Beijing Boyce

As I shuffled the street pre-coffee one recent morning, my synapses fired briefly and inspired this thought - if someone asked me to suggest places in my Sanlitun-Workers Stadium hood to grab a cup of java, what would they be? Off the top of my head, here are four picks. (By the way, I’m no coffee expert, so if anyone has other recommendations, let me know and I’ll give them a try.)

Le Petit Gourmand’s American coffee (RMB15) - a good-value beverage served in a glass with a handle and space for the spoon, thus saving every fifth diner from knocking their utensil to the floor. (LPG is a good place to chill, as long as the staff doesn’t play that CD of “What’s Going On?” remixes.)

Cafe St Laurent Cappuccino (RMB30) - this weekend brunch favorite gets marks for size and frothiness. Check this video of a sugar cube slowly disappearing into the lather like a… uh… uh… a stunned mastodon sinking inch by inch into the murky-molasses-thick depths of a foamy Pleistocene swamp a sugar cube slowly disappearing into the lather.

Revelations’ Lavazza coffee (RMB8) - diners can tag this ridiculously low-priced beverage on to their equally wallet-positive set lunch (they start at ~RMB30).

Sequoia Cafe’s large American Coffee (RMB22) - a sizable mug of coffee from a micro-roaster in the U.S. that nicely washes down this place’s BLT. The staff is friendly here, though the disproportionate number of hard surfaces means it can get noisy.

For those looking to enjoy the great outdoors, Aperitivo (you can watch the street life), Le Bistrot Parisienne (ditto), Les Tour des Jour (ditto II, though this place tends to blast music) and The Bookworm (a spacious rooftop) are other options.

Open since December in the ex-Browns location, Revelations held its official launch party Wednesday night with live music, tango dancers (meow!), a draw, and free drinks (for those uninterested in subtlety, the “Revelations” cocktail is a heady mix of what I guess to be lychee and passion fruit).

This cavernous spot remains a bit of a mystery to me. It offers what I consider the city’s best lunch deal - example: fresh bread, soup, quiche, both green salad and warm potato and ham salad, and a Lavazza coffee for 40 kuai – yet draws a small crowd. Perhaps, the launch party will provide the exposure needed to get the numbers up.

Urban Sambal had its re-launch party the same night. While not conveniently located (near Phoenix Town), the space is refreshing, with the high vertically and horizontally slanting roof, cement floors and art giving it a gallery air that is nicely moderated by the bar and huge chandelier.

The place bustled as patrons enjoyed free Mojitos, martinis, wine, Qingdao and tapas (excellent curry!), with many hanging out on the deck to enjoy the cool night air. Parties with their fair share of “beautiful people” are no rarity in this town, but this one was uncommon for the number of women who were attractive and fun (I’ll leave up to the ladies to do decide if the male half was up to snuff). More power to Cho for drawing such a crowd.

On Thursday, The Rickshaw held its one-year anniversary bash. People were flank to shank upstairs as a DJ cranked out tunes and the bar handed out free beer, including three kegs of homebrew from sibling bar The Saddle Cantina.

For all my complaints about the service (and that new yellow paint job), The Rickshaw has served me well these past 12 months with cold Stella, medium wings, a strong wireless connection, and the NBA Channel.

A bunch of parties going on this week…

Sambal Urban will hold an “opening cocktail party” on April 23, 8:30-11 PM, with DJ Huang Weiwei, VJ G.org and art by Wei Xingyu. RSVP with Cat or Peter at 5866-8538.

Revelations is apparently having its opening party the same night.

And Kokomo now has Cuban band “Son de Cuba” on Wednesdays - the show starts at 9:30 PM. (Buy one, get one free Cuba Libres before 10 PM.)

The Rickshaw marks its first anniversary on April 24, 4PM-6 AM, with some freebies and lots of “surprises.”

With his “I’m Beyonce” episode a distant memory, I hit the town with Special K on Sunday. Here’s a roundup of spots we visited that, on second reading, kind of comes off as a rant. I blame the pollution.

Café St. Laurent
CSL draws a strong Sunday brunch crowd, but would do well to reduce the clash between the quality of the food and drink and the décor - savory eggs Benedict versus sitting on emaciated cushions stippled with cigarette holes; tasty Cappuccino versus gazing at a dirty plastic roof; etc. It’s time to upgrade those seats (try Carrefour, it shouldn’t be too busy these days) and unravel the garden hose. Then again, maybe I’m grouchy because a waiter passed a full glass of water over my laptop and spilled some on it.

The Saddle Cantina
Given the squalls of tree fluff in the New Nali Studio courtyard, we grabbed a table inside the bar. Unfortunately, the staff defeated our efforts by inexplicably opening and closing the retractable rooftop several times thus letting in more of the stuff. Were they bored? Is the roof fun to open? Is tree fluff - which tends to have a magnetic attraction to cocktails - considered festive in Beijing and/or Mexico?

The staff is likable at The Saddle Cantina and sibling establishment The Rickshaw but service, while usually OK, can be sketchy. Too often orders get mixed up or misunderstood, no one is able to work the satellite dish, employees compare cell phone rings instead of paying attention to customers, and so on.

This raises the great mystery of service in Beijing: how can it be good at a relative newcomer like Kro’s Nest and such a struggle at The Rickshaw, Saddle, Revelations, and others? For example, I had lunch at Revelations on Monday- there were about ten tables of people, which only represented about a third of capacity. Even so, the staff needed to reconfirm our order several times, forgot the bread, brought my dish 15 minutes before those of my companions, responded to the confusion over my coffee request by repeating themselves at increasing volume. That said, this spot offers arguably the best-value lunch deal in town, so you take the good with the bad.

OK, rant over.

To return to The Saddle Cantina: Special K found his Mango Mojito weak, while I was impressed with /recommend the Pina Colada Margarita. RMB40 is a pricey for a bottle of Corona, though OK for a literally ice-cold pint of Stella. I can hardly wait to see how this place’s home brew turns out.

Luga’s
With not a seat to be had outside, we sat in the new section of the bar, which formerly housed a Xinjiang restaurant that reader ET says had good dapanji and the best noodles in town (by the way, don’t be surprised if there is further expansion of Luga’s). We shared an order of beef nachos and chicken quesadilla, both tasty, and enjoyed a few Coronas. Always one to experiment, Special K stuck his finger in the bottle - I take it that he was fishing for the lime slice - and couldn’t get it out. Luckily, the miracle of mechanics (translation: a lot of pulling) allowed him to eventually free it.

The Smugglers
Special K liked the series of small narrow rooms, the sturdy beer house-style tables and benches, and the posters, finding the place simple but pleasant, though a bit quiet (we were the only patrons). The drinks are cheap (RMB25 for a Margarita, RMB10 for a juice) and the portions are small, while the beer specials are good value.

Kokomo
With the winter roof removed just that afternoon, we enjoyed a stiff breeze beneath the stars. Sam Adams at 35 kuai a pop is nice, though the experimental Champagne Mojito needs more time in the lab. The Christmas-type lights above the bar clash with the candlelight at the table - am I supposed to come here to part-tay or chill out? Expect some summer drink specials from this place.

The Boat
People must have been on shore leave, because only a handful of patrons were on board. Then again, it was late Sunday night. The Boat includes upper and lower decks, ample seating and a dance floor. It’s a cool idea, and I’ll return on a busier night to check it out. By the way, it was nice to see generous space devoted to toilets - this saves guys peeing over the side against a headwind.

They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch. But you can go hungry even if you have money.

I popped into The Rickshaw yesterday at noon for Taco Tuesdays (three tacos for RMB40 with good portions of sour cream and salsa). I went upstairs and found a construction crew buzzing and pounding near the pool table, so I retreated downstairs, grabbed a chair, and popped open the laptop.

I called the manager to find out what was going on and learned that the place was closed. I missed the sign on the door as did everyone else - more than a dozen people – who showed up during the 20 minutes I sat there. Anyway, The Rickshaw should have its side deck opened and be back to normal hours from 4 PM today

Since tacos were not in my immediate future, I decided to go to nearby Revelations. I phoned ahead to see if the wireless was working - last time, it wasn’t - and was told it “should be.” It wasn’t.

I packed up my laptop again and went to Sugar, in 1949: The Hidden City. The place had wireless and food, seemingly a rare combination on this day. I had chicken Caesar salad (RMB32) and a coffee (RMB25), both of which were good. The wait staff is a bit over-attentive and unable to recognize English words such as “water” and “toilet”, but is friendly enough. What is annoying is getting the bill and finding a 10 percent service charge… at a cafe.

Today, I planned to go to Café St. Laurent for lunch. Luckily, I called ahead because the place is closed while the kitchen and menu are overhauled. CSL will open this weekend. Fortunately, the eggs Benedict will remain on the menu although there will be a few new twists to the recipe.

I headed for The Saddle Cantina, then remembered it is not open for lunch during weekdays, and redirected myself to Luga’s. This place is also under construction. I saw a patron eating a burrito, but didn’t see any employees. I yelled “hello” and went back to the kitchen, where everyone was crouched over the floor intensely discussing something, so I left.

For the third time in two weeks, I ended up at Sequoia Café (Sanlitun branch). The BLT (RMB30) is delicious and comes with soup, and a large American coffee (RMB22). Fortunately, there is no service charge. The only downside: Sequoia is full of hard surfaces and thus loud at times.

Since opening in December in the old Browns spot, I have eaten lunch at Revelations seven or eight times. This place, to put it lightly, offers some heavy-duty value.Yes, Revelations is a ghost restaurant - I have seen no more than three tables of people, including my own, at any given time in this cavernous spot. Yes, management is already playing with the menu - a place that dabbles truffle oil in soup and makes its own chocolate has added to the menu “Hawaii pizza” (avoid it unless you like semisweet sauce, bland cheese and meat that looks nothing like ham with which I am familiar). Yes, the staff is still learning the ropes - The Flash and I had no fewer than three waitresses handle our table and, while polite, they still mixed up our dishes.

But for value, Revelations is hard to beat.

Consider lunch last week. My set menu included complimentary homemade bread, cream of cauliflower soup, and quiche with a side of warm potato and ham salad and a side of greens. Add a coffee, and the bill came to… RMB40! Best of all, the food was good.

The Flash had beef bourguinon and found it somewhat localized. “They’re definitely not using bean sprouts in this dish in France,” he noted. Even so, once he tucked in, he found it tasty. “It tastes like beef goulash with a stir fry. Actually, the flavor combination is good.” His meal, if I recall correctly, cost RMB58.

On Tuesday, I visited Revelations again, this time with MH. I had the spaghetti bolognaise set menu (RMB42), Belgian fries (RMB15) and a coffee (RMB8)*, while she had the grilled shrimp and pesto angel hair pasta set menu (RMB88). Good eats all around, though I am nearly at my limit for cream of cauliflower soup for the decade (Revelations, please bring back the oxtail soup). However, near beggars cannot be choosers and I figure I’ll be back at Revelations sooner rather than later.

Previous posts: Bye Browns, hello Revelations

They say first impressions are everything, but with Ciro’s Pomodoro, I can also provide second and third impressions. Ciro’s is a global chain of Italian restaurants that held the “soft opening” of its Beijing outlet in Sanlitun earlier this month - a hard launch is set for Sunday - and goes by the slogan, “Expect the Unexpected.”

First impressions
After lunch Monday with MH at Revelations (write-up coming tomorrow), I suggested we brave the cold, walk to Ciro’s and check the place out. We arrived around 2 o’clock and found it empty. We wandered around, looked at the walls festooned with photos of Ciro hobnobbing with famous (mostly Hollywood) people, and shouted “hello!” Finally, out of the kitchen, there appeared a sleepy foreign guy with whom I had the following conversation.

“Hello,” he said.

“Hi, we just want to get a couple of coffees.”

“Sorry, we’re closed. We don’t open until six.” [The menu lists the hours as 11:30 AM to 3 AM - I guess the soft opening schedule is lighter.]

“But the door is open.”

“That’s for some delivery people.”

“Oh…”

“Hang on a minute - we’re a new place, you’re new customers, why don’t you look around while I make some fresh coffee?”

Actually, that last line went unsaid. Instead, twenty seconds later found me and MH on the street and walking to Nearby the Tree, where we relaxed on a sofa, chatted, and enjoyed a couple of drinks each.

Second impressions
With four hours at Nearby the Tree under out belts, my stomach grumbled, and we headed back to Ciro’s. The outer door and the inner door at Ciro’s are separated by a hallway of a few meters. We peered into the former and saw two employees look at us blankly from behind the latter. I thought perhaps we were slightly early, shrugged at MH, and peered in again. A woman approached, opened the door, and said with a smile, “Happy New Year and welcome to Ciro’s - please come in.”

Actually, that last part didn’t happen, either. Instead, the staff turned away, created a semi-circle, put their hands together the way a basketball team does before a game, and did a cheer.

Hmmm… I felt like something a bit more predictable on this night, so MH and I went to Le Petit Gourmand, ordered the kebab plate and the mozzarella and tomato salad, and relaxed near the wood-burning stove.

Third impressions
After spending yesterday afternoon doing heavy-duty editing*, I stopped at The Rickshaw where Chad, the manager, said, “Hey, you want to check out Pomodoro?”

Another chance to discover the appeal of a chain that diners in Athens, Los Angeles, Bucharest, and other cities frequent.

Ciro’s is sizable, high-ceilinged and airy, has a warm woody décor with touches of glass and those photos mentioned earlier, and includes bar, booth, table and lounge seating (the tables in the lounge area seem a bit high).

The food gets mixed reviews. The complimentary bread is homemade and accompanied by diced tomatoes, butter, and pesto sauce. “Ciro’s bread” (RMB20), a thin-crust pizza-sized dish with tangy tomato sauce, is good value, while the garlic mushrooms (RMB65) and smoked salmon with rocket lettuce, tomato and cucumber topping (RMB90) are OK but over-priced, especially when the service charge is added (see below).

Chad had to go, but I stuck around and tried the thin-crust Pomodoro pizza (RMB 75), which is topped with mozzarella, tomatoes, mushrooms, green peppers, ham, and garlic. Again, this is pricey given that The Tree offers comparable, if not better taste, for less. The best came last: the lasagna with beef and tomatoes (RMB 50) - this is a good brick of pasta loaded with sauce.

In terms of drinks, cocktails start at RMB 45, domestic / imported beer at RMB 25 / RMB 30, and wine at RMB 40 per glass, with dozens of bottle choices at RMB200 and up - those with money to burn can drop RMB14,000+ on Lafite. A Coke is RMB 25. (The menu needs some proofreading, given the numerous typos, misplaced punctuation, and inconsistent capitalization.)

As for the service, the wait staff was attentive - in some ways, too much so.

Example 1: The staff changed our ashtray five times in the first 15 minutes. In one case, Chad lit a cigarette, took a few puffs, and put it into a clean ashtray - a waitress then picked up the cigarette and placed it in another clean ashtray.

Example 2: The waiter delivered my lasagna and asked if I wanted ground pepper on it. I like to first try food as the cook intended, so I asked him to leave the grinder on the table. Later, I added some pepper, put the grinder down, and the waiter walked over, picked it up, and asked, “Pepper?” Um, no. He took the grinder away.

Example 3: Staff approached the table every few minutes to ask if they could take this or that dish away - two of them in succession tried to grab our few remaining mushrooms.

The manager, to her credit, tried to keep things running smoothly - “The glasses are empty at that table”, “That dish goes to this table” - but had her hands full, even with a dozen or so patrons in attendance. The staff is too keen - which is a good problem, in a way - so it’s just a matter of toning things down a bit.

By the way, just before I left, a staff member emerged from the kitchen and walked through the restaurant on his way to the toilet - while carrying a dry plunger. Three minutes later, he returned carrying a wet plunger. Multi-tasking is alive and well at Ciro’s.

As the saying goes, “Expect the Unexpected.”

Here’s some more unexpected. The menu announces a 10 percent service charge. My bill listed the food and drink at RMB 355 and the service charge at RMB 71. It doesn’t take a Ph. D in mathematic to see that works out to 20 percent.

Overall, the place is cozy enough, but the food is pricey and the service needs work, which makes that hefty service charge that much to swallow.

* By heavy duty, I mean applying my scientific terminology-loathing brain to material such as this: “The downstream 17 bp of Nla III restriction site CATG from ORFs with 3’-UTR were extracted as virtual LongSAGE tags.”