Beijing Boyce

A Tuesday night pub crawl is usually a bad idea, but sometimes – as with meteor strikes, power outages, and wedgies – it just happens. Such forays are increasingly rare for me, with last night being an exception. Here are the places visited, with a two-sentence write-up for each.

-

Duck de Chine (1949: The Hidden City): I met a group of foodies and we sampled wines from Yunnan, Ningxia, and Hebei provinces and ate a tasty duck dinner (thanks to Justin Quek of Le Platane). Ducky does not describe the service, however, as the staff struggled to handle our pre-dinner drinks and understand requests (we asked for spittoons several times and kept receiving ice buckets full of cubes; we asked for another bottle of wine and received our bill; etc).

-

1/5 (1949: The Hidden City): We dropped in for Guinness and were (mis?) treated to some music that would make my “worst eighties” list. This place has the kind of decor and vibe that would make it appropriate for corporate types cutting loose.

-

TUN: Open Mic nights are a lot like golf – even if you have a horrible round, a birdie or two will inspire you to at least save one club from the lake and come back and play. Given that, there were a few triple bogeys last night that saw things proceed slower than usual, though two Tsingtao for RMB15 goes a long way in terms of compensation.

-

Maggie’s: A return visit to make sure the opening wasn’t a fluke. Nope, aside from the airier layout, things were pretty much same old, same old, with a decent crowd for a Tuesday, though it seemed ladies outnumbered gents (by the way, were the wine markups always upwards of 400 to 500 percent?).

-

Goose n’ Duck: Pretty much empty after midnight, which means we had the table top hockey and pitching cage all to ourselves! I like this place – the food is decent, there are plenty of seating options, a good smattering of TVs, etc – but I miss the convenience of the old spot near Chaoyang Park.

-

The Den: About 25 to 30 people were settled in and throwing down drinks, which the reliable staff ensured were available in ample supplies along with decent pub grub (deep-fried combo: yum). I noticed people who had been at Maggie’s earlier in the night trickling in as we headed out…

Although closed since March, Maggie’s still ranked as the second most popular search on this blog over the past month. (And I’m long overdue in mentioning this Newsweek post that provides an interesting look at what led to the bar closing and this post on China Expat that states it will re-open in September.)

Taking top spot is Klubb Rouge and, narrowly edged out by Maggie’s, is Duck de Chine. Why people come here to get information about a relatively new duck restaurant is beyond me.

Rounding out the top ten – Legation Quarter, Maison Boulud, Suzie Wong, Saddle, Block 8, 1949: The Hidden City, and Face.

I checked my site stats last night and found that new places represent most of the top-ranked searches made on the blog. In case anyone is interested, here are the top five:

1. Klubb Rouge
2. Block 8
3. Maggie’s
4. Duck de Chine
5. Legation Quarter

Other popular searches include 1949: The Hidden City, Suzie Wong, Maison Boulud, and China Doll.

It sounds like the Kokomo / China Doll standoff is over for now. Two co-owners of Kokomo told me last Thursday that Tongli Studio management fixed the damaged lighting console at the core of the dispute. I spotted no ominous guards as I headed upstairs to Kokomo last night, though I found the place closed (to be fair, it was around 2 AM).

Across the street, Lugas (ex-Saddle) is expanding. The place is more than doubling in size as it takes over a venue just around the corner, with the two spots being connected by a door. Expect a similar layout and decor, and a side room that fits about a dozen people. Luga says he expects to open the place on Friday.

Meanwhile, The Saddle Cantina opened Thursday with a party by Local Noodles. The spot was packed, the beer and Margaritas flowed. I popped in Saturday afternoon to try the food, as I’d received an email listing the opening hours from “afternoon” to 4 AM on weekends. I found it closed and since discovered the opening time is 6 PM. I returned last night for a few Stella at RMB40 per pop. The beer is literally ice cold, with co-owner Nick Ma explaining that it pours at -1 or -2 degrees Celsius. Ma provided a sample of the guacamole, which was tasty. The Saddle Cantina is much bigger and stylized than The Rickshaw, and the prices are higher. I’ll have more about this place soon.

On Sanlitun North, 1949: The Hidden City will start opening venues tomorrow. The first: Sugar (11 AM-7 PM; no wireless at the moment), a coffee bar that offers salads and other fare. The Noodle Bar (11 AM-7 PM) opens Wednesdays, while Duck de Chine is slated to take flight on the weekend. I sampled Duck de Chine’s menu last Thursday and, as one might expect, we had plenty of duck. Webs, livers, tongues, eggs, breasts – pretty much everything but lips, feathers, and bellybuttons. I also discovered from the chef that they can fit cook turkey’s into those wood-fired ovens – come Christmas, I’m going to be calling these guys.

Finally, I dropped into Nanjie in the wee hours last night and, as usual, it was bustling upstairs with the usual mix of locals and expatriates. With ten-kuai beer and a deck that is perfect for people watching – this place is hard to beat.

This is the fourth in a series of posts on places that I have recently toured and that are projected to open over the next few months. Previously: The new Nali Studios: The Saddle Cantina, Project H2O; The new China Doll; The Legation Quarter

In a city where some high-end venues seem intent on blinging each other out, The Hidden City, a project by Elite Concepts, is refreshing for being reserved. Just south of Pacific Century building and east of Revelations (ex-Browns), this complex of about a dozen buildings will include bars, restaurants, a coffee house, an art gallery and a private club. Red bricks walls, oak plank floors, ceiling beams, ample paths, green areas, and plenty of trees suggest a relaxed getaway in the heart of the city – which I guess explains the “hidden” in its name.

Most of the buildings are new – the striking exception being a refurbished two-story factory / warehouse that will hold 1/5 lounge bar – though they evoke a slower-paced time in Beijing’s past. 1949′s Eva Lipman gave me a tour of the place last week. Here are the key venues:

- Duck de Chine, a Beijing duck restaurant split into two narrow rustic buildings of 200 square meters separated by a green space and a glass-walled area that displays the roasting ovens; one room will include a Bollinger Champagne bar.

- Noodle Bar, a cozy spot that seats about 12 at its counters.

- Well Bar, an outdoor four-meter-wide well in which a waist-deep floor has been installed: the plan is for the bartenders to work in the well (let’s hope that flooring is secure!), the patrons to sit around it, and the house brew – “1949″ – to flow.

- Sugar, a coffee and dessert house

- 1/5 restaurant, a large space with an open kitchen, “comfort food”, Sangria, and a slanted roof that peaks at about 10 meters and allows in natural light.

- 1/5 lounge with a four-sided bar on the first floor and VIP rooms upstairs. Lipman says the music will have an “old school” theme (think classic rock).

There will also be a private club.

What strikes me about 1949: The Hidden City is its cohesiveness and modesty. The earthy tones, the beams, the green space, and the understated décor and furnishings work well. The construction materials seem frugal – in the sense of being practical, rather than cheap – and contribute to the unassuming atmosphere. Let’s hope the final product carries this same air. The question with such multi-establishment projects is whether they can fashion success from the sum of their parts. For now, the answer is – and yes, this is a horribly cheesy way to end – hidden.

1949: The Hidden City is slated to open on March 31, save for Well Bar and 1/5 lounge, which will open shortly after.