Archive for the 'Orchid Hotel & Bar' Category
Hutong hideaway: Orchid Hotel bar opens near Gulou
The Orchid Hotel opened its bar last Friday night. The place is run by Joel Shuchat (known for his cooking classes at The Hutong) and Youngcall (owner of Tao Bao bar in Houhai), features two beers from Carl Setzer of Great Leap Brewery, and is reasonably easy to find with the directions below.
The hotel was in the last stages of sweeping up and moving construction materials on Friday but is open for all intensive purposes. The place includes ten rooms, priced at RMB600 to RMB1200 per night, each with a comfy mattress, Western toilet and Internet access. It also has multiple rooftop decks with views of the Drum Tower and/or Bell Tower, a small courtyard, a restaurant that will focus on (if I am not mistaken) Fujian food, and the bar. The layout is pleasing to the eye, especially the tiered design, round passageway, and gently curving traditional roof, though it might be even more pleasant with less glare from the lights. Given the entire hotel can be rented out for ~RMB10,000, it seems ideal for a modestly sized wedding, birthday, company, or other party.
As for the bar, it can seat about a dozen patrons though that could easily be doubled with more chairs / stools. The menu includes wheat ale and wheat ale with tea, with Shuchat playing a hand in the creation of the latter, at RMB50 per glass (~400 ml). Tsingtao is RMB20 and Xinjiang dark beer is RMB25. The entire wine list is Italian, with about two dozen choices, including two by the glass at RMB40. It is not the most diverse menu but it is early days.
To reach The Orchid Hotel, go to Gulou Da Jie and turn down Baochao Hutong to number 65. If your experience is like mine and some others on Friday, you will find number 63 and number 67, wonder why number 65 isn’t between them, and be tempted to try the side street or return to Gulou Da Jie to ensure you are in the right hutong. Don’t. Instead look for a shadowy alley, just over a meter wide and only slightly more visible than the portal to Hogwart’s, between number 63 and number 67. It is there, directly across from Mr. Shi’s Dumplings, and the hotel is about 25 meters further on.
