manage

Beijing Boyce: A Somewhat Young China Hand on the Local Drinking Scene - Looks at pubs, clubs, and bars, wine, Whiskey, and cocktails, in the nation's capital, often through the somewhat blurry lens of nights out with friends.
read more »

Urban Sambal will close January 15 and the furniture and kitchen equipment is up for grabs, says owner Cho. He suggests that those interested in the stuff come by Saturday or Sunday from noon to 5 PM for a look. Sibling establishment Bed, Paper, and Cafe Sambal - all relatively close to each other - [...]

I met my buddy O-Zone on Saturday afternoon in The Bookworm - the place has been hopping during my two visits this year - and we ended up on a wine walkabout. Here are three spots visited, with a pro and a con for each.
Aperitivo
This tried and true venue draws a strong regular crowd and [...]

…is that twenty-something locals and expatriates at TUN not only apparently know but also avidly dance to songs like Kim Carnes’ Bette Davis Eyes that I figured would never survive the dawning of the nineties let alone the new millennium. I’m not criticizing this, I simply find the popularity of eighties music in Beijing to [...]

New burrito joint Side Saddle is open beside Ciro’s on the south side of Nali Studio. Patrons can “maketheir own” burritos (RMB40 each) by choosing two meat fillings (beef, chicken, blackened fish, etc) as well as from a dozen “greens” (lettuce, tomato, etc), nine sauces, and four extras (rice, beans, cheese, and sour cream).
Imagine Subway, [...]

Just back in Beijing from my hometown - where the snow was heavy, the turkey was filling, and a breakfast with bottomless coffee was RMB25 - and catching up on the scene. A few items:
- Several magazines reported that OT Lounge is closed. “News to me,” according to outgoing manager Leon Lee, who stated that [...]

Jet lag meant I tumbled out of bed at 9:30 PM on New Year’s Eve and got a late start on the festivities. But better late than never, as they say, and it turned out to be a most excellent night that involved my favorite new bar, my all-time favorite bar, and some of my [...]

(If you like this blog, please support it with a vote in the China Blog Awards, by clicking the “+” sign here. Support for sibling blog welcomed here!)
By Jim Boyce
I’ve spent a great deal of time drinking and thinking about wine this past year and have emerged with mixed opinions, but happily I just got an [...]

Besides being a writer, single malt aficionado, and bigwig at a PR firm, Kaiser Kuo has been rocking in Beijing for a over a decade, whether with Tang Dynasty starting in the 1990s, with AC/DC tribute band Dirty Deeds, or with current project Spring and Autumn (Chunqui). Here are his top five all-time Beijing live [...]

Question: Is it possible for women to drink free every night this week?
Answer: Yes.
Though “ladies nights” are typically a mid-week phenomenon in Beijing, the highly competitive post-Olympic bar and club scene is seeing them pop up even on Fridays and Saturdays. This makes it possible for the fairer sex to enjoy free beverages every [...]

-
I keep hearing about hard times in the bar scene. I keep seeing plenty of people out and about. What gives? No doubt, the economic crisis is leading some to tighten their belts, but even if times were good, the scene would still have overcapacity - especially at the high end - due to the [...]