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.

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)

Relaxed ambience, cloth napkins, polished silverware, attentive service, and all at reasonable prices. It’s a pleasant place to hang out and a hard one to leave, although M-Dawg took exception to the deck: “New York has the Brooklyn Bridge, San Francisco has the Golden Gate Bridge, Cafe Igosso has the Guomao Bridge.”

The pizza had a thin crust and perfect amount of blue cheese (52 kuai). As for the cocktails, Agent Red Wolf thought the Mojito okay (thanks to Galia for the recommendation), although the Bloody Mary (38 kuai) was mild and watery. The Martini came with no olives, as requested, but neither did it have a twist, though it matched well with the pizza. Overall, Le Cafe Igosso offered a decent experience and seems ideal for a first date or meeting a few friends.

(From Beijing Boyce XV, first emailed on April 21, 2006)