Beijing Boyce

Union Bar & Grille (map) will soon expand its menu to include, among other items, chicken tenders, three kinds of sliders and – the clincher for me – all-day breakfast. As mentioned before, Union is my “go to” spot for eggs benedict, omelets, and the like. Not to mention bottomless coffee for RMB20. I just wish the efficiency of the wait staff were matched by its friendliness.

Le Cafe Igosso, a good spot for everything from a first date to trying single malts with friends, is biting the dust. I suppose fans can migrate to the new branch (map) at Workers Stadium East, near A Hotel, though it lacks the earthiness of the original.

Q Bar (map) is putting the finishing touches on its new and bigger deck – about triple in size by the looks of it. The simple layout of long tables and benches on the sides with smaller tables and chairs in the middle is giving way to a maze-like design surrounded by two-meter-high glass walls consisting of panels that appear to be mostly opaque red. My initial reaction was “hmmm” but, to be fair, I was downing Alphonso Specials at the time and they tend to warp one’s perceptions.

A press release sent on behalf of Karaiya Spice House (map) announces that this most recent project from Alan Wong of Hatsune fame is open in Sanlitun Village. The two-story venue focuses on Hunan food.

The Rickshaw (map) reports that its kitchen will close from 2 AM to 8 AM because the place will “change almost all of [its] kitchen staff… more than 10 chefs” in an effort to improve the food. I hope the place also improves its service.

But putting that aside, my initial reaction to the announcement: The Rickshaw has more than *ten* chefs!? What have they been doing? This was followed by “Were they fired or did they quit?” and “Who hired them in the first place?” Sometimes it is best to avoid provoking speculation and to simply issue an “Our kitchen will close as part of an upgrade” statement.bAnyway, I hope the place gets back on track as I used to visit quite often in the afternoon to have lunch, watch the NBA Channel, and chat with the regulars.

By the way, The Rickshaw has bingo tonight from 5 PM to 10 PM, with draft beer at RMB5. And sibling joint The Saddle Cantina has dropped its prices up to RMB10 on drinks.

The extremely annoying “lady bar” touts on the Sanlitun Village side of Sanlitun North appear to be gone – let us hope it is not just for the holidays. On my last five visits at night I have heard not a single “Sir, lady bar,” “Massage-e”, or “Sexy girl!”

Other happenings…

Rooftop Pepper, known for flair bartending shows that delayed drink delivery, is closed. (Hat tip to Mr. Brau and apologies to him for taking two weeks to follow up).

Timeout reports that Song has joined the likes of places such as China Doll 3.3 that have closed for “renovations”. I thought the design was the main selling point? Or maybe the place is finally getting toilets.

Hatsune is slated to open its Sanlitun Village branch in March, while sibling restaurant Karaiya is due a month later. Next month, the current Hatsune outlet will offer a free appetizer and bottle of sake if you say “Samurai sushi” upon ordering.

Maxim’s in Solana has a handful of new French liqueurs, five new flavored coffees, and stocks several Chinese wines, including a Xi Xia Chardonnay at RMB88.

All-Star, which in my mind still needs to earn the words “Sports Bar” behind its name, will reopen for dinner on the 31st. It appears the “open 24 hours” concept is falling by the wayside. A sign on the door lists the hours as 5 PM to 2 AM.

Across the way, a new Banana Leaf is under construction, while a bit further on, Water Bar & Restaurant is slated to re-open on February 6. Meanwhile, the long-awaited Crobar is giving new meaning to the words “opening soon.”

And over on Lucky Street, Tao gets back to business on February 1 and The Stumble Inn is looking to increase its list of 54 beers. One patron has already tried the lot.

I ran into Alan Wong the other day and he mentioned that a branch of his popular Japanese restaurant Hatsune will open in Sanlitun as will a new project, Karaiya, focused on Chinese food.
He said some changes are underway at Block 8. Kristen Lum, director of communications there, says a new cocktail menu has been added and that the drinks menu for special events in iSpace includes beer at RMB25 and basic cocktails at RMB35.

Block 8 is also holding a ‘Ladies Wine Club’ event in Med restaurant on the second Thursday of each month. Events include a five-course meal and a wine theme (RMB100). The next one – on April 10 – will feature Australian wines.

Finally, Block 8′s rooftop bar, The Beach, is slated to open on May 9.