Beijing Boyce

Friday night (May 30, 7:30 PM) will see a slew of bands band together at a D-22 to raise funds for Time Out music editor Ian Sherman, who is fighting cancer. The lineup includes Carsicks Cars, Arrows Made of Desire, RandomK(e), PK14, and Snapline, among others (RMB100 at the door).

Saturday night sees Frank’s Place (v2) celebrate its second anniversary, from 7 PM. The event will raise funds for the Red Cross.

Those saddened by the closing of Mare Nostrum will be gladdened to know that two of the chefs have shifted to Tao (Lucky Street). (Thanks to reader S&B for the tip.) The weekend brunch (noon-3 PM) includes eight starters, seven main courses and three desserts, from RMB168 (30 percent off during June). Free-flow Spanish sparkling wine is an extra RMB50. To reserve a table, call 5867-0209.

Welcome to Readers’ Writes week, starring the collective wisdom of 17 fellow bar-goers who answered my survey about their favorite Beijing drinking holes and the city’s general nightlife scene. They include men and women, span five decades in age, hail from four continents, and provide some appreciated insights. (Note: This first appeared in last week’s newsletter. To get the newsletter, send an email with “Eat, Drink and Be Merry” in the subject line to beijingboyce@yahoo.com.)

Without further ado…

DON ST. PIERRE, U.S. and “Canuck” citizen, founder of ASC Fine Wines, 21 years in Beijing and “only a little bit crazy”

Your favorite bar(s), and why
The Capital Club: It’s very relaxed, with many friends, and the best service in town. I helped design the bar.
The Pavillion: I love getting there early and chatting with my good friends Russell and Christine, even though neither of them drinks wine, and Christine not at all. Lots of old friends there, too, and it’s right on my way home. No detour necessary.
The Press Club bar in the St. Regis: It’s where I live and I can crawl home if I have to.
Capone’s: Strictly because of the singer Bobby Taylor, and Dougie, his piano player. My kind of music. Lots of Motown.

Your all-time favorite bar(s) and why
The Old Frank’s Place… friends, friends, friends
The Capital Club: Somebody asked about 10 years ago, “What time do you close?” and Dennis the bartender replied straight-faced, “When Don leaves.”

Thoughts on the local drinking scene
Generally speaking, a little low on class and I’m surprised so many people haven’t figured out that cheap drinks equals poor service. You can’t buy a Rolls Royce for the price of a Tianjin Diahatsu! The best days were the old days with my band of Beijing Jeep expats in places like Charlie’s Bar and The Gallery in the Lido. Lots of yelling and screaming and cursing, but we accomplished a lot.

OLLI ROBINSON, British, editor, 2 years

Favorites
The Saddle: I’ll always respect a place where the owner says you can carry on sleeping at the bar as long as you lock up when you leave. Plus, the fact the drinks are cheap, it’s unpretentious and the burritos aren’t half bad.
Red Ball: Beer + Football = : )
Luna: Great decor, good wine, friendly service - all in a nice part of town

All-time
Nanjie: The perfect place for any Beijing newcomer. Hot, steamy and sleazy. And cheap - very important for Beijing’s unemployed laowai community.
Yugong Yishan: Well… it’s Yugong Yishan.
Bed: In my opinion, the measure of a bar is if you could plonk it down in any city around the world and it would still be considered cool, even outside Beijing, you have yourself a fine establishment. Bed is one such place.
The Tree: I never had the fortune of frequenting the Hidden Tree, but its successor is a comfortable, sociable place to drink good beer.

The scene
While not being the most sophisticated night out, Beijing’s still… fun

EDDIE O

Favorites
My spot is Cheers. They don’t try and put on any airs, the prices are right and there is a good mix of live music and recorded stuff to request. Where else will they play the La Marseillaise, George Thorogood, Celine Dion and Frank Sinatra in the same hour while selling you a shot of Wild Turkey for 30 kuai?

JASON BEDFORD, Canadian, financial advisor, 3.5 years

Favorites
It’s hard to name one place because depending on my mood / situation, I normally vary between three places. When I’m with close friends or friends from out of town, I normally go with Suzie Wong’s: somewhat classy with an old Shanghai feel to it, drinks are good albeit pricey, and lots of women. If I am with colleagues, a date or just want a quiet drink, I’ll normally hit Centro (close by and the happy hour makes the prices pretty reasonable). If I’m feeling young and looking to get very inebriated, then Shooters is the place for me.

All-time
The recently torn down First Cafe. Made me feel like I was back home and the martinis are the best I have ever had. I was definitely sad to see it go… On that note, has anywhere managed to stand up to the plate and replace it?

The scene
I’ll go with a memory… In the two and a half years since South Street bar street was torn down, nothing new has ever quite been able to capture the same energy. The string of cheap bars there were so small that there was never enough room to seat the flock of people that would inevitably show up every weekend, forcing people outside onto the street, making every weekend seem like a little street party. Some of the old bars from there have reappeared (i.e. Pure Girl and Taniwha) but it’s just not the same…

The oldest non-hotel bar in Beijing, Frank’s Place is back after a facelift and a change of scenery. A good portion of the city’s long-term expatriate drinking crowd showed up last Saturday night for an invite-only launch party and reminisced about the place’s original 1989 version, which was beside the City Hotel and reduced to rubble last year.* The reincarnation, across from Rosedale Hotel, is a high-end sports bar that offers excellent decor, layout and seating options, including sofas, booths, bar stools, and decks front and back, all of which were full of boisterous patrons fueled by a free flow of wine, beer, and barbecued burgers and hot dogs.

Manager Chris Adams had things smoothly running on opening night and Glenn Phelan** has joined the staff after a recent stint at Browns. He obviously copied the latter’s CDs, given the excess of old Michael Jackson songs. Mercifully, these were broken up by classics such as “Jump, Jump” by Kriss Kross and “Borderline” by Madonna. (Okay, I’ll stop being sarcastic now. Welcome back to Beijing, Glenn.) The homemade “Frank’s Place” theme song was a fun touch.***

Frank’s Place seems likely to be popular with older expatriates, including those who patronized the original bar, who drive home to Shunyi from work downtown, who one cynical acquaintance later suggested are stuck in 1996 (ouch!), and who know one or more of the 24 investors (those I’ve met fancy a drink or two, preferably with friends, which should help business). The bar should draw some locals as well as people coming to the area to visit Frank’s, its accompanying restaurant and wine cellar, and nearby establishments, such as Il Casale and Nhu. As for prices, Guinness is 50 kuai per pint, house red and white ranges are 40-60 and 30-45 kuai respectively, and standard mixed drinks are 40 kuai. A pint of Qingdao will cost you 25 kuai.

Frank’s is on the main floor of a three-story establishment called Trio, which includes The Park Grill upstairs (opened June 4) and wine-centric The Cellar downstairs (set to open June 13). The triumvirate reportedly cost around USD1 million (including rent). The Cellar is unique to Beijing, with pint-sized suits of armor and wrought-iron doors up front, an arched roof, stucco and brickwork in a Southern European style and, for members of “Club 88,” onsite storage space for up to 32 bottles of wine. ASC Fine Wines, sole TRIO wine supplier, held a Penfold tasting in The Cellar during the launch party and it proved to be an enjoyable, though potentially noisy, place to swirl a glass of red and nibble on cheese, olives and bread, before heading upstairs to sit on the deck.****

* Frank’s Place is named after Frank Siegel, now of John Bull Pub and Sequoia Cafe fame, who started the bar in 1989 and then sold his shares to Russell Probert and Roger Dutton in the late-1990s. The original venue was chai’d last year and Probert has since opened The Pavillion, on Gongti West Road, while Dutton is part of the team that re-opened the new Frank’s Place. Frank and Jennifer Siegel were on hand for the opening.

** Glenn Phelan originally came to Beijing to work for The Pavillion last fall. Early this year, he left the Pavillion and took a position at Browns a few days after it launched. In May, he left Browns and returned home briefly – I seem to remember him saying something about brining back some Whisky from the smallest distillery in the land, but I digress – and has now not only joined Frank’s Place, but also a list of intriguing Beijing bar people, which includes ASC Wine Owner Don St. Pierre, bartenders George Zhou and Echo Sun, and Agent Red Wolf.

*** Roger Dutton says that the theme song was “written, performed and produced” by 3Media Group (his media company) in Beijing and by 26 Music of Vienna, the latter being “the yodeling connection.” The song is about meeting, eating and drinking, he says, and “the very bad jokes on the ‘un-cut version’ were recorded by [investor] Haemish Campbell and me.”

**** And on the deck, enjoying glass number eight or so, Roger, Frank, Jennifer and I were making sounds with our mouths that we, at least, considered to be words, and stumbled on one of those ironies of irony. In short, Roger got inspiration for some seating in the new Frank’s Place from an Irish pub in Ulan Bator. The Irish Pub had earlier gotten its inspiration from John Bull Pub. And since Frank Siegel manages John Bull and created the original Frank’s Place, it seemed like everything had come full circle, completed the circuit, was all’s well that end’s well, it’s a small, small world. Well, this all *seemed* profound at the time. By the way, Frank will soon open his second Sequoia Cafe, in Sanlitun, and says that Hooters, for whom he consults, will open a Beijing branch close to Worker’s Stadium.

(From Beijing Boyce XVIII, first emailed on June 8, 2006)

Popular bartenders George Zhou and Echo Sun left Midnight bar two weeks ago, following a run-in with management, about six months after they left First Cafe, following a run-in with management. It’s a serious situation for those who enjoy quality cocktails. Echo continues to manage Cafe Pause in the 798 art district, while George is doing consulting. Their next moves are eagerly awaited. / Dawn breaks after even the darkest midnight and new bartender Alex at 10-kuai Qingdao joint Phil’s is a ray of sunshine. He can mix up a tasty Mojito, Bloody Mary and Long Island, the latter coming with a splash of Grand Marnier and impressing finicky Agent Red Wolf. Alex is usually (no guarantees) behind the bar on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday nights, the latter best avoided given the rowdy all-you-can-drink-Qingdao-for-30-kuai crowd). / Cajun cooking and wasabi together at last? Chef Dan Segall, whose photo is a mainstay in Beijing’s English-language magazines, has left Hilton Hotel’s Louisiana Restaurant and next month will join the Japanese-focused kitchen at RBL. / John Bull Pub is holding “entry-level” wine tasting on some Fridays (6 to 8 PM), with takeaway bottles at 80 kuai or less. Chilean, Australian and Chinese wines have been featured. Call 6532-5905 for details. / This could be the year of outdoor eating, drinking and reading in Beijing. Owner Alex Pearson gave me a tour of Bookworm’s new rooftop garden, which has a flagstone path, seats 48, and should be open by today. (By the way, given how loud and crowded the Bookworm is at times, how long before someone–Alex herself?–opens a similar spot elsewhere?). Alongside favorites such as Bar Blu, Steak and Eggs, Stone Boat and numerous Hou Hai spots, Bookworm joins newcomers Le Petit Gourmand, Frank’s Place, 5:19, Pomegranate, Browns, Pavillion and others in the great outdoors seating competition. / Pavilion will add an extension in order to add a Mediterranean restaurant. Richard Xavia (ex-RBL) and Richard Mills (ex-Aria) are consulting. On one hand, the shift is understandable as about-to-open Frank’s Place will siphon some of Pavillion’s sports-loving patrons (Frank’s Place investor Roger Dutton and Pavillion proprietor Russell Probert were once co-owners of the old Frank’s Place). On the other, this smacks of yet another attempt to bring Shanghai not only to Beijing (see RBL), but also to an establishment that already lacks focus and staff training (example: the numerous occasions when no employees on hand were able to work the TVs). / As for Dutton, he says Trio, which will house a New York-style grill, the new Frank’s Place and the wine-centric The Cellar, should be open by early May. Nicole Pang has been hired as part of the PR and marketing team. / No frowns at Browns as the large empty space meant for tequila and Whisky rooms has instead been quickly finished to handle overflow from the main area. The place was packed to the gills on St. Patrick’s Day. My biggest gripe after a dozen visits: the music. My advice: forget the muddled DJ sets and instead put in a “Funky 80s Hits” CD, hit random play and let people have fun. (For more on Browns, see We Got Mail.) / Wine whiz Ethan Perk writes that the new Schindler’s, on the old Riverside Cafe site, is hopping, even on a Tuesday night at 6:30: “They were packed, not a seat in the house.” / Shunyi is starting to blossom. An upcoming that’s Beijing map lists more than 100 shops, restaurants and bars in the district. While Shunyi is still a bit light in the latter two categories, Palette Vino, Jenny Lou’s and Pomegranate are leading the way, and the first fixed location for caterer Harry’s Kitchen is apparently set to open. / Sequoia Cafe has a tasty 30-kuai chicken pita and salad combo at lunch. The place delivers, but if you order by fax, follow-up by phone, as the machine is sometimes off. / Finally, if an afternoon spent listening to 1950s German folk songs sounds like fun, try Cafe Pause in Dashanzi. You can slowly go mad while using the free wireless.

(From Beijing Boyce XIII, first emailed on March 24, 2006)

When Frank’s Place (between The Den and City Hotel) closed a while back, its two partners went separate ways. One opened The Pavillion two weeks ago while the other is completing a 1400-square-meter monster of a bar, due open in January, near Lido Hotel. Last issue, I included random observations about The Pavillion’s opening night. I’ve since returned thrice, including trips with Agent Red Wolf and Agent Hidden Dragon, and can provide a fuller report.

The Pavillion has done an excellent job with layout and decor. It has large and comfy leather chairs, a faux fireplace, two stand-up bars, various cubby holes, a glass-walled wine room and a forest out back (spend a few moments looking at it and feel your blood pressure drop). It’s a bit too spic and span, but character will come in time. The staff is friendly, the service is solid, and one hopes the employees can walk the fine line between friendliness and obtrusiveness, a little known skill in this town.

In any case, Agent Hidden Dragon liked the Champagne (Laurent Perrier; RMB78 per glass) and the decor, but thought the music was “too common.” Agent Red Wolf also liked the decor (”it’s like a five-star hotel lounge”) and the spring rolls (excellent presentation, though pricey at RMB45), although she didn’t find the Americano cocktail strong enough and thought the martini sub-par (I gave it a sip and she was right). She also thought the music “too old” and “not sexy enough.” Let’s face it, RW is a hard agent to please, but she did have a point: it was odd to be reclining in luxury in the early eve and listening to ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” and Prince’s “1999.”

This mismatch is reflected elsewhere in the Pavillion and suggests the place is still finding its identity. Let’s take a couple that arrives, sits by the fireplace and orders a nice bottle of wine. How happy will they be when, 30 minutes later, the music cuts out and the TVs come on, high volume, with the pre-game analysis for a rugby game? What is the Pavillion? A sports bar? A wine bar? A restaurant? A cigar lounge? A dance club (there was live band on opening night)? All of the above?

The other issue is clientele: Based on my visits, the target market appears to be over-35 expatriates with decent salaries. I’m guessing the new bar in Lido, not to mention other establishments, are targeting the same crowd. Given the finite number of moneyed foreigners, are there be enough to go around or will The Pavillion have to seek patrons from elsewhere? In any case, it is a welcome addition to Beijing’s bar scene and definitely worth a look. It’s just across the street from Babyface, about 10 meters to the south.

Two final notes: 1) Last issue I griped that the The Pavillion lacked a foot rail. The proprietor, Russell, said they didn’t like the rail they ordered and will get another one. Fair enough. 2) The Pavillion plans to have barbecues out back once the weather warms up and this should be an excellent place to sit back with some food and drinks.

(From Beijing Boyce V, first emailed on December 1, 2005)

A reporter from this yet-to-be-named newsletter stopped by John Bull Pub last Thursday to chat with owner Frank Siegel, credited with opening, in 1989, the city’s first non-hotel bar — the aptly named Frank’s Place. Over coffee, he gave us the rundown on 16 years of Beijing bar history and then answered five questions:

BB: I take it you didn’t have Guinness on tap back then. What drinks did you offer?

FS: We started with bottles of Beijing draft; the draft itself came later. San Miguel out of Hong Kong was big. At one time, we had Miller draft. There was actually a Miller beer garden at the Asian Games Village and we eventually got the beer. Spirits were never a problem.

BB: That tequila tasting was excellent. What’s the best event you’ve ever organized?

FS: Frank’s Place Polar Golf Outing. It started 10 years ago and the guys running Frank’s are still doing it.

BB: The Spanish wine tasting two years ago was big. A gentleman from the embassy was to give a talk on a Friday. We had a capacity of 30 and on Wednesday had 12 people signed up. There were 36 by Friday. In the meantime, the Spanish guy told all these people to come down. It was supposed to start at 7:30 and everyone was speaking Spanish, some were on the list and some weren’t, and we ended up with about 50 to 55 people. I was really nervous, but they were all saying, “Relax, we’re Spanish, just take your time getting ready.” We finally got going at 9 PM and we all had a great time.
BB: What’s the biggest single difference between running a bar in 1989 and now?

FS: There is more competition, more places. The population is more diffused — we didn’t have Shunyi then — and a lot of the client base is out of the city. We knew everyone back then.

BB: Besides John Bull Pub, what are you favorite bars and restaurants in Beijing?

FS: Because of the traffic, I usually go to local restaurants, but I’m impressed with Hatsune (Japanese restaurant) and the Orchard. For a nice glass of wine, Aria [in China World Hotel] and Press Club Bar in the St. Regis — I know the guys there, they’re nice people. But I really need to get out more.

BB: What’s your cure for a hangover?

FS: Drink Gatorade or Pocari Sweat and then go to the gym. It’s painful, but it works.

(From Beijing Boyce II, first emailed on October 20, 2005)