Beijing Boyce

A marathon session with our company’s annual report last week has the “YES, we’ve seen progress, BUT the following needs to happen” attitude oozing from my pores. In that vein, here’s part three in my three-part “yes, but” series on Beijing.

YES, not so long ago, you couldn’t get non-instant coffee, disposable razors, Froot Loops or frozen French fries in Beijing. Now, we have an ever-growing range of imported food and drink at April Gourmet and Jenny Lou’s, BUT why, when I’m throwing down some major coin on these goods, is it so hard to get an official local receipt?

“We don’t have any today, come back tomorrow,” comes the tired refrain. What happens when you do return the next day? Sometimes, you get the same old excuse. (At least the taxi driver taking you there has a receipt.)

My worst experiences have been at the April Gourmet shop near Gongti North Road, where this sorry line has been rolled out more than a half-dozen times or, in other words, every time I’ve asked for a receipt. If these places can keep pita bread, Corn Flakes and green olives stocked, surely they can have a receipt booklet, so the customers don’t have to shoulder the store’s tax obligations.

I stood my ground at that April Gourmet last year. After hearing the “no receipt” line yet again, I told the cashier that either: a) he gave me a receipt; or b) I was going to complain to the authorities. The result was a 15-minute exchange during which he proclaimed everything from embarrassment at lacking receipts to haughty outrage at my stance. My approach was simpler: I stuck to outrage.

The highlight? When he pulled out a fapiao booklet and waved it in front of the growing line of customers. He flipped through the pages with flamboyant gesticulations to show how every receipt had been used, how he was an innocent little lamb at the hands of an overly demanding customer. (If filmed, this scene might have won China’s first Academy Award for best actor.)

Finally, a woman stepped out of line, announced she was a lawyer and negotiated a truce. April Gourmet’s position: I could come back the next day for a receipt. My position: That was fine, but the store should compensate me for the additional time and taxi fares this would incur. The resolution: April Gourmet agreed to (and did) deliver the receipt to my office. Yes, it took this much trouble to get a paper to which I am legally entitled from an establishment that gives me absolutely no problems while I’m handing over cash for their goods.

April Gourmet is by no means alone. Jenny Lou’s on Sanlitun North is also notorious for its dearth of fapiao. Again, the shelves are fully stocked with everything from soup to nuts, but when it comes to providing a receipt – oh, gosh – they always seem to be out! And again, standing your ground brings results. I find that hanging around near the cash register – complaining and refusing to leave – can inspire the staff to magically find that, indeed, they do have one last fapiao on hand…

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)

Browns bolted onto the bar scene with an all-night two-for-one party and Beijing may never be the same. What makes this place special and can it and other bars targeting expatriate dollars survive? See below. / China passed the Entertainment Venues Management Regulations. Apparently, it does not cover bars and Internet cafes, but then again, as one investor writes: “This is some dire news for Beijing nightlife…. The new rule is that all Beijing KTVs, discos and the like must close at 2 AM. Bars were not expressly mentioned by name, but the inference is that they’re included.” More details to come. / Midnight bartenders George and Echo, and I, came up with a raspberry, blackberry and cherry martini, with a lemon zing. Not bad. If you’re thirsting for a fruity drink with a solid kick, try their GE (that’s “G” for George and “E” for Echo) – lychee liqueur, grapefruit juice, 151 rum and grenadine. / Tonight (February 24), John Bull Pub will hold a free tasting of wines from Taillan, a nine-year-old Sino-French venture just outside Beijing. Taillan’s Alain Leroux will be on hand to guide tasters and handle bottle sales. Call 13301-377-336 or email frank_siegel@hotmail.com for details. / Speaking of which, red wine should not be near ice cold, so why does it sometimes come that way even at reputable places, such as Centro and Pavillion? / Beers recently spotted at Jenny Lou’s on Sanlitun North: JW Dundee’s Honey Brown Lager (Rochester, New York) – 12.6 kuai; Beer Royal (Italy) – 13.6 kuai; Green King Indian Pale Ale (UK) – 12.6 kuai; and “beer with vitamins” Los Labos (US) – 10.6 kuai. / Also spotted at Jenny Lou’s: European Chamber of Commerce Head Giorgio Magistrelli. For all you pasta lovers out there, Giorgio hails from Italy and a peek in his cart shows his preferred brand is De Cecco. / Food establishment name of the week: “Beard Papa’s Pipin’ Hot Cream Puffs” (Oriental Plaza). / A look ahead: the next issue will include a rundown on Shanghai bars and a report on six different Chinese wines.

(From Beijing Boyce XI, first emailed on February 23, 2006)

Riverside Cafe has closed and will, it appears, become another Schindler’s. Good news for sausage and sauerkraut lovers, bad news for fans of the cafe and its excellent RMB20 wine glasses. (I should have stocked up. Anyone know where I can get more?) / Black Jack Garden (where I once coaxed a bartender into making me a Jagermeister martini. Ah, the memories) has also been uprooted. / The back loft in Le Quai (inside Gongti West) is a great place to spend a few hours while watching people ice fish, skate and play hockey on the river outside. Cozy couches and a good selection of drinks (RMB25-50; try the fruit cocktail), the only drawback is that sound really carries from the room below. / Until Chinese New Year, icehouse will only open for events, such as the Chopschticks comedy shows (next one: January 14). The owners have hired Guy Duarte as GM. The restaurant and lounge to which icehouse is attached are open as usual. / It started with Babyface a year ago and now Gongti West is becoming club central. Angel, Cargo (backed by Mix), Queen Club and the soon-to-open Coco Banana (backed by Banana) and Cutie Club are like peas in the pod there, with Vics and Mix around the corner. That hundred-meter strip could become the world’s biggest market for Chivas and green tea. Good. We must isolate such drinkers from society at large. / That gargantuan, half-finished and long-dormant building behind the Sanlitun beer mug is now host to a flurry of construction, the attendant noise intruding upon The Bookworm. There could be a double whammy on book and wireless lovers when drilling starts on the huge nearby Sanlitun South project. The Bookworm has a growing collection of new books and magazines for sale, a jewelry corner by Things of The Jing and 2006 seminars planned with Kent Kedl (The China Ready Company), Tim Clissold (Mr. China) and “Maggot Detective” Mark Benecke (his slide shows are not for the weak of stomach), among others. / Jenny Lou’s continues to expand its empire with a takeover of Eight over Eight’s space (Sanlitun North). (Note: I went there and four other stores in a vain search for a plunger – the staff at each spot were amused as I used body language to demonstrate unblocking a toilet. I tell you, there’s nothing worse than having a dozen full-bladdered house guests waiting for the maintenance guy to come and fix the loo.) / Thanks to BB readers Ro King, Agent Hidden Dragon and Agent Gold Monkey for donating money to help fund a heart operation for a two-month-old orphan named Tian Yue. (See last issue for the Scrooge-like details as to why an extra drive for cash was needed.) GE also came through with major support. Tian Yue had surgery on Boxing Day and so far, so good. / Thanks also to my boss, who seemed to be the only laoban in Beijing who didn’t require the staff to wear Christmas hats – as was required by workers at Shin Yeh, Le Quai, Starbuck’s, ad infinitum – the past few weeks. (I simply don’t look good in red with white fringe.) / Torres Wine has moved its office to near Green T. House (I couldn’t find the actual address since, like that of Summergate Wines, the Torres website is not working. C’mon guys, it’s almost 2006!). Torres will have a free tasting every Friday, 4-6 PM and until the end of December (short notice!) offers “buy two, get one free” on Baron Philippe de Rothschild Maipo Cabernet Sauvignon (RMB67), Signos Shiraz (RMB55) and Prosecco Angela Viano (RMB 85). / I went to Pinnacle Plaza with friends to buy a Christmas tree and popped into Palette Wines (good deal on Stickleback: RMB85 per bottle) and then into Jenny Lou’s where, lo and behold, they had over 500 different wines and a wine tasting to boot (it consisted of a “blind tasting” where one guessed if the wine was a Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. Okay, I guessed right. Now what? Do I win something? No? I don’t get the concept). / Finally, I was busy apartment hunting and moving the past two weeks, so this issue is heavy on First Impressions and light on in-depth pieces. I’ll have more next time around.

(From Beijing Boyce VII, first emailed on December 29, 2005)