Beijing Boyce

Before going to Flo for lunch last week, The Flash and I visited The Wine Bank next door. The defining features are 14-foot ceilings, red brick walls, pine shelving and stone floors, with touches of glass, cast iron and gold trim. A second-floor alcove includes two sofas, while there are several tables up front if you want to park and try a bottle - after buying it, of course.

The Wine Bank has its share of tackiness - plastic plants, brick “wallpaper” pasted over cement in spots and the owner’s all-too-visible golf club collection. Even so, as The Flash says, “This is a nice place to have a seat and a bottle of wine.”

More than 80 percent of the wine on offer hails from Australia and includes labels such as Timber Ridge, Tallboy, Ferngrove, Plantagenet, Peel, and Just Red.

The Wine Bank is open from 11 AM to 9 PM, with free parking out front. It’s a convenient place to drop by and pick up a few bottles and, according to one employee, more branches are planned.

The Flash and I enjoyed the business lunch at Brasserie Flo last week. The RMB68 menu covers a starter and entrée, while the RMB98 version includes more options as well as dessert. If you prefer to order a la carte, and particularly if you crave fresh seafood, prepare to fully open your wallet.

Flo knows how to cook meat, so if you are used to employing a steak-ordering strategy of asking for medium-rare in order to get medium, discard it here. The medium-rare nearly moos at this place. The smoked herring salad is good, though pungent, so be forewarned.

This was my first visit to Flo and the place offered good food, excellent service and a high-end atmosphere at a reasonable price. I’ll be back…