Beijing Boyce

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American Rachel DeWoskin played the vixen in a 1995 TV drama called Foreign Babes in Beijing that was seen by as many as 600 million people in China. DeWoskin was a recent graduate of Columbia University, and only based in Beijing for a few months, when she was offered the role. She went on to juggle TV, her job at a foreign PR firm and the culture shock of being a newbie in the city. Not surprisingly, Dewoskin’s memoir, also called Foreign Babes in Beijing, covers both her experiences in making the show and adjusting to a new life.

A while back, I revisited a July 2006 post in which I listed 20 bars and restaurants in and around Sanlitun and how, four years later, only two had gone out of business due to poor performance. I have also gone through Foreign Babes in Beijing for references to bars and restaurants from the mid-1990s and found four of ten places mentioned by DeWoskin are still around while twoothers existed as recently as a few years ago, one of them apparently closing within the past month. Here they are…

Jazz Ya
DeWoskin: “a Japanese bar… cocktails with paper umbrellas in them….” This veteran in Nali Studio in Sanlitun is still considered by some to have good drinks, especially Long Islands. Owner Li Bo has since gone to open several Japanese restaurants as well as D Lounge.

Charlie’s Bar
Dewoskin: “in the Jianguo Hotel, with a Filipino band and salted peanuts.” During my first visit, in 2007, I found the place newly renovated but sticking by the free peanuts and (cheesy) Filipino band. Still open…

Metro Cafe
DeWoskin: “a new and crazily popular pasta place“. This place is still going strong on Workers Stadium West Road: try the homemade pastas.

Frank’s Place
DeWoskin describes it as “a laowai-owned greasy spoon across from the workers’ stadium.” The original closed about five years ago but the brand lives on in its second edition in Lido. The original Frank (Siegel) now runs the Sequoia cafe chain.

Nightman Disco
Word is that until a month ago, the night, the man, and the disco lived on. I’ll check more into this one…

Latino’s
DeWoskin: “offered salsa lessons”. When I arrived it was near Chaoyang Park’s south gate, beside The Big Easy, but after that space was rezoned it moved near Dongsishitiao, with the salsa ending there less than three years ago.

The Big Easy
DeWoskin: “served up fried chicken with New Orleans jazz belted out by a St. Louis singer named Jackie [Jacqui].” Good music and bloody good Bloody Marys–this place was chai’d about five years ago and is missed. Sadly, both Jacqui Staton and Big Easy founder Doug Monitto have gone to the big club in the sky.

Jamhouse
DeWoskin: “an alley bar”. Part of the old Sanlitun South Bar Street, it is long gone but fondly remembered by many. The remains lie somewhere beneath Sanlitun Soho.

Peking Chalet
“…in a broken alley off of North Sanlitun Road; now the lane is called jiuba jie, or bar street…. There were no streetlights, and the road in front of Peking Chalet was torn to shreds. Piles of broken glass littered the lane; the neighbors were so angry about the noise coming from the bar that they had thrown bottles.” Closed…

NASA
AFAIK, the last rocket took off long ago, though this site suggests what we are missing: “This high-caliber mega-disco has an army theme worth pondering. Just imagine this—an iron drawbridge, an army jeep that serves as a bar and a crashed helicopter that dangles overhead. This is one of the oldest and most venerable discos in Beijing. You are assured a good disco night out at NASA’s, especially if you can snag one of the free tickets hovering around town.”

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See also:

• Rachel DeWoskin: Foreign Babes in Beijing excerpt (2010)

• Something about Sanlituin II: The fate of 20 bars and restaurants four years on (2010)

• Something about Sanlitun (2006)

Do you have reservations? (City Weekend)

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A growing pile of emails, SMSs, and comments from readers who cite trouble getting into D Lounge – or trouble getting reasonable service if they do get in. A reminder of this recently when I visited D, joined a table of acquaintances, and spent the first ten minutes listening as they complained of what they considered shabby service at the door and then on the floor. Although they liked the physical space – and dropped, based on what I saw other tables ordering, the most money in the place – it didn’t sound like they would return.

A few days later, after an enjoyable night at Q Bar with Mr Hao and Ms Hao, we hemmed and hawed as we walked to Sanlitun North and, because it was bloody cold, decided to go to D for a drink. As we entered the hallway, a group of eight people left. We walked down the hall and approached the entrance, where two staff members – a man and a woman – drew a rope across it.

Did we have reservations? No. Did we have friends inside? Maybe, I won’t know until I get in. We were then told the place was full. Ms Hao asked if it was a private party. The woman said no. It looked like we were out of luck. Then I mentioned I did know someone inside: Warren, the manager, who stood, with his back turned, talking to someone a few meters away. The staff changed its attitude. The woman at the door ineptly tried to get his attention as more people left. Finding the situation tiresome and deciding I wanted to spend my night and money somewhere else, we left.

Warren caught up to us in the entry hall and asked what was the matter. I simply said, “I don’t like the door policy.” As we stood outside and decided where to go, Warren emerged. I repeated my remark. He said the place was full, that it could only hold 180 people. I said I found that strange since we had seen many people leaving. I added that readers had told me they were turned away even when the place was near-empty. He replied that people needed to RSVP at D Lounge. I said that I, as well as my friends, had walked in often without doing so. He didn’t have a response.

I added that he runs the risk of attracting a fickle crowd liable to jump to the next “flavor of the season” and that D Lounge is turning off patrons who could help sustain it in the long run. Then we left.

Could we have gotten in? Yes. Would we have been happy? No. I like the layout and decor and the atmosphere on slow nights, with music kept low enough that you can talk. The drinks are decent, though nothing special given the price. But the floor service is below average (I almost always sit at the bar), acquaintances complain that the place has a “musty” aroma, and the door policy – or at least its execution – seems a bit arbitrary. For all the talk of raising standards in Beijing, this place is symbolic of a focus on excellent hardware and faulty software.

By the way, those long-time Beijing residents that lament this kind of thing might find it interesting that the backer of D Lounge is also behind Jazz-Ya, one of the longest-standing and most inclusive spots in Beijing. I wonder if that place will also soon have a door policy?

Japanese bar Ichikura will double in size next week when it opens the floor above as Bar Brew*. While Ichikura is best known for quality cocktails and single malts, the focus at Bar Brew will be on about 60 grape wines, a range of aged Chinese rice wines, beers from around the world, and sake.

Bar Brew features dark gray walls and carpets, black leather chairs, burnt-orange tabletops, and black chandeliers studded with small orange lamp shades. It includes three tables for six people and 18 seats along the bar, and is more spacious than Ichikura, which is split between a bar and two private rooms. While Ichikura is an intimate space, Bar Brew seems ideal for small groups, and to handle spillover from downstairs.

* The name Bar Brew does not resonate with me. After all, if you have a bar called Ichikura, why not name its sibling Scratchikura? Kidding aside, why not stick with Ichikura? After all, this place became popular with a Japanese name even though it focuses on Scottish whiskies and Western cocktails. It is word of mouth and reputation, not the name, that will determine the success of this spot.

RandomK(e)’s “Waiting” cover

Locally based band RandomK(e) recently released its first CD “Waiting” with a launch party at Mao Livehouse. According to the band’s MySpage page, “RandomK(e) was formed in 2004 and has been bringing its unlikely combination of spacey soundscapes, noise-funk-pop experimentalism and pummeling force that’s spelled R.O.C.K. to Beijing’s masses for over four years.” Couldn’t have said it better myself. Actually, I couldn’t have come up with that description if I tried. Anyway, I asked each member of the band to list his favorite drinking hole in Beijing. Here they are…

Jon Campbell (drums)

While it’s obvious because we had our CD release and fourth anniversary extravaganza there on March 21, we feel more than a lot of love for Mao Livehouse (map). Nobody will mistake it for a good place to get a drink (many tell me it is difficult, though I personally can’t complain because the bartender knows me well enough that I don’t have to even order, and sometimes, instead of giving me whiskey, he might pour a complimentary paper cup of Chinese apple cider-ish stuff masquerading as Champagne – OK, only once). So… forget your rules. I’m choosing two, one for the rock and one for the drink.

First, the rock: 2 Kolegas (map). The guys are so committed to music that how can you not revel in the love and the general vibe, despite the grime of the joint. For playing or watching music, this place rocks harder than anywhere other than Mao, even though this is rarely recognized. For almost four years they have managed to walk the fine line between eliciting the nostalgia of the so-called ‘good old days’ (when there was a small rock scene that wasn’t tainted by international media attention, where the music and venues sucked, but because it was small, everyone was happier), and bringing up the standards enough to make you believe that we’re in the good-now-days. And I haven’t even mentioned the grass area or the kebabs or the stiff drinks they pour.

Second, the drink: Jazz Ya (map). Every time I go back I catch myself not believing that they’ve been doing what they do for all these years – and are still doing it better than so many others. Sure, the Long Island is rave-worthy, but to delve into their cocktail menu is to be rewarded with well-crafted and well-presented treats. They could use a third CD for their stereo, but then again, it’s nice knowing exactly what you’re going to get, even after, what is it, 15 years?

Jackson Garland (upright bass, laptop, samples,
sounds, knobs, buttons, vox)

For music and drinks: 2 Kolegas. I second everything said earlier by Jon about the place. Yeah, it’s grimy, but so is Beijing and everything I love about it. We’ve played some great gigs there, and I’ve seen and heard some great music there, occasional sound issues not withstanding. Dos Kolegas can’t be beat for both a late-night, borderline-sloppy drunken hangout and a music venue that could be called “daring” in its embrace of live music sporting all shapes, colors, and odors. Throw in a totally surreal location and regular evenings of cerebral joy and sonic assault in the form of Yan Jun’s Waterland Kwanyin series (hosted there on most Tuesday evenings), and you’ve got a winner in my book. I dig most of the live venues in town, but I always find myself coming back to the lawn.

Richard Todd (guitar/vox)

Cafe Zarah (map). Because it has a drink called The Swimming Pool in which it is possible to become lost for days on end. And a toilet into which several peering cats watch you pee.

Adam Pillsbury (bass)

Salud (map): Friendly, festive and effortlessly cool, this is a neighborhood joint worth traveling across town to frequent. As is the case at sibling establishments Ginkgo (map) and Cafe de la Poste (map), the good vibes here originate with French manager Nico, whose smile is unperturbed by thirsty crowds or, during a RandomK(e) set, visits from the local constabulary. He and his staff have good reason to grin, for they offer arguably the best pours in Beijing – wine glasses are filled to the rim – at prices more than fair. In the afternoon and early evening, Salud’s vaguely Mediterranean design – warm woods and terracotta paint – and the semi-privacy of its second story tables make it a fine spot in which to catch up with friends or recharge after a hutong adventure. But once the sangria and house spiced rum start to flow, or when a band takes the stage, things get raucous and the party goes late, often spilling into Nanluoguxiang. Yes, Salud has become enormously popular in the past year, but the crowd it draws is invariably amicable, and it has hosted some of the most memorable gatherings this bassist has attended in Beijing.

Andy Birch aka Rh1n0t10n (video)

Underground pool halls: In the concrete rabbit warrens that exist under most of the new Beijing high risers, department stores and restaurants, can be found a thriving pool and snooker community. If you’re willing to stick with one place, eventually the staff will come to realise that beer should be served cold and they might even turn the fridge on for you. Often a quick phone call 10 minutes before arrival ensures the beer is put into the freezer and the nine ball table is dusted off.

It’ll even remind you of your favourite rock club as the hall fills up with smoke and your clothes smell like a packet of Zhongnanhai, although the TV in the corner blasting out canto pop takes a little getting used to.

If you are lucky some of these halls will serve stronger stuff – a bottle of vodka will usually be found hidden behind those red boxes of Baijou if you dig around enough. There are no queues for the pool table, the beer is cheap, and after three hours of playing pool it’s rare if you spend more than 100 kuai.

And best of all, they are open 24 hours.

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Top fives:

• Andrew Schorr & Ellis Rahhal
• Pete Demola
• Shane Crombie
• Ben Shaw
• Kaiser Kuo
• Bjorn Stabell
• Phoebe Wong
• Diane Fermin
• Badr Benjelloun
• Elisabeth Tchoudjinoff & Katrina Arndt
• Paul Adkins
• Chandler Jurinka
• Kevin Shen
• Steven Schwankert

When Sanlitun South was razed last year for redevelopment – incidentally, nary a single foundation has been laid on that plot of land where two-meter high weeds now stand guard – some thought the area drinking scene had taken a mortal blow. Instead, it turned out to be the one step backward that precedes the two steps forward in the creative destruction process, and Sanlitun has emerged stronger and more diverse than ever. True, that main northern strip features too many sub-par copycat bars and all of the associated promoters, beggars, fake CD sellers and lady bar touts that come with it. And there have been some disturbing reports of bouncer behavior. But there are also numerous bar and restaurant investors targeting new niche markets, offering more choice and raising service standards, particularly along the new south street and near Tongli Studio in the northwest. Whether it’s Browns, The Bookworm, Alameda, The Tree, Q Bar or others, Sanlitun offers some “best of the best” in the city. Here are ten highlights, from its far north to its deep south:

1. The Tree — Arguably the best pizza in town, nicely washed down with Belgian beer.

2. Cheers — A simple and unpretentious bar with an excellent happy hour (10-kuai Qingdao drafts before 10 PM) and live Xinjiang music.

3. Top Club / Bar Blu — Comfy rooftop decks up top and dance floors down below.

4. Le Petit Gourmand — Kick back, have a beer and read a few books.

5. Alameda — A Brazilian barbecue joint picked by that’s Beijing and City Weekend readers as the city’s best restaurant.

6. The Bookworm — Kick back again, this time glass of wine in hand, and read some more books in the high-ceilinged downstairs or on the rooftop garden.

7. Browns — Good pub grub, good draft beer selection, good place to lose your inhibitions and do some bar top dancing.

8. Modern Nomads — Enjoy throat singing while sipping the best (er, only) Chingis martinis in town.

9. Beer Mania — An excellent combination of mostly Belgian beers and quality cocktails (Mojito, Long Island) in a laid-back atmosphere.

10. Q Bar — The most consistent high-quality cocktails in town and a spacious deck to boot.

Throw in other northern spots such as Saddle (good burritos), Apertivo (good people watching) and Jazz-Ya (good Long Islands), southern ones such as Salsa Caribe, Banana Leaf and Phil’s Pub (good 10-kuai Gin Tonics), nearby establishments such as The Pavillion, Alfa and Yugong Yishan, and more clubs than you can shake a stick at on Gongti west and north, and Sanlitun not only did not take a mortal blow last year, but is living proof of the saying, “Whatever doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.”

(From Beijing Boyce XX, first emailed on July 13, 2006)

that’s Beijing announces its annual bars and clubs awards tonight. Below, in capital letters, are the places I think deserve to win (all in my extremely humble opinion, of course).

Hotel Bar

I usually frequent hotel bars for work-related reasons and have to give Centro credit: there is always a decent number of people, usually decent martinis and sometimes decent live jazz. In terms of slickness, it’s about as dependable as Beijing bars get. Expect this category to be much more crowded next year with new bars in the Crowne Plaza, Hilton and other hotels competing against older ones such as Centro, Hyatt’s Redmoon and Shangri La’s Cloud Nine.

Bar Snacks

Saddle (burritos) and Fish Nation (our fine-finned friend with chips) both offer good filler in Sanlitun north, Bellagio has the Taiwanese angle covered, Cafe Pause, while technically not a bar, has tasty snacks up in the 798 Art District, and there are innumerable kebab stands where night owls may bulk up on meat and fat, not to mention a week’s worth of salt. Decent eats these are all, but I’m giving a slight edge to two places: Mojito, which despite it’s somewhat car-park like feel offers up the super tasty Mexican hamburger, and The Den, which pumps out the pizza and deep-fried goodies 24/7.

Place to Dance

A few years ago I did the White Man Shuffle as well as any endomorph. Alack and alas, I have now regressed to a mere wiggle, usually in the shadows, and what could be more ideal than a place where everyone else’s eyes are glued to the writhers busting moves on the bar top. The award thus goes to Browns, with honorable mentions to Suzie Wong’s and Maggie’s.

Cheap drinks

Phil’s Pub: A standout among the plethora of 10-kuai drink joints, with friendly owners, a decent layout and better-than-average drinks, not to mention a convenient location just 200 yards from my apartment (how selfish). Plus, the place lets patrons order in kebabs.

People Watching

Apertivo, No-name Bar, Centro, Maggie’s and numerous other places all merit mention in this tough category, but if a winner must be named, and if it counts as a bar, this award goes to The Bookworm, where you can not only scope out the patrons, but also overhear phone calls and conversations, discover a potential mate’s reading preferences (“Dan Brown? Next!“), and see if their caffeine fix comes from lattes, Diet Cokes or Irish coffees. (Yes, yes, The Bookworm is not exactly a bar or club, but they do sell ample quantities of beer, wine and cocktails, and besides, that’s Beijing has the place listed on its ballot, so blame them!)

Happy Hour

Centro offers great high-end value with their two-for-one cocktails, Beer Mania has 500 ML of Belgian draft for 40 kuai and discounted bottled Belgian Beer until 8 PM, The Den offers two-for-one pizza and beer, and Cheers pours two Wild Turkey shots for 30 RMB until 10 PM. What makes a happy hour superior depends on where you feel comfortable and what you like to drink, and the places all above excel in their own ways, so this is a four-way tie.

Best Outdoor

Another tough category, with contenders such as Bar Blu and Top Club (nice rooftops, same building), Q Bar (an even bigger rooftop, though the chairs are a bit hard), Hai Bar (a dark horse that offers cheap beers and views of Houhai on one side and the drum and bell towers on the other), Nuage (the same views, but fancier decor and higher prices), Suzie Wong’s (a nice getaway from the crowds inside, plus some of the best plastic plants in town), and The Pomegranate (for those in Shunyi). But the best of the bunch are Stone Boat, a small Qing-dynasty era spot set on a pond surrounded by trees and rocks in central Beijing‘s Ritan Park, and The Pavillion, with a lovely backyard made extremely cozy with comfortable wicker seating, elegant trees, and mellow lighting.

Business Networking

For drawing a diverse crowd that includes business executives, English teachers, homemakers, writers, MBA students and most everyone else, the award should go The Bookworm. There is no place, except perhaps for First Cafe last year, where I have made more connections.

Best Place for a Date

Le Cafe Igosso: Above-average food and a good wine list in a low-pressure atmosphere. If you’re looking at a Sunday afternoon, rather than a weekday dinner, then it’s No Name Bar. And if it’s an evening drink, rather than a meal, try the Q Bar, although going through that somewhat seedy hotel in which it is located might send some messages (possibly wanted, possibly not) to your significant other.

Student Hangout

The Loo: A bar that is long-closed and from another lifetime (not to mention another country). For this category, I’ll make like a soccer player and pass.

Best Beer

Browns, for its draft selection (including recent additions Stella Artois and Beck’s), and Beer Mania for its wide range of bottled Belgian beers and its Belgian draft.

Best Cocktails

This depends more on the bartenders than the establishments. I’ve had solid drinks at Centro, great mint-based cocktails at Garden of Delights, and some good but cheap beverages, courtesy of Sally and Alex at Phil’s Pub. I also remember tasty cocktails at Alfa, Jazz Ya, Browns (hit and miss), 5:19, The Big Easy, and places too numerous to mention. But in the end, only one place consistently pumps out a wide range of high-quality drinks, and thus the award goes to George Zhou and Echo Sun at Q Bar.

Bar of the Year

This bar has raised its beer prices, lost key staff, struggled with its interior decorating, dealt with DJ turmoil, faced numerous other challenges and, despite it all, had a greater impact on Beijing’s drinking scene than any other establishment in the past year. This bar has exerted influence because it consistently provides good clean fun, because it scores well in terms of design, atmosphere, food and beer selection, and because it is frequented by a sizeable number of the city’s bar owners, managers and employees. Love it or hate it, this bar has firmly planted itself in the party landscape, providing not only great value for patrons, but also food for thought for those in the industry, and this combination should earn it the bar of the year award. This bar is Browns.

(From Beijing Boyce XX, first emailed on July 13, 2006)

Due to the weather, this Japanese restaurant and sometimes live jazz venue was hot enough to inspire a sweat, but not to convince management to turn on the air conditioners, meaning Agent Red Wolf and I did our research in stuffy surroundings. The place has above-average drinks, with the Long Island refreshing and the dirty Martini stirred at the table and garnished with a black olive (it wasn’t particularly dirty, but went down fine). I’ll follow up with a few more visits, although that unfortunately means wading again through those Sanlitun lady bar touts (“looka looka!“).

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