October 2020 - Beijing Boyce

Mega sips & bites | Tiki, Modernista, Ganges, Forno, Meza, more

October 25, 2020 BB 0

A slew of Beijing bar and restaurant scene updates. I make no claims to be an expert or to be comprehensive, these are simply posts about places I like or news that has come across […]

An eight-hour tour | Past Tiki Bungalow owners do pop-up

October 25, 2020 BB 0

Crazy! It took eight hours to reach home from Beijing airport Saturday night. Then again, that was probably to be expected as I went directly from Terminal 3 to Tiki Bungalow for a pop-up featuring […]

Spice of life | The Rug made mapo tofu nachos in Beijing

October 25, 2020 BB 0

Mapo tofu nachos magic in Beijing! I saw a New York Times recipe posted for this dish, sent it to Aden Chang at The Rug Cafe, already known for its mapo tofu pizza, and a […]

The Frank! 33-year Beijing streak endures with new craft beer joint

[Update: I went to the soft launch of Sequoia Brewing last night. Good beer, good talk, good times. Opening hours for now will be 6 PM to 11 PM on Thursdays and Fridays.] More than […]
Comamos! TRB opens second Iberico in Beijing

Lucky to join the first lunch at Spanish restaurant Iberico, Liangma River edition, nearly 15 years after my first meal at then-new Maison Boulud in Beijing. The connection? Both were opened by the indefatigable Ignace […]
Sips & Bites

[People have asked for ages why I don’t post more updates. Partly because social media made info so easy to find; and I got busy with projects like World Baijiu Day; and I got a […]
Nali Patio | The Final Countdown

The end is nigh for Nali Patio, say four sources who are involved in this Sanlitun food hub and expect to end operations there in late June at the latest. Several also expect the landlord […]
Creak Show | Beijing’s Crispy Crunchy Snack

Crispy, crunchy and… creaky? The traditional Beijing snack gēzhi 咯吱 lives up to its name given it literally means ‘creak’. The sensation you get if you pop a piece in your mouth and crush its […]
Beijing breakfast | What $5 / 元36 gets at McDonald’s

My local mom ‘n’ pop breakfast joint, my go-to for jiaozi (dumplings), baozi (steamed buns), tea eggs and youtiao (deep-fried dough sticks), has been closed almost a month–I’m hoping the owners are simply on an […]
The Rug | Schnitzel Shan tops new brunch menu

A final Year of the Tiger lunch at The Rug—featuring two new dishes and two oldies but goodies—with old Canuck friend Bon S. Peel. Newcomers first: The “Double-Cheese Chicken Schnitzel” feels destined to be a […]
‘Sir, Lady Bar!’ | Dodgy Sanlitun Bar Street Done

Two warm Coronas with no lime for 元136. This felt like a fitting finish for that dodgy Sanlitun bar street and its near 30-year run. I moved to Beijing before the Olympics, 2008 edition, when […]

A woman walks into a bar and orders three drinks. The bartender offers to bring them one at a time but the woman insists on all three at once.

“It reminds me of having a drink with my two sisters who live so far away,” she says.

She does this every day for a year, ordering and finishing three drinks. Then one day, she arrives and only orders two drinks.

“What’s wrong?” asks the bartender with a worried look. “Did one of your sisters die?”

“No,” she says. “I decided to quit drinking.”

The Frank! 33-year Beijing streak endures with new craft beer joint

Comamos! TRB opens second Iberico in Beijing

Sips & Bites

Nali Patio | The Final Countdown

Creak Show | Beijing’s Crispy Crunchy Snack

Beijing breakfast | What $5 / 元36 gets at McDonald’s

The Rug | Schnitzel Shan tops new brunch menu

‘Sir, Lady Bar!’ | Dodgy Sanlitun Bar Street Done