Beijing Boyce

Welcome to part thirty of the Must Tries Series, where I ask people working in the Beijing bar and restaurant business for the top picks from their menus. This time up is gregarious Aleksandar “Sasha” Unkovic of Workers Stadium area restaurant Kiosk — home of The Big Bite Burger. (Note: Kiosk is closed on Mondays.)

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What is the “must try” food at Kiosk?

The grilled chicken sandwich (rmb31). It includes fresh, not frozen, chicken breast, original Hormel bacon, onions, cheese and homemade marinated peppers — spicy or non-spicy– in a grilled baguette.

What is the “must try” drink at Kiosk?

The gin tonic (rmb35). I don’t skimp on the gin and I add a lot of lime.

What are three “must try” items at other bars and restaurants in Beijing?

The Long Island Iced Tea at Jazz-Ya. For me, this is the only real Long Island Iced Tea in Beijing because they make in a proper traditional way and haven’t changed it for 15 years. We should respect that.

The sirloin steak — the “Eve cut” — at Morel’s across from Workers Stadium. I think this is the best, and best-value, steak in Beijing. It is the right size — not too big and not too small — and there is a wide range of sauces, including the best Bearnaise sauce. You can choose from mashed potatoes, baked potatoes or fries.

Finally, he is not a drink or food, but I also want to mention Andy Bright of Union Bar & Grille as a third good thing about the bar and restaurant business in Beijing. He really knows how to run the business but he’s still “real”. There are many professional managers in Beijing who would score a “ten” but they don’t provide a personal connection like Andy.

Think pink come mid-October.

Fans of The Big Bite Burger–also known as Two Hundred and Fifty Grams of Beef and Pork on a Bun–have only a few weeks left to get one at the Nali Studio branch of Kiosk as it will permanently close in mid-October, says gregarious owner Sasha Unkovic. Sad news for those who enjoy Kiosk’s reasonably priced burgers, fries, and barley pops while chilling in the alley that also includes Jazz-Ya and Alameda. Fortunately, the newer pink Kiosk opposite Workers Stadium North will remain open, though it is closed Mondays.

Some happenings from the past week or so. As always, click the word “map” beside each venue to get its map, or to get its address sent to your phone for free in either Chinese or English, courtesy of Mobile Native.

Stone Boat (map): A nice crowd on hand Saturday night to watch Panjir play. This is one of the few places in the city center that you can visit and feel you are not, well, in the city center. Good music, good vibe, good times. By the way, based on more than four years of experience, here is a guide to drinks at The Stone Boat: wine = generous pour, beer = average pour, mixed drinks = miserly pour.

Klubb Rouge (map): There is talk of this place, the inactive part of a trio that includes Danger Doyle’s and Drei Kronen 1308, going through a makeover and reopening with a new mission, though a launch would be months down the road. More to come. And once again, kudos to Klubb Rouge for the most surreal PR conference I have attended.

Union (map): If there were an award for the gap between food value and service quality, this place would rank among my favorites. From Toaster-gate and Coffee-gate to the inability of servers to distinguish “rye” from “white” toast to being slow in delivering that initial coffee and then providing refills when only a sip has been taken, this place has had more than its share of moments. To give three example from this past Sunday:

1) The wireless was down for the fourth straight time though a staff member eventually got it working.

2) A friend and I asked for two orders of eggs Benedict and received one order of toast that we were told to share. Shades of Toaster-gate… So if I order an eggs Benedict, I get four pieces of toast, but if we order two eggs Benedict, and thus pay twice as much, we get the same mount of toast?  “If you want more toast, just ask,” I was told. Seriously, if it is a matter of cost, reduce the side of butter, since there is enough there to butter ten slices of bread.

3) Approximate exchange between me and the waitress:

Something to drink?

Coffee.

What kind of coffee?

Just a coffee.

You mean cappucci…

Just a coffee. A regular coffee. Just a regular black coffee.

[Still looks confused]

Could I have the menu, please?

[Hands me a food menu]

Could I have the drinks menu?

[I point to the word "coffee" on the menu]

That one.

Coffee.

Yes, a coffee.

How many?

Seven. No, I am joking. One. One coffee.

I realize these are not huge issues, the staff is very nice, and apparently it was the waitress’s first day. But on the other hand, Union is rather pricey. And if spots such as Le Petit Gourmand can provide decent service, then surely Union can pick up its game. Speaking of which…

Le Petit Gourmand (map): When I couldn’t get wireless at Union on Saturday, I headed here with DJ Chunky. I have written it before, I will write it again – that RMB35 chicken sandwich with salad and fries is a superb deal. But remember: bring an iPod because this spot repeats the same songs over and over and over again, over and over and over again, over and over and over again (ad infinitum).

Cheers (map): This spot, best known its live Xinjiang music on the weekends, is open again, though c0-0wner Leo – and his oil paintings – no longer appear to be in the picture.

Danger Doyle’s (map): Traffic is picking up at this place and it seems to have become a favorite with some of the city’s models on Friday’s ladies night.

The Den (map): For late-night sports viewing, can anyone beat this place? It seems perpetually full whenever there is an event on – whether it be rugby, cricket or the Wimbledon final – and that is most of the time.

Stadium Dog / Fubar: Look for a soft opening of the hot dog joint within the next week or so, with the bar to soon follow.

Kiosk (map): The two-floor second branch of this Nali Studio favorite is open. Look for the bright pink building across from Workers Stadium North and a block east of older Purple Haze. And expect the same high-value burgers.

Solana (map): With the winter blues gone, most seats near that strip along the waterfront – faced by Sex and Da City, HLG, et al – were full Friday night. But expect to drop some coin – we stopped at Lantung where the Corona is RMB45 and a so-s0 Mojito is RMB55.

Cosmo (map): Finding this place open seems to be a hit or miss proposition, as one reader reports dropping by five times and finding it closed on every occasion. Hopefully the kinks are soon worked out.

Pepe’s Pizza (map): Look for this spot to re-open this week with a new design and menu as well as a kid’s party area upstairs where the little ones can make their own pies.

Kiosk, home of The Big Bite Burger and other tasty takeout in the original Nali studios will soon open a new and larger outlet, complete with two floors of seating and a deck, one street east of Purple Haze (map). The place is easy to spot – just look for the fuchsia paint job – and is expected to open in a week or two.

The burger story in the Sanlitun area this past year has focused on the merits and demerits of pricey places such as Let’s Burger, Blue Frog, and Union Bar & Grille, you know, spots where where a patty, bun, and fries set you back ~RMB70 or more. Less discussed is an old favorite, Kiosk (map), beside Jazz-Ya in the old Nali Studio, where a 250-gram “big bite” burger lightens your billfold by RMB28.

Good news for Kiosk fans: owner Sasha, recently described by one magazine as a “gregarious” Serb, will soon open a second establishment, with a similar menu, a bit farther west and toward the northeast corner of Workers Stadium. Hoping it won’t be called “Nearby the Kiosk.” More details soon…

- See also: The Sanlitun Burger Battle: A quesadilla twist Big Mac attack: The 24-hour McDonald’s in Sanlitun Village Monday walk about: Let’s Burger, Saddle, LPG, Burger King The Big Bite is back: Kiosk reopens The Beijing burger battle rages on: 8 songs on CJW Luga’s Villa: Bumping up burger prices Sanlitun burger battle: The Rickshaw fights back Today’s beef: Union Bar & Grill Let’s Burger: A bit too saucy Bits and bites: Burger battles et al.

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 two in a three-part “yes, but” series on Beijing (check back here tomorrow for part three: “Yes, but I want a fapiao with my fries.”)

Eddie O: First He Brought The Bird, Then He Brought the Bun

YES, I suppose it’s absolutely fabulous that our city’s high-end eateries offer such fare as Roasted Marjoram-scented Medallions of Black Angus Tenderloin or Lightly Seared Foie Gras with Carmelized Apple and Teardrops of Clarified Chodofu Jus Misted with Essence of Maple Syrup and Dijon Mustard (I made up that tofu part, though chefs of Beijing are free to borrow). BUT, there seems to be a major gap between such lofty fare and your average roadside chuan’r stand. In other words, why is it so hard to find a decent burger?

True, you can find a burger at Kiosk, American Cafe or dozens of other places about town, but how about a spot where they’re made with flair, akin to those plump Beijing ducks cooked over red-hot coals? Imagine sliding a grill into that oven, slapping down a few burgers and cooking them medium rare (with a few duck drippings to boot)? Now, that would be something.

The best Beijing burgers I’ve had were those of ex-Mexican Wave guy Trevor Kuchar, who with his colleague Kenn put on some most excellent BBQs, on the Q Bar deck, last summer. Trevor got his meat from “the German butcher”, marinades it overnight, then cooks up burgers to perfection. Unfortunately, those BBQs are rare.

Given this, sometimes customers need to take matters into their own hands. There was a time when a certain Beijing bar figure named Eddie O liked the live music at Cheers, but loathed the bar’s lack of The Bird (Wild Turkey). This was easily solved — he bought the place a bottle and, when that was empty, another.

Eddie O has turned his attention to food. Last Friday, at high-end Italian joint Capone’s, he proclaimed his desire for a burger, an item absent from the menu. All evidence points to an animated discussion in which he promised to provide the bar, this coming Friday, with a bottle of Knob Creek Bourbon in exchange for the chef, Marco, putting aside the squid ink for a few minutes and making a burger. Eddie also offered to bring his own bun.

I called Eddie to investigate and he said, “I’ll be there with the bun at seven. I don’t care if they take steak tartar and turn into a burger, but I want something on that bread.”

Being the diligent sort, I visited Capone’s tonight (last night) and learned that, indeed, “Wild Turkey Man” had raved about burgers. This inspired the staff members to reflect: one noted the dearth of good burgers in Beijing, another drooled as he created an image for us of a patty topped with cheddar cheese slightly melted by fried mushrooms and onions, and yet another said that he makes the best hand-packed, three-quarter-inch-thick patties you could imagine. Given that Capone’s was fairly empty, I imagined the place full of people enjoying 65-kuai “gourmet” burgers and washing them down with plenty of drink.

In any case, on Friday night, Eddie shall appear there with his Knob Creek and his bun, and we shall see if this man, against all odds, can somehow bridge the gap between high-end eateries and that most basic, but nearly impossible to find in Beijing, of foods — the burger.

Note: The reference in the title to “corn-fed songbirds” comes from the “Today’s Special” chapter of David Sedaris’ book, “Me Talk Pretty One Day”:

[New York's SoHo] is where the world’s brightest young talents come to braise carmelized racks of corn-fed songbirds or offer up their famous knuckle of flash-seared crappie served with a collar of chided ginger and cornered by a tribe of kiln-roasted Chilean toadstools, teased with a warm spray of clarified musk oil… What I really want is a cigarette, and I’m always searching the menu in the hope that some courageous chef has finally recognized tobacco as a vegetable. Bake it, steam it, grill it, or stuff it into littleneck clams, I just need something familiar that I can hold on to.