Beijing Boyce

It’s right on the verge of that graveyard formerly known as

. You have to hold the toilet door closed while you do your business. And the music lineup features I Will Always Love You (Whitney Houston), Making Love Out of Nothing at All (Air Supply) and Hello (Lionel Ritchie). Even so, the owners are friendly and the place draws a somewhat steady flow of expatriates and locals, including M-Dawg. One weird incident: a guy dressed in a floppy neon orange Crocodile Dundee hat and fluorescent green vest came in, went behind the bar, pulled out a couple of microphones, did about 200 sound checks, and then started scatting to dance music. Horrible, but five bucks says he ends up on TV within the next six months.

(From Beijing Boyce XVI, first emailed on May 11, 2006)

Two tasty blue cheese martinis: 75 kuai. I had forgotten how agreeable happy hour is at Centro (to 8 PM). Even better, I hear bartender Bruce Li will soon have some new concoctions learned during a stint Down Under. / While Browns continues to bustle, Suzie Wong’s has a new first floor bar that has been, um, throbbing (see below). By the way, three Long Islands at Browns last Saturday: one was near perfect, one candy floss sweet, and one sans ice and Coke. Am I being too picky or just bitter that manager Glenn and supervisor Jackie nearly set me aflame recently (see below)? By the way, Chef John’s Buffalo-style wings (hints of blue cheese and basil) and spring rolls dipping sauce are excellent. / Down the street from old Sanlitun South is newly opened Sina ja Mina (”You and Me” in Finnish). It’s a bare bones bar (as are Sesame and Black Sun on the same street), but the owners are friendly and have Finnish drinks such as… well, only Finlandia vodka (25 kuai). M-Dawg found the apple juice (15 kuai) quite refreshing. / Rumor says a new Bookworm will soon wiggle onto the scene near Lido Hotel. / Andrew “Jr. Boy” Jones is playing at the Icehouse, April 5-30. / Q Bar, which will feature cocktails by ex-First Cafe, ex-Midnight bartenders Echo Sun and George Zhou, opens on the Eastern Hotel’s rooftop during second-half May. That’s walking distance to Sanlitun South (Modern Nomads, Beer Mania), Sanlitun North (Cheers, The Tree) and Gongti West (Pavillion, clubs galore). / Ah-Q is belting out jazz at Browns on Thursday nights until, it seems, CD Jazz Club reopens. I’m there now, as I finish this newsletter, and the place is packed. Browns might be wise to sign them on.

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