Beijing Boyce

that’s Beijing held its restaurant awards, at Champagne bar, on May 11. Hatsune, Alameda, Steaks and Eggs, and Green T. House came away as multiple winners. Bellagio took top prize for late-night dining. / Cafe Pause has started wine tastings and the first featured German wines accompanied by German-style tapas (more on this event next time). This place now has outdoor seating and is a cozy spot to enjoy some Fleischer Secco sparkling wine. Speaking of which, I mistakenly wrote that the cafe stopped serving its cheese and spinach dumplings with pesto sauce. The delicious item I had been thinking of was the pork filet roll filled with spinach, Parmesan and almonds, and topped with red pesto sauce, and it remains on the menu. / John Bull Pub is holding a Taco Party all day Friday (May 12), with tacos (10 kuai) and frozen Margaritas (20 kuai). / Palette Vino will hold a South African wine tasting on May 12 (8 PM) and a Terrazas Argentinean wine tasting on May 19 (8 PM) in its Shunyi location, which will soon offer tapas and pasta. / ASC Fine Wines and House by the Park will pair Henri Bourgeois wines with Chinese cuisine on May 17 (7 PM, 688 kuai per person), with estate owner Jean Marie Bourgeois on hand. Also on the schedule: A Louis Jadot wine dinner, with winery president Pierre-Henry Gagey, at Tian Yi Di Jia on May 19, and a Guigal wine dinner, with winery president Marcel Guigal, at Aria on May 26. / Rui Fu, the new bar from Henry Li (Neo Lounge; Vogue; Public Space) is about to open, will open in June, will open in spirit but not in body, or is simply a figment of our collective imagination. Does anyone really know? In the meantime, it remains, according to many, “highly anticipated.” / It’s nice to see bar owners occasionally out doing research, with Dave McCullough of 5:19 spotted at Browns, The Den and The Bookworm last weekend. / One year ago, a trip to Tongli Studio meant a night at Bar Blu. Now when I hit those steps, I’m thinking Top Club or Cheers. / One year ago, a trip to Bar One found the place virtually empty, but a trip two weeks ago found it comfortably populated and the music fun. Call it Maggie’s sans Mongolians. / I hear that Stone Boat, in Ritan Park, has been drawing sizeable crowds with its live music series, particularly last Friday’s post-MIDI party. / Inner Affairs has renamed itself I [Heart] Beijing, thereby joining Zing by Doodoo’s in Beijing’s Lame Name Hall of Fame. / Maggie’s dance floor was under construction two weeks ago, but should now be open. / The Pomegranate was a bit claustrophobic in the winter, with those oil-burning heaters, but better weather means those in Shunyi have a nice outdoor option for enjoying a few pints and some decent pub grub. / Kranzler’s Restaurant and Bar, named after a Berlin Cafe started in the twenties, will soon open in the Kempinski Hotel. / Together, a fairly new bar with a Reggae theme, will have 12 hours (2 PM to 2 AM) of Marley-type music by DJ Herbie on May 13. / Garden of Delights joins the list of more-than-happy happy hours: two-for-one, from 6 to 7:30 PM, on weeknights, with floor manager Alex making one mean Mojito. / that’s Beijing held its bar and restaurant awards today, with Alameda, Steaks and Eggs, Green T. House and Hatsune coming out multiple winners. Bellagio took home the prize for late-night dining. / Just in case some people forgot, Mother’s Day is this Sunday. / And as always, if you like this newsletter, please pass it on to others you think might enjoy it. One need only send me a simple email to get on the list. Eat, drink and be merry, BB.

(From Beijing Boyce XVI, first emailed on May 11, 2006) 

Check out the Sunday buffet breakfast at The Pavillion: sausages, ham, baked beans, bread, fried potatoes, baked tomatoes, fruit and cereal; omelets made on the spot; coffee and tea (RMB68). It’s simple, hearty fare to enjoy while gazing upon the woods out back. Kudos to The Pavilion for installing a brass foot rail and coat hooks beneath the bar. ~ John Bull Pub now has Strongbow draft cider (RMB49 / pint) and Shanghai beer (RMB25 / pint) on tap. ~ Icehouse has “let go” its general manager. I doubt you can blame the problems there on one guy. Prime example: Icehouse is a blues bar, but first hired an Australian rock band and then Matt Roberts’ local jazz outfit. Who (and this goes beyond - and specifically above - the ex-GM) with any knowledge of music or Beijing nightlife doesn’t know that a) rock is not blues, b) Roberts specializes in jazz, and c) jazz is also not blues? Icehouse has done right by attracting events by Beijing Cheese Society and Chopschticks, and seems to have good marketers, since YPHH will hold an event there next week and describes the place as having “live entertainment from international [sic] acclaimed artist [sic]” (really? Who would those artists be?). Rumor has it that Icehouse will shut down for a month. If so, let’s see what they come up with next. ~ Stefan Fleisher (Palette Wines big wig) and Johannes Neubacher (Timeout magazine bigwig) have opened Cafe Pause in Dashanzi, with a focus on Mediterranean cuisine, Spanish tapes, German, Austrian and other wines, and some fusion dishes. “A good example is our trademark Jiaozi, a cooking concept that you not only find in China and Italy, but also in Russia, Germany and a number of other places,” says Stefan. ~ Midnight bar is off to a strong start, but here’s a thought: what are the odds the owners will decide they can do it all by themselves and force out the dynamic bartending duo of George and Echo, the ex-First Cafe bartenders who help bring in the business? (Yes, we’ve heard rumors.) By the way, the hot buttered rum at Midnight is a nice warmer-upper.

(From Beijing Boyce VI, first emailed on December 14, 2005)