Beijing Boyce

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Nanluoguxiang bar Ned’s ended its three-year run last Saturday night not with a bang, not with a whimper, but with the sound of hundreds of popping beer caps and a party that spilled into the street. Early in the evening, a modest crowd showed up to see Collingwood thrash Carlton in an AFL match, and it steadily grew as the night wore on. As to whether this is really the last stand of Ned’s, don’t be surprised if the guys behind this bar open another one somewhere down the road. In the meantime, this means at least a temporary end for The Vegemite Triangle that included 12SQM and Mao Mao Chong.

This is part ten in the Must Tries Series that asks people in the Beijing bar, restaurant, and wine business to give us their recommendations. This time up: Steven Zonneveld of Nanluoguxiang pub Ned’s, which packs a lot of punch for its size. (Check these drink specials at Ned’s during Australia Day on Wednesday. And go here to enter my Aussie slang contest.)

Steven Zonneveld: The man behind Ned's

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What is the “must try” beer at Ned’s?

All of our beers are from Australia at Ned’s, so I’d suggest trying Australia’s favorite full strength beer. VB! I’m also from Melbourne and have grown up drinking it my whole life so I might be a little bias. It’s also cheaper to buy a VB at Ned’s than just about anywhere in Australia (RMB25 per bottle; RMB20 during happy hour).

What is the “must try” cocktail/mixed drink at Ned’s?

The Melbourne and the Beijing iced teas (RMB35) seem to be quite popular with the females while the trusty Ned’s Special (RMB50) seems to be a hit with the local blokes. The Ned’s Special was traditionally a huge strong glass of JD but has recently become a giant glass of whatever you like! Good for priming up for a big night!

What are three “must try” foods and drinks at other Beijing venues?

If you’re in serious need of a decent and affordable steak try Traktir Pushkin’s steak wrapped in bacon with mashed potatoes. A steal for 40 RMB! I’m also a big fan of the vegetable spring rolls and noodles at the Vietnamese restaurant call Pho on Guluo Dong Dajie. And for those willing to travel, check out the Muslim restaurant in BLCU. The lamb, neng, and onion are to die for!

For drinks, I would suggest picking up a 15 RMB street Mojito while you cruise down Nanluoguxiang, a tasty Moscow Mule from First Floor, or wiping yourself out with an Armageddon from Chocolate.

No Aussie stereotypes here. None at all. (famemagazine.com)

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Australia Day is again upon us–next Wednesday, January 26–and that means deals from the Vegemite Triangle of 12SQM, Ned’s, and Mao Mao Chong (see below for details). Rather than bringing out the same old tired Aussie lingo, stuff like “shrimp on the barbie“, “sink a few tinnies” and “bilby in the bottom paddock”, I decided to come up with my own….

“G’day fellow inmates! Get your yute warmers down to the Vegemite Triangle next Wednesday and go Irwin. It’ll be double dingo tickety boo. More fun than going back door on a bilby gone boinkers. Gander at the maps below so you don’t pull a Burke and Wills and end up face down in some gutter with a platypus named Matilda. And make sure you wear your koala beards because it’s going to be an eight dog night. Didgeridoo! (See translation below)

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The deal…

12SQM (map)

All imported beers, including Aussie brews Coopers, VB, and Boag’s, for RMB20, plus meat pies and Australian music (6 PM to 1 AM).

Ned’s (map)

Happy hour all day long as well as drink specials. VB at RMB20, Foster’s at RMB15, and snags [sausages] at RMB10, plus the Triple J music countdown.

Mao Mao Chong (map)

Select cocktails, Boag’s, Redback, Cascade, and Bundy and Coke for RMB25.

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The translation…

“G’day fellow inmates [friends]! Get your yute warmers [asses; "yute" refers to "utility vehicle"] down to the Vegemite Triangle next Wednesday and go Irwin [go wild, like Aussie legend Steve Irwin]. It’ll be double dingo tickety boo [enjoyable; well, as enjoyable as two dingos can be]. More fun than going back door on a bilby gone boinkers [not sure about this one but it sounds illegal]. Gander at this map, this map, and this map so you don’t pull a Burke and Wills [two explorers who got lost in the Australian "outback" and died] and end up face down in some gutter with a platypus named Matilda [make a bad decision as to a potential mating partner]. And make sure to wear your koala beards [ear muffs] because it’s also going to be an eight dog night ["three dog night" means so cold you need to use several live animals as blankets; "eight dog night" is even colder". Didgeridoo! [w00t!]

Enter my Aussie slang contest here and win Australian wine and Austrian wine glasses.

But can he save The World Cup? Unlikely...

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Saturday night will feature the most anticipated World Cup match yet — Australia vs Ghana.

Can the Koala Kissers from Down Under beat the Black Stars? Given that Ghana’s best player is out, I suppose a slight possibility now exists that those prawn-barbecuing, Tim Tam-munching, vegemite-spreading oi oi oi-ers could win this one.

That makes it a good time for Aussie fans to head to Nanluoguxiang and patronize the Beijing Billabong / Vegemite Triangle. Both Ned’s and 12SQM will show the match, while at Mao Mao Chong they can eat Cherry Ripe to their Les Patterson-loving, platypus-poking, Bundaberg-guzzling hearts’ content. (I could add something about dingos, but I think my point has been made.)*

In case it isn’t obvious, I will be cheering for Ghana. And I will be wearing a GongTees shirt with the crest of that nation, a shirt I bought on Wednesday night at Paddy O’Shea’s with a 100-kuai note that looked like I blew my nose into but in reality only suffered from pocket sweat. Memorable moment. Anyway, click here for info about how to get your own shirt…

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* For the record, I like prawns, Les Patterson, and Tim Tam, have never seen let alone touched a platypus, think Bundaberg Rum would be useful for unclogging toilets, and believe the best use of Vegemite is to plug that oil-gushing hole in the Gulf of Mexico.

Happy Down Under Day, eh?

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G’day mates, it’s nearly that day on the calender when those hailing from The Land Down Under jump in the yute, head to the outback, put a shrimp prawn on the barbie, sink a few tinnies, and have a chinwag — and, yes, I’m letting loose with my antipodean vocabulary because that’s the kind of sensitivity Canadians are all aboot, eh?

Australia’s national day is tomorrow, January 26, and one way to celebrate is with a mini pub crawl to three Aussie-run spots within a boomerang’s throw of each other in the Nanluoguxiang area — a tour I undertook last Friday night with Mr Hao and Ms Hao.

Ned’s: Now that 12sqm has expanded, this might rank as the smallest, or at least the smallest Australian-run, joint on the street. The place can get as crowded as a bunch of kangaroos loose in the top paddock — hope I’m using that term right — and there is a decent selection of bevvies. The lads plan to be open from noon, with happy hour prices all day, meat pies, the Pakistan-Australia test match, and the top 100 song countdown on Triple J.

The relaunched 12sqm now comes in a larger format for extra comfort and comradeship. The place has more than tripled in size by expanding into the back of the building thus making possible a three-sided bar and more lounge seating. For Australia Day, 12sqm not only has RMB15 bottles of Aussie brews, including Coopers, but also meat pies, vegemite on toast, Aussie tunes, and Bundaberg Rum — ask for a “Bundy and Coke.” Ms Hao enjoyed her White Russian here.

Mao Mao Chong is about 200 meters down the alley that is beside Pass By Bar. If you reach the public toilet and think you have gone too far: 1) you are only about halfway there; and 2) don’t use it because Mao Mao Chong has superior facilities, though like many other places there is a “no poo” rule.

This new bar impressed us due to the art created by one of the owners, friendliness of the managers, creativity behind the cocktails, and prices — Tsingtao is RMB13, Tiger is RMB16, and Sam Adams is RMB25, while sodas are RMB10 and mixed drinks start at RMB20. There is an intriguing winter menu with cool sounding drinks such as French Toast — Advocaat, rum, warm milk, cinnamon, and honey — at RMB30 to RMB35, and a regular cocktail list with creative concoctions such as Feng Shui — oolong-tea infused vodka, lychee liqueur, sake, lime, and sugar cane stick (this might be even better with slightly less liqueur).

Mao Mao Chong features its own infused vodkas, among other DIY items, with flavors such as ginger, lemongrass, and rooibos, a plant grown in South Africa and apparently a member of the legume family — Mr Hao described that one as “smooth and with a subtle tea-like flavor.” We were told to expect pizza on the menu the next time we visited. For national day, Mao Mao Chong will have James Boag’s, Redbuck, and VB, as well as its own stock of Bundy.

If you are looking for other ways to celebrate Australia’s national day, you might consider dropping into The Den, which offers the lowest regular price (RMB25) on a handful of Aussie beers (Crown, Cascade, et al), heading to Astral restaurant in the Tangla Hotel for a bite of emu, kangaroo, or crocodile, or ordering some beers from Dxcel or some wines from Aussie-run importers such as Gelipu or The Wine Republic — perhaps someone can find the perfect pairing for Tim Tams.

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See also:

• Australia Day: Sink a few tinnies in Beijing
• Australia Day II: Throw yet *another* shrimp on the barbie

City Weekend and beer distributor Dxcel, known best for its Australian and American brews, are teaming up with a dozen Beijing establishments in October for the innaugural Beer Jing festival.

When you drink a Dxcel-distributed beer – say a Brooklyn Lager, Crown, or VB – at one of these dozen spots, you get a stamp in your passport for that place.  Be among the first 20 people to get eight stamps and you will be invited to the Beer Jing party on October 29 at Danger Doyle’s at 7:30 PM*. According to the press release, participants will  “taste some of the most exotic microbrews the world has to offer.”  The doors open to everyone at 9:30 PM and for RMB100 you can drink beer to your liver’s content.

To participate, pick up a “passport” at one of these bars: Danger Doyle’s (map), Rickshaw (map), Kro’s Nest (map), Ned’s (map), Frank’s Place (map), Westside Café, Union Bar and Grill (map), Unconditional Love Coffee (map), The Den (map), Nola, Vineyard Café (map), and Tim’s Texas Barbecue (map).

You can also find good deals on the Beer Jing brews during October at Kro’s Nest every Thursday (five beers for RMB80), at The Den every day (RMB25), and at Nola where prices range from RMB30 for VB to RMB26 for Blue Star. All 12 spots will offer a 20 percent discount on these beers during the “Beer Jing weekend”, October 16 to 18.

* You need at least eight stamps to qualify. Send a scan of your passport to Lee Mack at leemack@cityweekend.com.cn by October 26.