Beijing Boyce

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Four years ago this week, way back when I weighed 30 pounds less, could get by on three hours sleep, and had a Beijing bars e-newsletter instead of a blog, I wrote a piece called “Something about Sanlitun“. This was ~18 months after the end of south bar street and I stated that “Sanlitun has emerged stronger and more diverse than ever“. As evidence, I cited 20 bars, restaurants, and clubs, including a few not strictly in Sanlitun but easily accessible from the area. Given how often people cite the high turnover rate of bars and restaurants, I thought it would be interesting to see how many of those places are still going.

“1. The Tree — Arguably the best pizza in town, nicely washed down with Belgian beer.”

Four years later, still a pizza favorite, still serving Belgian brew….

“2. Cheers — A simple and unpretentious bar with an excellent happy hour (10-kuai Qingdao drafts before 10 PM) and live Xinjiang music.”

Although Leo, The Bearded One, left about a year ago, this place remains pretty much the same, save for switching the bar and the stage.

“3. Top Club / Bar Blu — Comfy rooftop decks up top and dance floors down below.”

Bar Blu is still going, though I find it far seedier now than in 2006, while Top Club turned into Kokomo; different name, same people involved.

“4. Le Petit Gourmand — Kick back, have a beer and read a few books.”

Still going, though the presence of Biteapitta downstairs and absence of a manager (unless they recently hired one) means business is down.

“5. Alameda — A Brazilian barbecue joint picked by that’s Beijing and City Weekend readers as the city’s best restaurant.”

Still going, with a redesign.

“6. The Bookworm — Kick back again, this time glass of wine in hand, and read some more books in the high-ceilinged downstairs or on the rooftop garden.”

Still going, with even more books (and whiskey choices) on the shelves.

“7. Browns — Good pub grub, good draft beer selection, good place to lose your inhibitions and do some bar top dancing.”

Gone. Some people will say because of its size but I blame poor management and marketing (lowlight: turtle races held Sunday nights on a ping pong table with lanes built on top). This place was based on Carnegie’s in Taipei, which is still going. As should be Browns. It went on to become Revelations, then Pink Loft, and is now empty.

“8. Modern Nomads — Enjoy throat singing while sipping the best (er, only) Chingis martinis in town.”

Gone. Fun place but, at least at that time, Beijing had a quite limited demand for throat singing. This spot is now Nanjie.

“9. Beer Mania — An excellent combination of mostly Belgian beers and quality cocktails (Mojito, Long Island) in a laid-back atmosphere.”

Still going, and has since added a deck.

“10. Q Bar — The most consistent high-quality cocktails in town and a spacious deck to boot.”

Still going, and that spacious deck is now about three times bigger.

“Throw in other northern spots such as Saddle (good burritos) [Now Luga's, with pretty much the same concept, though with a history that would require a post of its own], Apertivo (good people watching) [still going] and Jazz-Ya (good Long Islands) [ditto], southern ones such as Salsa Caribe [ditto, with new design], Banana Leaf [ditto] and Phil’s Pub (good 10-kuai Gin Tonics) [forced out due to construction; now just north of Ritan Park], nearby establishments such as The Pavillion [still standing], Alfa [still going] and Yugong Yishan [forced out due to construction]…

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Four years on, 14 of 20 places continue to operate in the same space and under the same name, though there have been some ownership changes. Of the remainder, two have new names but remain in the same space and have either the same concept or same management (Luga’s and Kokomo) while two were forced to close (Yugong Yishan and Phil’s). Only two places are gone due to poor performance (Browns and Modern Nomads).

Does this say something about Beijing having a low rate of bar and restaurant failures? No. Instead, it says something about the power of Sanlitun as a bar and restaurant center. These places staked an early claim, and in most cases grabbed a niche, in an area that seemed destined for strong and steady growth in terms of customers, revenue, and restaurant and bar openings. And four years on, most of them remain as part of a scene that is more diverse than ever.

The lady bar touts and substance pushers seemed sparser on Sanlitun North the past few weeks. A recent stroll down the main drag attracted only six “sexy girl” solicitations, in contrast to the usual dozen, and not one “Hey man, want some stuff?” was muttered as I walked the side streets to Apertivo. Where hath the intrepid intruders gone? Perhaps they took advantage of the new Beijing-Tibet express and are on summer leave. Or maybe they were turfed by the notorious security guards at nearby Tongli Studio (true, no bodies have been found, but a telling sign would be if the area’s kebabs suddenly tasted gamey). Whatever the reason, any break from these — let’s be generous – carbon-based life forms is as refreshing as when strong winds occasionally dilute Beijing’s air pollution. Unfortunately, it’s usually just as short-lived. / Speaking of Apertivo, I’ve been there twice this month. The service is reasonable, it’s a nice place to chat with friends on a pleasant summer evening, and things would be even better with an upgraded by-the-glass wine selection. / Across the street, Saddle offers a minimalist menu of burritos, Spanish fried rice, salsa and chips, and fajitas as well as Pepe Lopez, Camino, Jose Cuervo, Olmeca and Conquistador tequilas. These brands cover the less-than-100-percent agave end of the tequila spectrum and some premium varieties would surely be welcomed. Saddle also has something called “Brett funnel” on Fridays, which involves chugging a beer via a tube for 10 kuai, and is not for the faint of stomach. / The Pavillion has a two-for-one happy hour, 5 to 8 PM, that covers house wines, cocktails, soft drinks, and beer, excluding Guinness and Kilkenny. In addition to an excellent patio, The Pavillion also has: 1) proper wine glasses; 2) one of Beijing’s more impressive Whisky selections; and 3) a slight identity crisis, since upon arrival patrons may come across anything from an alcohol-free graduation party to a beer-fueled rugby-mad crowd, with things thankfully tending toward the middle. / Maggie’s has upped its bottled Qingdao to 30 kuai from 20 kuai. Otherwise, it’s the same old, same old, which means hot dogs out front, reliable music inside, and an ambience that doesn’t live up to the former locale on Gongti East. / Shunyi-based sports bar The Pomegranate had a high-tech summer as it added a video projector, 42-inch flat screen, and wireless Internet access. My suburban friends tell me this is a good spot to sip a few beers, eat some pub grub, and catch a game. / DJ David Lindinger will spin all-plastic sets of “nujazz, groove and house music” at Q Bar on Fridays during September. This is a bit surprising since some owners were once strongly opposed to a DJ and since patrons seem to love the current ambience, which includes blues and jazz tunes. Q Bar seems to be drifting from the cocktail-first culture of First Cafe and Midnight, where two of the owners cut their teeth, and this will no doubt worry some long-loyal customers, including yours truly. I mean, this is like the city-specific that’s Beijing putting a huge brochure-like picture of Thailand on its cover (oh wait, it just did that, or do I have a copy of that’s Bangkok in my hand?). Or like me adding a dozen book reviews to my bar newsletter (oh wait again…). / Speaking of which, rumblings abound that Keiko Shirata, who owned First Cafe until it was chai’d about a month ago, is planning to open a new spot in Beijing. / Each of my four visits to Rui Fu has found this lounge/club increasingly busy and fun. My initial reservations have been cancelled by its spirited groove, interesting clientele and decent music (though a bit loud last time). The cocktails are a problem. As oft mentioned elsewhere, Rui Fu is a place to see and be seen, with last Friday featuring a marathon of seeing and being seen that left my ocular nerves exhausted and thus, having saw and been sawn, I resolved to wear an eye patch next time and thus maximize seeage and being seenage while minimizing strain (that is, when I return from my vacation at a coastal apiary - a sea and bee scene.) Putting preening aside, Rui Fu’s menu includes numerous pricing oddities such as Johnnie Walker Red and Johnnie Walker Black both at Y35, suggesting the latter will increase in price with the club’s popularity. Let’s wait and see (and be seen). / Capone’s plans to open a restaurant in Beijing. The general manager says his aim is to have “one of the biggest if not the biggest wine selections in Beijing.” / Also coming to the Jing: Hong Kong’s Park 97 and Middle-class America’s Hooters. / Finally, there are lots of choices out there for tonight, Friday, September 1. Frank’s Place will hold an end-of-summer party with all-you-can-drink Freixenet sparkling wine (7PM, 100 kuai) and its weekly pool tournament (8 PM, 50 kuai per person, winner takes all). Summergate will have a tasting of South Australia’s Kingston wines at Face Bar (7-10 PM, 100 kuai). Stone Boat has Muwen playing (9:30 PM), Q Bar sees its inaugural DJ night, and Rui Fu apparently has DJ Edmund, a friend of a friend from Taipei, spinning tunes.

(From Beijing Boyce XXIII, first emailed on August 31, 2006)

Is it me or is Beijing nightlife becoming rougher?

, in particular, seems to be turning into a highway to hell. Substance-selling “brothers,” physically aggressive beggars, “lady bar” touts and out-of-control imbibers are proliferating. Add to this mix growing nationalism and cases of security guards / bouncers beating patrons ten times worse than could possibly be justified. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: “

, an even bigger disaster waiting to happen.” 

(From Beijing Boyce IV, first emailed on November 18, 2005)

I made my first visit – post-breakup era – to First Cafe and Midnight. For those who don’t know the story (and Buddha knows most people on this list are sick of it), First Cafe once offered an unbeatable combination of cozy ambience, superb cocktails and interesting clientele. Then two months ago, the owner Keiko and the only two bartenders, George and Echo, fell out. About a month later, George and Echo, believing droves of customers would remain loyal to them, opened a bar called Midnight less than a meter in front of First Cafe.

I’ve walked by these bars dozens of times during the past month on my way to and from The Bookworm. Based on window gazing, First Cafe has been doing fine, but patrons at Midnight are few and far between. However, such observations do not research make, so in the interests of accuracy, I embarked on a two-night project with a comrade, known only as Agent Red Wolf.

Night 1 (Friday): We slid into First Cafe around, of all ironic times, midnight. Red Wolf made a surreptitious visit next door to the bar of same name and learned that it was nearly empty. Meanwhile, First Cafe is bursting at the seams with over 30 guests. Spirits were high and spirits were flowing, the service was passable, and business seems to have gone unabated at First Cafe.

Night 2 (Saturday): We popped into Midnight around 1 AM. Again, Agent Red Wolf again went on the prowl and soon reported that First Cafe was quite busy, while there were but four patrons – including us – in Midnight. The martinis were excellent and we got to try George and Echo’s coffee vodka, but unfortunately the ambiance was wanting.

Just to ensure the accuracy of my observations even further, I made a few more trips back. First Cafe continues to do well, while Midnight has quickly been picking up steam, no doubt fuelled by ample coverage in the free English-language magazines. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens but given the dearth of decent bars in Beijing, both places may end up doing pretty well.

(From Beijing Boyce IV, first emailed on November 18, 2005)

It’s a dog eat dog, bar beat bar world and Sanlitun is no exception. At least three pairs of establishments are going head to head there.

Martini madness

The soap opera surrounding First Cafe continues. In the last episode, we learned how two Chinese bartenders came to the big city and worked for foreign owners at a martini bar only to see the place’s popularity and their workload soar, while their benefits remained, to put it kindly, stable. Disgruntled, they broke free about a month ago and have now found an investor and set up shop in front of their old workplace. Grudges, revenge and cutthroat competition, this scene has it all – with a twist of lemon.

Our dynamic bartending duo thinks their popularity with the previous patrons will bring in droves of customers. (How do I know? They said so, while we sampled three 12-year-old whiskies I brought back from vacation. Maybe they didn’t say “droves,” but they definitely used “most” and “lots.” Trust me. I don’t make this stuff up.) First Cafe’s best feature was excellent drinks, and especially martinis, but it also had a potent mix of coziness and interesting customers. This new bar — called Midnight: don’t get me started on the name — is about twice as big as First Cafe’s top floor and it will be hard to create a similar ambience. Here’s the thing: great drinks work due to the recipe. If you take the ingredients and change the formula, you toy with disaster. That’s what’s happened to First Cafe as a bar. Let’s hope things don’t go sour.
As the worm turns

More precisely, it’s wriggled from Sanlitun North to just off Sanlitun South, just down from where it meets Gongti North. Bookworm leaves behind former food partner Le Petit Gourmand, which has a sign proclaiming to the world that yes, it is open, essential to mention given the rubble surrounding the place. The new Bookworm‘s interior is clean, comfortable and spacious, with three lounge areas, reasonably priced drinks (RMB12 for an Espresso or diet Coke; RMB15 for Yanjing draft), 14000-plus books available for loan and hundreds for sale, excellent service, and the continuing lecture series. (I’m still having nightmares thanks to Mark Benecke, the forensic scientist who specializes in etymology and took us step by step — or, rather, picture by picture — through solving a crime by looking at insects on a corpse’s body, his talk appropriately titled, “The Great Maggot Detective.” The last seminar was by Jim McGregor, who spoke to a packed house about his new book, One Billion Customers.) Besides a near electrocution by a malfunctioning lamp chord, my only criticisms about the Bookworm would be that the music is too loud at times and that it is going to be too popular. As for Le Petit Gourmand, it’s hanging in as long as possible in a location destined for redevelopment.

Not lonely at the top

Bar Blu was known for having a most big and excellent rooftop. Then it got whacked in half. Before you could pop the caps on a couple of Coronas, Top Club opened on the other side, separated by a two-meter barrier, apparently by the brains behind nearby Kai Club, which specializes in cheap drinks and is popular with students. I have yet to visit Top Club, but have heard from others that it offers a decent rooftop lounge. As for Bar Blu, it remains a mystery. On one hand, it has decent service at times and a good happy hour. On the other, I, and other acquaintances, have sometimes found the staff arrogant (and forgetful about bringing back change). Will the real Bar Blu please stand up?

(From Beijing Boyce II, first emailed on October 20, 2005)
### Sanlitun First Cafe Midnight The Bookworm Le Petit Gourmand (old) Bar Blu Top Club Kai Club