Beijing Boyce

Tuesday was one of those days when emails swamp your in-box faster than you can bail them out, when you show up for an appointment that doesn’t work out, when you’ve got someone angry on hold, someone incomprehensible on the line and someone who is annoying calling your cell phone, when the mayo in the salad dressing at lunch was a wee bit off. It was one of those days when you end up full of coffee, out of breath, with a sweaty and dirty collar at 7:41 near the Friendship Store.

In other words, it’s a perfect time to realize, “Hey, I’ve been writing about Beijing’s nightlife scene for more than a year and I’ve never, ever had a drink at the oldest surviving bar - Charlie’s - just up the street in the Jianguo Hotel.”

You walk to the hotel and are mildly surprised because you expected a decrepit third-class venue. Instead, a re-modeling has the modest lobby glowing with warmth and coziness. Just to the left is the restaurant Justine’s and down the hall is the new Charlie’s, open less than a month. It still needs to acquire character, but has some of that lobby’s warmth, with plenty of earthy tones, wood, brick and marble, along with a touch of cool color.

The long bar has enough stools for 12 and faces shelves of bottles with an ice-blue backdrop. Behind it are two dozen small round wooden tables, each with seating for two or three people. Behind them is a glass wall that gives full play to a narrow garden of rocks, trees, water fountains and a stream.

The drinks are pricey, with a shot of Jack Daniels at 55 kuai and cocktails starting at 60 kuai, but it’s two-for-one happy hour, so you order a small Monchshof draft (never seen it before) for 40 kuai and relax. Some jazz plays and a few nearby conversations drift in and out. By the time the band comes on, there are eight people in the crowd - a guy named “Tom” and two friends, a couple, you, and two waiters - and three on stage - a guitarist and two singer / dancers, plus their karaoke machine. The band plays On the Bayou, Have You Ever Seen the Rain, Miss You Much, Take Me to Your Heart, and Don’t Dream It’s Over, and despite the sparse crowd, it’s fun.

You sip your second draft and realize that not only is your collar dry and your stress level lower, but also that you’re having a good Beijing hotel experience. You learned, using your broken Mandarin, that the bar has been around since the 80s. You explained to the bartender, whose English skills don’t extend much past “Happy Hour” and “Cheers,” that “one for one” isn’t really a good deal and he actually means “two for one” or “buy one, get one free.” You saw, on the shelf, a canister that looked like it might contain motor oil or floor polisher and then realized, with a laugh, it was Maotai. You also saw that the drink menu includes selections of Chinese spirits, grape wines and teas, and thought it was a nice counterbalance to all the Western drinks. Then you finished your drink, and left humming Crowded House and thinking, yep, I’ll be back again…

Welcome to Readers’ Writes week, starring the collective wisdom of 17 fellow bar-goers who answered my survey about their favorite Beijing drinking holes and the city’s general nightlife scene. They include men and women, span five decades in age, hail from four continents, and provide some appreciated insights. (Note: This first appeared in last week’s newsletter. To get the newsletter, send an email with “Eat, Drink and Be Merry” in the subject line to beijingboyce@yahoo.com.)

Without further ado…

DON ST. PIERRE, U.S. and “Canuck” citizen, founder of ASC Fine Wines, 21 years in Beijing and “only a little bit crazy”

Your favorite bar(s), and why
The Capital Club: It’s very relaxed, with many friends, and the best service in town. I helped design the bar.
The Pavillion: I love getting there early and chatting with my good friends Russell and Christine, even though neither of them drinks wine, and Christine not at all. Lots of old friends there, too, and it’s right on my way home. No detour necessary.
The Press Club bar in the St. Regis: It’s where I live and I can crawl home if I have to.
Capone’s: Strictly because of the singer Bobby Taylor, and Dougie, his piano player. My kind of music. Lots of Motown.

Your all-time favorite bar(s) and why
The Old Frank’s Place… friends, friends, friends
The Capital Club: Somebody asked about 10 years ago, “What time do you close?” and Dennis the bartender replied straight-faced, “When Don leaves.”

Thoughts on the local drinking scene
Generally speaking, a little low on class and I’m surprised so many people haven’t figured out that cheap drinks equals poor service. You can’t buy a Rolls Royce for the price of a Tianjin Diahatsu! The best days were the old days with my band of Beijing Jeep expats in places like Charlie’s Bar and The Gallery in the Lido. Lots of yelling and screaming and cursing, but we accomplished a lot.

OLLI ROBINSON, British, editor, 2 years

Favorites
The Saddle: I’ll always respect a place where the owner says you can carry on sleeping at the bar as long as you lock up when you leave. Plus, the fact the drinks are cheap, it’s unpretentious and the burritos aren’t half bad.
Red Ball: Beer + Football = : )
Luna: Great decor, good wine, friendly service - all in a nice part of town

All-time
Nanjie: The perfect place for any Beijing newcomer. Hot, steamy and sleazy. And cheap - very important for Beijing’s unemployed laowai community.
Yugong Yishan: Well… it’s Yugong Yishan.
Bed: In my opinion, the measure of a bar is if you could plonk it down in any city around the world and it would still be considered cool, even outside Beijing, you have yourself a fine establishment. Bed is one such place.
The Tree: I never had the fortune of frequenting the Hidden Tree, but its successor is a comfortable, sociable place to drink good beer.

The scene
While not being the most sophisticated night out, Beijing’s still… fun

EDDIE O

Favorites
My spot is Cheers. They don’t try and put on any airs, the prices are right and there is a good mix of live music and recorded stuff to request. Where else will they play the La Marseillaise, George Thorogood, Celine Dion and Frank Sinatra in the same hour while selling you a shot of Wild Turkey for 30 kuai?

JASON BEDFORD, Canadian, financial advisor, 3.5 years

Favorites
It’s hard to name one place because depending on my mood / situation, I normally vary between three places. When I’m with close friends or friends from out of town, I normally go with Suzie Wong’s: somewhat classy with an old Shanghai feel to it, drinks are good albeit pricey, and lots of women. If I am with colleagues, a date or just want a quiet drink, I’ll normally hit Centro (close by and the happy hour makes the prices pretty reasonable). If I’m feeling young and looking to get very inebriated, then Shooters is the place for me.

All-time
The recently torn down First Cafe. Made me feel like I was back home and the martinis are the best I have ever had. I was definitely sad to see it go… On that note, has anywhere managed to stand up to the plate and replace it?

The scene
I’ll go with a memory… In the two and a half years since South Street bar street was torn down, nothing new has ever quite been able to capture the same energy. The string of cheap bars there were so small that there was never enough room to seat the flock of people that would inevitably show up every weekend, forcing people outside onto the street, making every weekend seem like a little street party. Some of the old bars from there have reappeared (i.e. Pure Girl and Taniwha) but it’s just not the same…

M-dawg and I decided to check out Charlie’s, the oldest bar in town, but since it was closed for renovations, we visited another “old timer” in Beijing - Mexican Wave. Home of the Beijing Hash, it is fairly comfy with some interesting wall murals, though the fish tank in the back room seems out of place. Even though it was a Wednesday night, the place was pretty busy.

Our burritos (RMB30) were quickly delivered. Mine was lukewarm and a bit bland in contrast with the salsa that left my mouth burning. On the positive side, it was, um, filling. The trademark Mexican Wave beer was sold out, so we settled for Qingdao. They were, um, filling too. What else can you say about the place? M-Dawg marveled at how it had been around since 1988: “It demonstrates staying power and has miraculously avoided being chai’d.”

(Note: Major downsides included the eight-point, all-cap font in the menu (it looks better than it reads) and waiters continually slamming the kitchen door as they came out to deliver food.)

(From Beijing Boyce IX, first emailed on January 26, 2006)