Beijing Boyce

Photos to come…

What restaurants and bars would I visit after leaving Turpan, a three-hour drive from Xinjiang’s capital of Urumqi, early in the morning and arriving in Beijing early in the afternoon? A question I have asked myself since childhood thousands of time hundreds of times never. But I do have an answer. Here is my itinerary for winding down after spending nine days in Ningxia and Xinjiang, most of them in the latter spot, where I found myself unable to use the Internet or SMS.

Le Petit Gourmand (map): As much as I enjoyed putting away kilo after kilo of tomatoes and potatoes, melons and grapes, noodles and lambs on the trip, I needed an old favorite: the club sandwich. While the manager is new, the sandwich, with about a dozen layers as well as sides of fries and salad, continues to offer excellent value at RMB44. So does the “American” coffee, the first non-instant java I had in almost two weeks, at RMB15. Oh, and it appears that LPG has finally added to its five-CD collection. I won’t miss hearing that CD of “My Way” remakes over and over and over again. (Note: In other Tongli area news, Cheers (map) still has that “decorate” sign in its window, while Cosmos Lounge, just around the corner from Cosmos Hot Dogs (map) in the southern entrance, has its prices listed outside.)

Union Bar & Grille (map): Iced tea. Refreshing unsweetened iced tea (RMB20; refills free). I considered ordering my favorite dish, the eggs Benedict, but decided to save it for the weekend. Instead, I went to…

Danger Doyle’s (map): Through this month and next, Wednesday means free pizza from 3 PM to 10 PM. With its wood-fired oven, this place pops out better-than-average pies, and I washed down my pepperoni version with a pint of Stella. The only downside: the table of freeloaders who ordered pizza, but no drinks, and were abusive to the staff to boot. Perhaps not only a “drink purchase required” clause is needed but also, given this is a sports bar, red and yellow cards for boorish behavior.

Purple Haze Bistro (map): A substantial crowd on hand to catch the weekly live jazz. This week’s act was No Name Trio, an outfit that features two guitars and an accordion, plays what one member describes as “French gypsy jazz”, and even slipped in some Elvis Presley. Good music, good vibe…

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Some happenings from the past week or so. As always, click the word “map” beside each venue to get its map, or to get its address sent to your phone for free in either Chinese or English, courtesy of Mobile Native.

Stone Boat (map): A nice crowd on hand Saturday night to watch Panjir play. This is one of the few places in the city center that you can visit and feel you are not, well, in the city center. Good music, good vibe, good times. By the way, based on more than four years of experience, here is a guide to drinks at The Stone Boat: wine = generous pour, beer = average pour, mixed drinks = miserly pour.

Klubb Rouge (map): There is talk of this place, the inactive part of a trio that includes Danger Doyle’s and Drei Kronen 1308, going through a makeover and reopening with a new mission, though a launch would be months down the road. More to come. And once again, kudos to Klubb Rouge for the most surreal PR conference I have attended.

Union (map): If there were an award for the gap between food value and service quality, this place would rank among my favorites. From Toaster-gate and Coffee-gate to the inability of servers to distinguish “rye” from “white” toast to being slow in delivering that initial coffee and then providing refills when only a sip has been taken, this place has had more than its share of moments. To give three example from this past Sunday:

1) The wireless was down for the fourth straight time though a staff member eventually got it working.

2) A friend and I asked for two orders of eggs Benedict and received one order of toast that we were told to share. Shades of Toaster-gate… So if I order an eggs Benedict, I get four pieces of toast, but if we order two eggs Benedict, and thus pay twice as much, we get the same mount of toast?  “If you want more toast, just ask,” I was told. Seriously, if it is a matter of cost, reduce the side of butter, since there is enough there to butter ten slices of bread.

3) Approximate exchange between me and the waitress:

Something to drink?

Coffee.

What kind of coffee?

Just a coffee.

You mean cappucci…

Just a coffee. A regular coffee. Just a regular black coffee.

[Still looks confused]

Could I have the menu, please?

[Hands me a food menu]

Could I have the drinks menu?

[I point to the word "coffee" on the menu]

That one.

Coffee.

Yes, a coffee.

How many?

Seven. No, I am joking. One. One coffee.

I realize these are not huge issues, the staff is very nice, and apparently it was the waitress’s first day. But on the other hand, Union is rather pricey. And if spots such as Le Petit Gourmand can provide decent service, then surely Union can pick up its game. Speaking of which…

Le Petit Gourmand (map): When I couldn’t get wireless at Union on Saturday, I headed here with DJ Chunky. I have written it before, I will write it again – that RMB35 chicken sandwich with salad and fries is a superb deal. But remember: bring an iPod because this spot repeats the same songs over and over and over again, over and over and over again, over and over and over again (ad infinitum).

Cheers (map): This spot, best known its live Xinjiang music on the weekends, is open again, though c0-0wner Leo – and his oil paintings – no longer appear to be in the picture.

Danger Doyle’s (map): Traffic is picking up at this place and it seems to have become a favorite with some of the city’s models on Friday’s ladies night.

The Den (map): For late-night sports viewing, can anyone beat this place? It seems perpetually full whenever there is an event on – whether it be rugby, cricket or the Wimbledon final – and that is most of the time.

Stadium Dog / Fubar: Look for a soft opening of the hot dog joint within the next week or so, with the bar to soon follow.

Kiosk (map): The two-floor second branch of this Nali Studio favorite is open. Look for the bright pink building across from Workers Stadium North and a block east of older Purple Haze. And expect the same high-value burgers.

Solana (map): With the winter blues gone, most seats near that strip along the waterfront – faced by Sex and Da City, HLG, et al – were full Friday night. But expect to drop some coin – we stopped at Lantung where the Corona is RMB45 and a so-s0 Mojito is RMB55.

Cosmo (map): Finding this place open seems to be a hit or miss proposition, as one reader reports dropping by five times and finding it closed on every occasion. Hopefully the kinks are soon worked out.

Pepe’s Pizza (map): Look for this spot to re-open this week with a new design and menu as well as a kid’s party area upstairs where the little ones can make their own pies.

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Over the past few years, Beijing has seen the rise of burger, burrito, and pizza options. Now, we see more spots focusing on hot dogs, a product memorably defined by H.L. Mencken as “a cartridge filled with the sweepings of abattoirs.”

Maggie’s (map) has long been considered by many as providing the city’s best tube steak but the past year has seen spots such as No More Bunz (map), Bar Uno, and the corner near Shooters (map) get into the scene. And two more are slated to open in the next month.

The people behind establishments such as Muse and Alfa are slated to open Cosmos Hot Dogs (map) on June 28 in the southern entrance of Tongli Studio, with a deck / lounge just outside the door. The plan is to offer two hot dogs and a Tsingtao for RMB25.

Meanwhile, as mentioned several times, Chad Lager and Kevin Zhang will open Stadium Dog, which aims to offer more than a half-dozen kinds of hot dogs, at Workers Stadium (map). Stadium Dog will be paired with a “speakeasy” called Fubar and is projected to open in the first half of July.

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