Beijing Boyce

TRIO has taken The Park Grill and The Cellar down a few notches and now offers a more affordable wine list (see Hanky Panky at Frankie’s below). / An investor in The Pavillion, which marks its one-year anniversary on November 16, says the group will open another venue in the Workers’ Stadium area in March. / Tim’s Texas BBQ (formerly John Bull Pub) will open in mid-November, says Frank Siegel, who is eager for the public to try his smoked meat. Frank says Tim’s will retain the popular trivia nights and look at incorporating the Friday and Saturday Mexican food cart. / Q Bar plans a December debut for its website, which will include a game where patrons drink cocktails made by George and Echo at faster-than-life speeds. Back in reality, a special East meets West drink - namely, a dragon fruit margarita - should soon roar into life at the Q (more on this next issue). / As part of the shift from blues spot to gallery and events venue, Icehouse has walled off its bar to create a narrow and intimate zone that could become a nice after-work getaway. The event experimentation continues as the venue hosts the high-energy Central Asian music of Panjir on Saturday night (50-kuai entry fee includes one Tsingdao). / Eddie O reports that Blue Fox, unable to replicate the success of its neighbor Centro, has howled its last. / Cafe Europa, a comfortable place to enjoy wine by the glass or bottle in the Soho district, will hold a tasting of four Cabernet Sauvignons (with tapas) next Thursday (150 kuai, email josefkiang@yahoo.com to RSVP). / Here’s a bar you don’t hear much about - Marine House. It’s on U.S. Embassy grounds, serves up the coldest beer in Beijing and is one place where you don’t want to anger the bouncers. / Tongli Studio’s Top Club is changing into Kokomo Bar and Restaurant. Yay! I mean, boo! I mean, hmmm… Meanwhile, Kebab Nation is now open on the studio’s ground floor. / The City Weekend website has an upgraded bars section that includes editors’ picks and a better directory (with handy phone numbers). As always, the forums on thatsbj.com are a good source of information on Beijing’s nightlife scene, including the recent Halloween bashes. / Add this to the list of drinkable Chinese wines: Grace Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2005.
(From Beijing Boyce XXIV, first emailed on September 21, 2006)

Happy 65th birthday to ASC Fine Wines co-founder Don St. Pierre Sr. (and a happy 100th to his liver!) / Congratulations to Browns boss Philip Cheung, who successfully proposed to his soon-to-be-wife on the bar-top during the final game of the World Cup. / There is a lot of talk about violence against patrons in Tongli Studios, home of Bar Blu, Top Club and Cheers, among other establishments. The incidents apparently involve the building’s security guards and are making northwest Sanlitun a less appealing party destination. / Far more tragic, a woman was stabbed to death at 2 AM on Tuesday night near the South Gate of Chaoyang Park. While Beijing is by and large safe, violence does happen, and it is best to err on the side of caution when out and about. / Next issue, I’ll review a handful of new places and look at the impact glass shape has on wine enjoyment. Until then, eat, drink and be merry (and safe). BB.

(From Beijing Boyce XXI, first emailed on July 27, 2006)

When Sanlitun South was razed last year for redevelopment - incidentally, nary a single foundation has been laid on that plot of land where two-meter high weeds now stand guard - some thought the area drinking scene had taken a mortal blow. Instead, it turned out to be the one step backward that precedes the two steps forward in the creative destruction process, and Sanlitun has emerged stronger and more diverse than ever. True, that main northern strip features too many sub-par copycat bars and all of the associated promoters, beggars, fake CD sellers and lady bar touts that come with it. And there have been some disturbing reports of bouncer behavior. But there are also numerous bar and restaurant investors targeting new niche markets, offering more choice and raising service standards, particularly along the new south street and near Tongli Studio in the northwest. Whether it’s Browns, The Bookworm, Alameda, The Tree, Q Bar or others, Sanlitun offers some “best of the best” in the city. Here are ten highlights, from its far north to its deep south:

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

Throw in other northern spots such as Saddle (good burritos), Apertivo (good people watching) and Jazz-Ya (good Long Islands), southern ones such as Salsa Caribe, Banana Leaf and Phil’s Pub (good 10-kuai Gin Tonics), nearby establishments such as The Pavillion, Alfa and Yugong Yishan, and more clubs than you can shake a stick at on Gongti west and north, and Sanlitun not only did not take a mortal blow last year, but is living proof of the saying, “Whatever doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.”

(From Beijing Boyce XX, first emailed on July 13, 2006)

that’s Beijing announces its annual bars and clubs awards tonight. Below, in capital letters, are the places I think deserve to win (all in my extremely humble opinion, of course).

Hotel Bar

I usually frequent hotel bars for work-related reasons and have to give Centro credit: there is always a decent number of people, usually decent martinis and sometimes decent live jazz. In terms of slickness, it’s about as dependable as Beijing bars get. Expect this category to be much more crowded next year with new bars in the Crowne Plaza, Hilton and other hotels competing against older ones such as Centro, Hyatt’s Redmoon and Shangri La’s Cloud Nine.

Bar Snacks

Saddle (burritos) and Fish Nation (our fine-finned friend with chips) both offer good filler in Sanlitun north, Bellagio has the Taiwanese angle covered, Cafe Pause, while technically not a bar, has tasty snacks up in the 798 Art District, and there are innumerable kebab stands where night owls may bulk up on meat and fat, not to mention a week’s worth of salt. Decent eats these are all, but I’m giving a slight edge to two places: Mojito, which despite it’s somewhat car-park like feel offers up the super tasty Mexican hamburger, and The Den, which pumps out the pizza and deep-fried goodies 24/7.

Place to Dance

A few years ago I did the White Man Shuffle as well as any endomorph. Alack and alas, I have now regressed to a mere wiggle, usually in the shadows, and what could be more ideal than a place where everyone else’s eyes are glued to the writhers busting moves on the bar top. The award thus goes to Browns, with honorable mentions to Suzie Wong’s and Maggie’s.

Cheap drinks

Phil’s Pub: A standout among the plethora of 10-kuai drink joints, with friendly owners, a decent layout and better-than-average drinks, not to mention a convenient location just 200 yards from my apartment (how selfish). Plus, the place lets patrons order in kebabs.

People Watching

Apertivo, No-name Bar, Centro, Maggie’s and numerous other places all merit mention in this tough category, but if a winner must be named, and if it counts as a bar, this award goes to The Bookworm, where you can not only scope out the patrons, but also overhear phone calls and conversations, discover a potential mate’s reading preferences (“Dan Brown? Next!“), and see if their caffeine fix comes from lattes, Diet Cokes or Irish coffees. (Yes, yes, The Bookworm is not exactly a bar or club, but they do sell ample quantities of beer, wine and cocktails, and besides, that’s Beijing has the place listed on its ballot, so blame them!)

Happy Hour

Centro offers great high-end value with their two-for-one cocktails, Beer Mania has 500 ML of Belgian draft for 40 kuai and discounted bottled Belgian Beer until 8 PM, The Den offers two-for-one pizza and beer, and Cheers pours two Wild Turkey shots for 30 RMB until 10 PM. What makes a happy hour superior depends on where you feel comfortable and what you like to drink, and the places all above excel in their own ways, so this is a four-way tie.

Best Outdoor

Another tough category, with contenders such as Bar Blu and Top Club (nice rooftops, same building), Q Bar (an even bigger rooftop, though the chairs are a bit hard), Hai Bar (a dark horse that offers cheap beers and views of Houhai on one side and the drum and bell towers on the other), Nuage (the same views, but fancier decor and higher prices), Suzie Wong’s (a nice getaway from the crowds inside, plus some of the best plastic plants in town), and The Pomegranate (for those in Shunyi). But the best of the bunch are Stone Boat, a small Qing-dynasty era spot set on a pond surrounded by trees and rocks in central Beijing‘s Ritan Park, and The Pavillion, with a lovely backyard made extremely cozy with comfortable wicker seating, elegant trees, and mellow lighting.

Business Networking

For drawing a diverse crowd that includes business executives, English teachers, homemakers, writers, MBA students and most everyone else, the award should go The Bookworm. There is no place, except perhaps for First Cafe last year, where I have made more connections.

Best Place for a Date

Le Cafe Igosso: Above-average food and a good wine list in a low-pressure atmosphere. If you’re looking at a Sunday afternoon, rather than a weekday dinner, then it’s No Name Bar. And if it’s an evening drink, rather than a meal, try the Q Bar, although going through that somewhat seedy hotel in which it is located might send some messages (possibly wanted, possibly not) to your significant other.

Student Hangout

The Loo: A bar that is long-closed and from another lifetime (not to mention another country). For this category, I’ll make like a soccer player and pass.

Best Beer

Browns, for its draft selection (including recent additions Stella Artois and Beck’s), and Beer Mania for its wide range of bottled Belgian beers and its Belgian draft.

Best Cocktails

This depends more on the bartenders than the establishments. I’ve had solid drinks at Centro, great mint-based cocktails at Garden of Delights, and some good but cheap beverages, courtesy of Sally and Alex at Phil’s Pub. I also remember tasty cocktails at Alfa, Jazz Ya, Browns (hit and miss), 5:19, The Big Easy, and places too numerous to mention. But in the end, only one place consistently pumps out a wide range of high-quality drinks, and thus the award goes to George Zhou and Echo Sun at Q Bar.

Bar of the Year

This bar has raised its beer prices, lost key staff, struggled with its interior decorating, dealt with DJ turmoil, faced numerous other challenges and, despite it all, had a greater impact on Beijing’s drinking scene than any other establishment in the past year. This bar has exerted influence because it consistently provides good clean fun, because it scores well in terms of design, atmosphere, food and beer selection, and because it is frequented by a sizeable number of the city’s bar owners, managers and employees. Love it or hate it, this bar has firmly planted itself in the party landscape, providing not only great value for patrons, but also food for thought for those in the industry, and this combination should earn it the bar of the year award. This bar is Browns.

(From Beijing Boyce XX, first emailed on July 13, 2006)

Richard Millar, the ex-Aria chef who was working at Pavillion, has moved to T-8 in Shanghai. / Torres has launched its website at www.torreschina.com. / ASC Fine Wines will hold a brunch on June 25 with guest chef George Calombaris (550 kuai) and a five-course dinner on June 27 with chef Andrew McKee (1188 kuai). Both events are at Aria and feature Penfolds wine and winemaker Oliver Crawford. / Summergate will hold a tasting of Georges Duboeuf wine at new French restaurant Le Parfum on June 27 (7-10 PM), with Zhu Yi-bing playing cello (100 kuai). / Beer Mania has Delirium Tremors on tap (40 kuai for 500 ML, regular 55 kuai) during happy hour, 4-8 PM (including weekends). Cocktails are two-for-one. / George Zhou at Q Bar has been experimenting with a tasty mint-based cocktail. Get their early in the evening before things get busy. / Top Club will have having a 70s dress party on July 14, so break out the wide lapels and bellbottoms. / And on a final soccer note, The Game of Their Lives, an inspiring documentary of North Korea’s improbable advance to the quarter finals of the 1966 World Cup, which included beating Italy 1-0, will be shown before on July 9 in Ritan Park’s central compound, just before the final game of this year’s tournament. / Eat, drink, and be merry, and if you can’t pass your teammates a ball, pass them a beer. BB.

(From Beijing Boyce XIX, first emailed on June 21, 2006)

I teamed up with Stellar-Go, Kemba and P-Linny last Friday night for a tour of some Sanlitun bars. We started at a familiar spot – The Tree – which is among the few places without a Happy Hour, though bottles of one brand of Belgian beer are only 25 kuai before 7 PM. Our goal at this point was to wolf down some of The Tree’s pizza, which was just picked as the city’s best in the recent that’s Beijing’s restaurant awards. My pick of our three: the four-cheese pie.

Next stop was Cheers, on the second floor of Tongli Studios, which houses Bar Blu, Top Club and Le Petit Gourmand. Cheers has a limited drinks menu, but makes up for it by offering two-for-one until 10 PM, which translates into 10-kuai Qingdao pints and 15-kuai Jim Beam, Jameson and Wild Turkey shots (we stuck to this latter trio). Cheers is a bar, plain and simple, with mostly upbeat rock music and an unpretentious clientele. It has live Xinjiang music on weekends after Happy Hour.

With some Bourbon beneath our belts, we decided a few Belgian brews were in order and headed to Beer Mania on Sanlitun South. Beer Mania recently added draft Stella Artois and some bottled Russian beers to the menu. We parked on the front step, which seats eight, and enjoyed draft Delirium Tremors while watching life pass by, which on this night included the CCTV weather guy as well as an older gentleman showing off his sidecar motorcycle thingy. By the way, this place specializes in beer, but manager Marc van Bever also makes some of the best Long Islands and Mojitos in town.

Speaking of cocktails, our next stop was the newly opened Q Bar on the nearby and somewhat seedy Eastern Inn. This joint is owned by bartenders George Zhou and Echo Sun and German investor Ralph. It features an extremely long bar, under tear-dropped shaped lights of which George is quite proud, and a sizeable deck. It’s an airy and comfortable space. And given the lack of a kitchen, the more than 50 patrons, and drinks that start at 40 kuai, the place was doing a healthy business, with a majority of patrons being twenty-something patrons. However, despite eight people behind the bar, drinks were a bit slow in coming, and one reader was highly annoyed that even with a big backlog of orders, the bartenders were meticulously measuring out shots, individually mixing and shaking each drink, and doing taste tests. Talk about a clash of civilizations: thirsty throngs versus perfectionist bartenders. This is one kink that needs to be worked out pronto. Even so, the music was good, the large deck cool and pleasant, and (once acquired) the vodka martini top notch.

(From Beijing Boyce XVIII, first emailed on June 8, 2006)

that’s Beijing held its restaurant awards, at Champagne bar, on May 11. Hatsune, Alameda, Steaks and Eggs, and Green T. House came away as multiple winners. Bellagio took top prize for late-night dining. / Cafe Pause has started wine tastings and the first featured German wines accompanied by German-style tapas (more on this event next time). This place now has outdoor seating and is a cozy spot to enjoy some Fleischer Secco sparkling wine. Speaking of which, I mistakenly wrote that the cafe stopped serving its cheese and spinach dumplings with pesto sauce. The delicious item I had been thinking of was the pork filet roll filled with spinach, Parmesan and almonds, and topped with red pesto sauce, and it remains on the menu. / John Bull Pub is holding a Taco Party all day Friday (May 12), with tacos (10 kuai) and frozen Margaritas (20 kuai). / Palette Vino will hold a South African wine tasting on May 12 (8 PM) and a Terrazas Argentinean wine tasting on May 19 (8 PM) in its Shunyi location, which will soon offer tapas and pasta. / ASC Fine Wines and House by the Park will pair Henri Bourgeois wines with Chinese cuisine on May 17 (7 PM, 688 kuai per person), with estate owner Jean Marie Bourgeois on hand. Also on the schedule: A Louis Jadot wine dinner, with winery president Pierre-Henry Gagey, at Tian Yi Di Jia on May 19, and a Guigal wine dinner, with winery president Marcel Guigal, at Aria on May 26. / Rui Fu, the new bar from Henry Li (Neo Lounge; Vogue; Public Space) is about to open, will open in June, will open in spirit but not in body, or is simply a figment of our collective imagination. Does anyone really know? In the meantime, it remains, according to many, “highly anticipated.” / It’s nice to see bar owners occasionally out doing research, with Dave McCullough of 5:19 spotted at Browns, The Den and The Bookworm last weekend. / One year ago, a trip to Tongli Studio meant a night at Bar Blu. Now when I hit those steps, I’m thinking Top Club or Cheers. / One year ago, a trip to Bar One found the place virtually empty, but a trip two weeks ago found it comfortably populated and the music fun. Call it Maggie’s sans Mongolians. / I hear that Stone Boat, in Ritan Park, has been drawing sizeable crowds with its live music series, particularly last Friday’s post-MIDI party. / Inner Affairs has renamed itself I [Heart] Beijing, thereby joining Zing by Doodoo’s in Beijing’s Lame Name Hall of Fame. / Maggie’s dance floor was under construction two weeks ago, but should now be open. / The Pomegranate was a bit claustrophobic in the winter, with those oil-burning heaters, but better weather means those in Shunyi have a nice outdoor option for enjoying a few pints and some decent pub grub. / Kranzler’s Restaurant and Bar, named after a Berlin Cafe started in the twenties, will soon open in the Kempinski Hotel. / Together, a fairly new bar with a Reggae theme, will have 12 hours (2 PM to 2 AM) of Marley-type music by DJ Herbie on May 13. / Garden of Delights joins the list of more-than-happy happy hours: two-for-one, from 6 to 7:30 PM, on weeknights, with floor manager Alex making one mean Mojito. / that’s Beijing held its bar and restaurant awards today, with Alameda, Steaks and Eggs, Green T. House and Hatsune coming out multiple winners. Bellagio took home the prize for late-night dining. / Just in case some people forgot, Mother’s Day is this Sunday. / And as always, if you like this newsletter, please pass it on to others you think might enjoy it. One need only send me a simple email to get on the list. Eat, drink and be merry, BB.

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

The Orange-Chocolate Martini (50 kuai), recommended by Alex (Phil’s Pub) comes with a chocolate-coated glass rim. Good, but sweet. A friend criticized the dry vodka martini as “10 percent vodka and 90 percent vermouth.” Top was nearly empty (Friday, 9 PM), but the chairs were comfy, the dim lighting was relaxing, and the music was fun. The main drawback was the overzealous waiter watching us a bit too intently.

(From Beijing Boyce XIV, first emailed on April 6, 2006)

Email: “Good gay clubs - I have a friend coming in for three weeks who most definitely is (I most definitely am not) and I wanted to point him in the right direction. Do you have any thoughts?” - GP

BB: Point him toward On/Off and Destinations, with the latter (according to Timeout) expanding by taking over the Thai restaurant next door. It’s all part of the growing alternative bar scene. “The city has seen several gay and lesbian bars and nights open over the past six months - including Seven Colours drag bar, a mixed night at Sanlitun’s Top Bar and lesbian Saturdays - at One Night,” writes the magazine.

(From Beijing Boyce XI, first emailed on February 23, 2006)

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