Is Chaowai Soho's New A+ Café at the Top of Beijing's Coffee Class?
Even though Beijingers who frequent Sanlitun, the hutongs and (increasingly) the CBD have long been spoiled for choice when it comes to specialty cafés, some of the sleepier neighborhoods in between those hotspots are far too often overlooked. That makes the addition of A+ Café in the quirky Chaowai Soho all the more welcome, seeing as the complex usually plays host to shaggy bootstrap-y Chinese noodle and cheese tea shops or big chains, with very little in between (aside from Vineyard Café and a few other noteworthy exceptions).
On entering, you'll find trappings akin to other trendy Beijing cafés: a deliberately artsy decor, soft jazz on the speakers and a menu of lattes and other familiar drinks. In terms of design, this spot goes the starkly minimalist route of Analog, all shiny faux-marble tiles, tables, and walls. Some low, loungey leather chairs in one nook, along with stools at a counter by the entryway, make for an appealing, easy on the eyes backdrop for couples to enjoy a cup of java over. However, a blemish in that regard, in every sense of the word, are the brightly colored metal chairs at many of the tables, which don’t balance the ambiance but instead clash and look downright tacky, if not childish.
The menu is less flashy than those chairs, made up of a pretty standard assortment, albeit at pretty reasonable prices. The usual suspects include Americanos (RMB 28), mochas (RMB 35) and cappuccinos (RMB 30), which are nothing exceptional, but each more than do the trick if you want something more personalized than a generic cup from Starbucks or Costa. Better still are the few but notable unusual options on the menu, like the RMB 27 vanilla espresso, the RMB 30 rose Americano, and an RMB 30 white coffee. The latter was creamy and foamy enough to practically float on my palate like a cloud ascending from the stratosphere.
Some tempting looking desserts like handmade walnut cookies (RMB 5 each), and juices and smoothies (11 options being on offer, priced at RMB 32 for small cups or RMB 38 for large) give the menu an added dimension. All that is commendable, but the menu’s lack of imported beans is a truly glaring omission, especially when you consider most specialty cafés around town serve up some Ethiopian or Kenyan beans as if they were as prerequisites akin to having lattes on offer at this point.
However, the coffees we did try – especially the white – helped make up for those shortfalls. We also liked how the ambiance struck a balance between slick trendiness and inviting coziness, thanks to the aforementioned plush chairs in the nook and a few strategically placed plants and paintings here and there to offset the gleaming white tiles and tables. If A+ made some tweaks to the tackier parts of its decor and added a few more adventurous imports to its menu, then it would come closer to living up to its name.
A+ Café
Daily 9am-10pm. 1/F, Chaowai Soho East Gate, 8 Dongdaqiao Road (159 0130 2671)
东大桥路8号尚都SOHO北塔东门门口底商
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Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
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Photos courtesy of A+ Café, Kyle Mullin
