Beijing Boyce

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So I spotted this liter bottle of Changyu Vermouth in a supermarket last week and hemmed and hawed for about three seconds before buying it. I figured at worst it would be interesting to taste and had an intriguing label. And at best I might like it.  I ended up cracking the bottle open that night with Iain Xiao, who used it for a martini, and then took it to Flamme as bartender Paul Mathew expressed some interest and I figured he would be able to work his usual magic. Sure enough, he made two cocktails, including a tasty Fighting Cock Bourbon Manhattan…

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My motherboard burned out last Friday, I got a replacement on Sunday near Chaoyang Park (hat tip to Mr Miyagi for the help), and I found myself walking by Chef Too. As with spots like Vineyard Cafe, Metro and Saveurs de Coree, this is a place I really should visit more often. I downed an espresso and chatted with owner William Bolton a.k.a. Chef Billy, who asked me if I had ever tried Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon. Hmm, I have a hazy memory of doing so at Ichikura years ago. Anyway, he gave me a splash of three PVWs for an enlightening impromptu tasting. Even better, he has about two dozen more Bourbons on hand…

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Finally, I spotted this Schrorsch lager at BHG a few days ago: it is billed as the “World’s Strongest Lager“. Maybe we need a strong beer showdown with BrewDog, which is due in our city any time now. More on this soon…

Fez opened atop Agua in Nali Patio last weekend thus not only reuniting these two places after they both closed in the Legation Quarter in late 2009 but also confirming Sanlitun as the heart of the Western restaurant and bar scene in Beijing. With Jordi Valles again heading the kitchen, Agua opened late last year and quickly reestablished itself among the top restaurants in the city. Now Fez is open up top, with the Champagne, martinis and mojitos flowing last weekend at a bar backed by consultant Bob Louison. Fez can seat about 80 patrons, includes its own toilets, and  has good views to the west and south, though the glow from the billboards at 3.3 is a bit disconcerting. Manager Richard Pirsch says Fez still needs some finishing touches though we found it a comfortable respite on Saturday night.  (My two suggestions for changes: 1) Put some kind of warning on that glass wall because it so convincingly looks like the entrance to another section that more than a few half-cut patrons will be smashing their faces off it, and 2) Turn down the flicker on those Christmas tree-like lights installed behind glass at the bar base because they are bound to induce nausea in anyone who stares at them after more than one drink.) Fez offers easy access to the decks at wine bar Enoterra next door and Migas one flight up. Add in the rooftops at Saddle Cantina and nearby Bar Blu and Kokomo and this area of town looks to be the outdoor hotspot this year.

It's dog eat dog, er, cat fight cat...

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There is a brouhaha over at The Beijinger between Legation Quarter landlord HKC and the Aqua Group, which had been running restaurants Agua and Shiro Matsu and bars Hex and Fez at the upscale complex until all four closed about two weeks ago.

The Beijinger earlier posted a press release from Agua Group that stated (my highlights):

Legation Quarter Ltd. has consistently failed to meet its promises and commitments to us and the other tenants to maintain and manage Ch’ien Men 23 as Beijing’s premier fine dining complex resulting in damage to our businesses and day to day operations.

Legation Quarter Ltd’s behavior has reached the point where, among other things, they harass our operations by switching the power on and off at will. We are unable to operate in this hostile environment and as a result we deeply regret that we have no choice but to close our operations at Ch’ien Men 23 with immediate effect.

Today the site posted a press release from HKC that stated (my highlights):

It is regretful that Aqua has not paid its license fees to Legation Quarter Ltd. since late 2008, immediately after they had enjoyed the 16-week license-fee free period….

Aqua has nevertheless used Legation Quarter Ltd.’s premises to conduct business in its restaurants and bars for over a year, continuing to disregard our repeated requests to honor their obligations and pay the long overdue license fees….

In short, the closure of Aqua is due to its inability, or unwillingness, to pay the license fee for ‘Ch’ien Men 23’ and Legation Quarter Ltd. is now seeking legal advice in respect of Aqua’s  irresponsible and untrue press release.”

I spoke to Lidia Sakarapani, sales and marketing director of Aqua Group, last week and she cited issues — ranging from  electricity and infrastructure problems to major events held in the square that affected traffic flow to the the bars and restaurants — that disrupted business. She also said The Beijinger made minimal effort to contact her before running its intial story considering that a member of the magazine’s staff is the former PR person for Agua a former member of the magazine’s staff was a former PR person for Agua [see comments re this correction].

In any case, free rent helps to explain why some places at Legation Quarter have survived this long, not to mention in other spots around town (see Solana). If such places had to pay in full from day one, on top of their heavy staff costs, I think we would see much higher turnover.

Based on my experience and on talking to readers, the only place that seems to be consistently busy at Legation Quarter – aka Chi’enmen 23 – is Maison Boulud. I called GM Ignace LeCleir last week and he told me the restaurant has no plans to move. As for the Aqua Group, Sakarapani says it plans to be back in business in Beijing soon.

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But can it top Alexis versus Krystle...