - more peace, love and understanding, less pollution, a World Series for the Cubs, a trip to Boracay, and for The Bookworm to put some padding on its wooden door. Listening to that thing slam more than a dozen times an hour interjects a major annoyance into otherwise enjoyable visits. Seriously, I think three or four pads - like those that go beneath chair legs to reduce drag - would do the trick, and for a few kuai at that. I doubt I’m alone in loathing that door, as I noticed several people near me squinting every time that thing slammed shut.

8.
Based on the emails I get and other sources, the number of fights - and particularly foreigner vs. local brawls - has been on the rise in Sanlitun over the past year. Imbibers beware.

9.
If you love neon, then you’ll be in ecstasy once the new club south of Revelations (ex-Browns) and east of The Regal Club (that massive KTV-whatever that my friend says looks something like “The Ministry of Truth from a Shrek movie”) opens. My peak through a crack in the still-unopened doors revealed neon on the ceiling, neon on the walls, neon on the floor, and… neon in the halls. Meanwhile, the club on Gongti North called Success (with dollar signs for letters “s”) when I arrived in Beijing has gone through several reincarnations and is now known as Armaini (no typo).

10.
I’m guessing that of the foreigners I know who smoke in Beijing, over 75 percent puff on Zhongnanhai, with an inclination toward the 0.8 brand. How did this start? Do newcomers choose Zhongnanhai because they see others smoking them? Is it something about the packaging? Couldn’t someone get a Master’s thesis out of this?