Talking Pints: Yan Club, Bang! Bang!, Enoteca and a Farewell
Yan Club in the Kunlun Hotel celebrates its grand opening tonight (Sep 10). I haven't had the pleasure of a sneak preview, but with their press release hyping the venue's "VIP areas, posh wine and cigar spaces," it sounds like it's aiming to be a high-end affair. The party starts with an invite-only session from 8.30-11pm, before opening to the public.
Former Souk chief Robin Howlett is hoping to have his new bar and pizza delivery service, Bang! Bang! Pizza, open by the National Day holiday. Bang! Bang! will open nearby the Viva mall, to the west side of Shuangjing Qiao. When I ran into him recently, Howlett was buzzing with excitement as he told me about bringing in organic tomato paste supplied by an expat who grows tomatoes in a hinterland province, and flour from an organic farm in the south of Beijing. Howlett also explained how he conceived the venture simply as a pizza delivery service, but thought "Why not open a bar?" when he discovered he was able to rent a larger space than he'd originally anticipated. Robin reckons the bar will be a pleasant place for a drink, with good beers, televised sport and presumably the odd pizza around. With The Brick now one year old and supported by a solid fan base, Bang! Bang!'s arrival on the scene should mark another step forward as Shuangjing bids to displace Solana bar street as Beijing's 9th-best drinking area.
With Migas' terrace continuing to generate excitement in Sanlitun, Nali Patio is readying for another new opening. Wine bar Enoteca will be shifting its operation from The Place to Nali, closing the original location down. Boss Tomaz Hladnik tells us the new venue will have a better atmosphere, free from the glare of The Place's oppressively enormous screen. There'll be an expanded selection of wines and other grape-based alcohol, a large table designed for hosting weekly wine tastings, and - eventually - a terrace on the 5th floor. Popular events like Friday Wine Fever (all-you-can-eat tapas when you buy an RMB 200 bottle of wine) and live music nights will continue, and they're considering introducing a Ladies' Night as well.
Over a weekend mainly dominated by regular happy hours and pedestrian drinks promotions, there are a couple of beauty pageants for people who are into that sort of thing. ChinaDoll has its "Miss Bikini Contest" tonight (Sep 10) with the winner set to walk away with RMB 15,000 worth of prize. The party starts at 9pm, and tickets are RMB 50 (if you're a guy and don't show up until after 10.30pm - otherwise, it's free). The entry cost does include one drink. Meanwhile, tomorrow at 21st Century Hotel (151 1692 3400), Miss Laowai China takes place, helping to raise money to support breast cancer sufferers. Tickets are RMB 350-580, and things kick off at 7pm.
Finally, we were saddened to hear that Marc van Bever, who opened and until recently ran Beer Mania on Nan Sanlitun Lu, passed away last week. Marc made a significant contribution to Beijing's bar scene, leading the way with one of the first - and still one of the few - bars to offer a huge selection of quality imported beers. He'll be missed, and our sympathies and thoughts go out to his friends and family.
