Beijing Boyce

The Top Five Watering Holes Series is back and with someone who epitomizes the work hard, play hard ethic. Her 9 to 5 gig — actually, given the profession, I’m sure many days go long past 5 — is at a communications firm that focuses on tech and IT clients. In her spare time, she enjoys dancing, discovering good food and good drinks, and exploring new areas of Beijing. Ladies and gentlemen, the top five Beijing watering holes of Amy Saltzman…

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“I would count myself as a person who is possibly more concerned with the social nature of drinking, rather than the content of the drinks themselves, so I was surprised when asked to do my own “top five” list. I’m not hip on the classy joints (although I do love me a well-made dirty martini). I’m drawn more to the atmosphere and social elements that add a fuller color and context to what I drink and where I drink it. All in all, I’d like to think this list offers a good variety, and, at the very least, it definitely contains some of my favorite places to chill with friends and/or occasionally get sauced enough to write reviews on The Beijinger. Enjoy!

1. Drum and Bell. I have spent a fair amount of time at this bar, and it’s always a pleasure. The vibe inside is cheerful and relaxed, and I especially love the raised seating area that’s set amongst pillows, where you have to take your shoes off to sit. The rooftop deck has a decent amount of space and great views as well, making it perfect for sitting and chatting with friends. Also, if you’re looking to make the most of your Sunday Funday, the 50 kuai all-you-can drink afternoon special is well worth it.

2. The Door. As I’ve warned, classy is not my adjective of choice. However, even The Door marks itself as a guilty pleasure on my list. The squashed, dark dance floor area is pretty sketchy, I won’t argue that. However, beyond it is an array of individual couches and tables, which are great when drinking with a group of friends, or when playing a game of “quarters” with 1元 coins is on the agenda for the night. Really cheap beers and mixed drinks (10 kuai to 20 kuai for most), a convenient location, and a good amount of space to have for yourself and your pals make it hard to say no to. Also, considering the amount of rogue coins I’ve lost under those couches, it is likely there’s a small treasure trove hiding under there for some lucky guy or girl to find.

3. El Nido. This would definitely be the place I would imagine overhearing, “I liked (band / artist / fashion trend) before they went mainstream.” It would also be a strong contender if the website “Stuff White People Like” did a post on Beijing. However, I am caught in the trendy cogs of this small but popular joint, and I don’t so much mind it. El Nido offers a huge variety of unique beers for surprisingly affordable prices, and I love the infused brandy and vodka offerings, if only because they smell fantastic. Plus, it’s appealing to me that I can see all the beers through the glass door fridges before selecting one (or two) for myself. The only downside is the seating, which is almost entirely outside and leaves many to question what will happen when winter rolls around (brrr).

4. Hercules. When I feel like dressing up for the night, doing the transformative glasses-to-contact lenses switch, and walking 25 percent slower to avoid tripping in my heels, Hercules is where I head for first round drinks. The layout is open and relaxed, but with an air of sleek sophistication. The drinks are a bit pricey, but very well-made (especially the dirty martinis and peach Long Island iced teas), and it still sports my favorite happy hour deals for making the most of the weekend: buy one get one free in the early evening and then again from around midnight till the wee early morning hours. I also love the variety in seating options. Couch? Bench? Bed? As you wish.

5. The Stumble Inn. I really enjoy the Stumble Inn and its classic bar vibe. There is ample space to sit inside (as I wait and secretly hope the dart board becomes available), but if my patience gives way, the deck also offers spacious seating with really nice views. There’s also the glorious double threat pairing of both a lengthy beer list and pretty tasty food. I always know I can count on getting my favorite Blue Star nice and cold here, and paired with a juicy cheeseburger it’s hard to leave unsatisfied in both alcoholic and gustatory pleasures. Happy hour deals are good as well, and mixed drinks are effective, to say the least. Very effective.

Honorable mentions:

Florida native Natasha McKenzie has been exploring the bar and restaurant scene since moving to Beijing a decade ago. (And of late, has developed a fondness for Strongbow Cider.) I asked her to list her all-time top-five watering holes. Here they are:

“1. The Big Easy for Blue Mondays, but only when [owner] Doug was still sitting at the end of the bar.

“2. The Hidden Tree, before the expansion and renovations, when you had to go through a labyrinth of cases of Tsingtao just to squat.

“3. Jam House, one of my first and favorite rooftop bars.

“4. Drum & Bell, because of the decent pizza and happy hour on lazy Sunday afternoons.

“5. Fubar, an understated hole in the wall within walking distance of my house.

When I dropped into The Rickshaw last Friday morning to watch the Chicago Cubs – Arizona Diamondbacks game, I didn’t imagine that 24 hours later I would be blogging live about nearly 20 foreigner-driven three-wheeled “rickshaws” racing around the Houhai area on a pub crawl. (Then again, I didn’t imagine the Cubs would get swept and extend their failure to win the World Series to 99 years, but I digress.)

I blogged six times about the event on Saturday (see all of the posts here). Now that the event is a few days behind, my overwhelming memory is of the many locals, from bar owners and employees to bystanders, who seemed to have had nearly as much fun as the participants. From taking photos of and with the rickshaw racers, to watching a few of them go for a dip in Houhai, to sharing dance moves at the post-race bash, it was good times all-around.

In any case, I spent half of the day at Houhai Zoo and the other half touring the course with race marshal Alistair:

The racers took 90 minutes to three hours to finish, with only a few major incidents – one tipped over rickshaw at the beginning and three rickshaw-car scrapes (the owners of the autos were fully compensated).

Some of the more memorable moments:

- Befuddled racers trying to find The Reef or Drum & Bell or any other number of bars, but refusing – out of pride – to pay the one-drink penalty to the race marshal in exchange for directions.

- Racers busting moves on the deck of Houhai Zoo to the amusement of locals.

- What must have been a seventy-year-old man stopping his bike, parking it and showing some moves of his own.

- The further spread of pajama culture in Beijing.

- And couples taking wedding photos: what a contrast to see Chinese in Western wedding wear beside Westerners about to race Chinese rickshaws. Perhaps not globalization at its finest, but certainly in its explicitness.

As for the serious business, according to Mike Iannini for whom the race was his going away party, the winners seem to have been the team of Gary, Grace and Max, though  he adds that they may have played a trick or two on the other teams along the way.The following establishments participated and, noted the race marshal, did a superb job: No Name Bar, Hai Bar, Huxley’s (Shut Up Just Drink), Shui Gui Qi, Drum and Bell, Cafe Sambal, Ball House, Paper, Reef, Fish Nation, Pass By Bar, Houhai Zoo and, last but not least, the Xiao Mai Bu across from 20.

Props go to Mike Ianinni, Alistair, Chad Lager of The Rickshaw and Huxley of Houhai Zoo, where the race began and ended. Sadly, it coincided with the final weekend for the Zoo as Huxley will put more focus on the new Nanjie, which has done a rocking business since opening about a month ago. Good luck to Huxley and the Zoo staff, pictured here:

Hopefully, East meets West again…

… next year.

2:40 PM, Drum and Bell

The teams raced – well, some kind of wobbled as they got their cycling legs – from Houhai Zoo on the course. Here are some photos based on the past hour of popping in and out of venues on the way.

Okay… I guess I’m not going to post… the photos won’t upload. A few observations then:

- To say most of the Chinese bar owners and staff are amused with this event would be an understatement. They have that “those crazy foreigners” grin>

- Numerous tourists are straining to take photos of the Rickshaw Ralliers and especially Race Marshall Al in his somewhat classic semi-military outfit.

Gotta run…

These are the nights to enjoy a drink on a rooftop, deck or patio, and my favorite spots remain Pavillion and Stone Boat Cafe, with other good options being Drum and Bell, Frank’s Place and Q Bar. Remember, our lungs filter pollution from this city’s air and a strong collective outside drinking effort might allow us to spot a star or two some evening. (Note: Pavillion offers the added flashback value of hearing Wham!, Huey Lewis, The Vapors and Jackson Browne within an hour.) / John Bull Pub, run by legendary bar proprietor Frank Siegel, is saying toodleloo London and hello Houston as it transforms into a Texas BBQ joint (see “We Got Email” / Zing by Doodoo, an esteemed member of the Bad Bar Name Hall of Fame, is also changing identities and will reemerge as Thai restaurant Serve the People, which is hardly a better name given that it evokes cannibalism. / 49 kuai for a pint of Carlsberg at Face. Ouch! / The Bookworm celebrated its one-year anniversary yesterday. With tasty food, interesting lectures, live music, plenty of books for sale or loan, and an extensive beverage menu, this place has been a runaway success. Not surprisingly, its incredible popularity can make it tough for wireless seekers to get a seat, and that can mean occasional forays to Le Petit Gourmand or SPR Coffee. / Browns now serves “jungle juice” during Wednesday ladies’ nights, which means people may soon be swinging from the rafters as well as dancing on the bar. Speaking of Browns, the foam party two weekends ago saw bubbles upon bubbles for most of the night, but they had burst by Sunday brunch. The place was virtually empty, yet it took over 20 minutes to get a simple breakfast and the COFFEE MACHINE WAS BROKEN! “If this had been my first visit to Browns, I would never go back,” said a downright bitter and caffeine-withdrawn M-Dawg. / Nearby, The Loft has renamed itself Hot Loft. I have no punch line to do justice to this marketing brilliance. / Reader K.S. aka Killer Schoolmarm has spoken to the owner of recently chai’d The Big Easy and says the Louisiana-style hotspot will again grace our city, retaining the spirit of its original interior, but with a new outside look (more to come on this). / M-Dawg and I visited Q Bar two Saturdays ago and waited not only 15 minutes to order, but also 30 minutes in vain for our drinks. With parched throats, we went to Phil’s Pub and soon had Gin Tonics at one-third the cost. It seems to me that Q Bar is best when providing quality cocktails in a tranquil environment, which suggests a need to focus on speeding up drink delivery rather than on, say, hiring a DJ to play house music. Translation: I want my dry martini and John Lee Hooker! Fortunately, the drinks were coming fast and slightly furious during a visit earlier this week. / Speaking of which, Trevor and Kenn from Alternate Paradigm will slip into aprons and host an end-of-summer BBQ on Q Bar’s rooftop (September 23, 2 PM-late). Twenty-five kuai gets you a cheeseburger, two hot dogs, grilled veggies or six wings, all of which come with a baked potato. / Skipping back to Phil’s, I visited several times recently and rediscovered the joys of cheap but decent cocktails, 30-kuai Erdinger, and a friendly neighborhood pub atmosphere. Moreover, after a long stint in Qingdao , owner Phil is back and teamed up with Sally. My only recommendation for this place: vaporize the PlayStation console, or at least anyone using it. / The new branch of Raj held a party last Saturday night with the expected buffet of Indian food and traditional dancing. The rooftop is ideal for enjoying a few brew (from 15 kuai for Qingdao to 25 kuai for Kingfisher) or some wine (though those puny glasses have to go), before heading to nearby Bed or Drum and Bell. / The Stone Boat has upgraded its wine and cocktail menu over the past year and credit goes to Amy and Jonathan. The Martini and Mojito are better, though the latter is still light on alcohol, and it is nice to enjoy wine in a proper glass in such a relaxing spot.

(From Beijing Boyce XXIV, first emailed on September 21, 2006)