Chai-ed Favorites Find New Life in Chaoyang Joy City's Upscale Woodstage Canteen

[UPDATE]: Ramo and LA Palms have since shut down opperations, meaning they are also no longer serving their wares in this food court.

It's no secret that the crackdown on Beijing’s streetside businesses over the past 18 months has coincided with a boom in mall dining. But we’ve yet to see such a pointed example of what Beijing's future F&B may hold as with Chaoyang Joy City's new Woodstage cafeteria, which is coordinated by the same team that started the Woodstock of Eating festivals throughout Beijing. The upscale food court is outfitted with kiosks by long-beloved DIY F&B businesses like Ramo, Palms L.A. Kitchen and Bar, Cannon’s, Soloist Coffee, and more.

Now, we know what you're thinking: Fangjia diehards who frequented Ramo, or Palms fans that mourned the closure of its hutong location earlier this year, may find little consolation in mall renditions (and depending on convenience are likely to opt for their proper restaurants at Lido and Sanyuanqiao, respectively). Joel Shuchat, owner of still standing hutong institution The Orchid hotel and its Toast restaurant, and one of the restaurateurs involved in the Joy City project, voiced his skepticism about the endeavor during an interview earlier this year, calling Joy City “a beacon of consumer hell."

But on the flip side, we can't deny that Beijing malls would be far better served by such out-of-the-box local businesses than generic chains. Tempting as it is to pine for the Beijing of yore, our curiosity (and hankering for tacos) won out, and we popped by Joy City after seeing Palms’ drool-worthy photos on WeChat early last week.

As it turns out, the outcome is not as offensive as you might expect. Striking from the minute you arrive thanks to its curvy, slate-gray entryway, the basement food court immediately greets the weary with a kiosk for Soloist coffee, arguably the most famous of Beijing’s fancy bean purveyors. There's also a handful of food vendors we've never heard of, like Ban Truck (a fusion Korean burger slinger), sausage seller called Malt Dog (offering their wares at RMB 35 per pop), and Hanimi, which serves up pannacotta and Italian noodle varieties. To the right of the entrance are both dessert and cheese tea vendors, some clothing and knick-knack sellers, and a performance space further down.

Foreign food fans will especially enjoy the far end of this food court, where Ramo sells pizza by the slice for RMB 20-25, Cannon’s flips burgers, Palm’s L.A. Kitchen pile up Mexican snacks in their spinoff Taco Stop, and Toast blends hummus-centric Middle Eastern options. Around the corner is a craft beer bar courtesy of Peiping Machine, along with an Indonesian curry rice kiosk, a Glad to See You Noodles vendor, and more. Though many of the kiosks have fewer options than their sit-down counterparts, Ramo's pizza, Taco Stop's tacos, and Soloist's coffee were every bit as satisfying as what we'd wolfed down at their original locations, making for a gratifying pit stop before you wade into the unending onslaught of shops above.

Christian Jensen, co-founder of Palms L.A. Kitchen, says the setup makes sense “since the Great Brickening [because] many creatives and micro/small business owners have been looking for a new home that reflects creativity and innovation like the hutongs did. Woodstage feels about as close as you can get to that while still being in a mall setting, and we are excited to be working shoulder to shoulder with many former hutong neighbors.”

More importantly, he adds: “I’m especially pleased that, in creating Woodstage, Woodstock has left out corporates entirely – it feels like the authentic Beijing I fell in love with.”

Toast owner Joel Shuchat says, now that Woodstage is up and running, he's more optimistic about its prospects. However, he feels that word hasn't spread widely just yet, and he hopes the foot traffic will pick up more soon. Ramo owner Paca Lee thinks that that will invariably happen due in part to Joy City's massive size and constant crowds, which was one of the key reasons she jumped onboard as well as the good impression she had from selling her wares at the popular Woodstock of Eating festivals in the past.

Once traffic picks up – helped by the fact that Woodstage is positioned close to mall-based Qingnian Lu station's exit B – we envision good things for this souped-up canteen, despite how much we may begrudge how it came to be. And if more Beijing shopping complexes adopt this model, with streetside businesses making the leap to follow Beijing's forced trends instead of being crushed by them, then the capital's F&B outlook may at least look a little brighter than when Palms and Ramo were both forced to shutter their original venues.
 

Highlights from our favorite kiosks and their menus:

Ramo
Six-inch pizza slices:
Parma ham and rocket, RMB 25
Barbecue burger pizza, RMB 25
Champion's smile, RMB 25
Sichuan mama, RMB 20
Salami and pepperoni, RMB 20
Drinks:
Ice chocolate, RMB 35
Adult ice chocolate (with rum), RMB 50
Mint water, RMB 28
Creamy Cheese top, RMB 8

Taco Stop
Patrons can choose from taco, burrito, or tostada bowls (RMB 38 for chicken, RMB 45 for pork, RMB 52 for beef) 
Drinks:
Traditional Mexican style agua frescas, made with fresh fruit 

Cannon's
Burgers:
Cannonator burger, RMB 59
Double burger, RMB 46
Deluxe Burger, RMB 35
Double Deluxe, RMB 54
Fried Chicken Sandwich, RMB 35
Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, RMB 37
Sides:
French fries, RMB 15
Chicken strips, RMB 18
Chicken nuggets, RMB 12/24
Desserts and drinks:
Pecan pie, RMB 35
Chocolate chip cookies, RMB 9
Cheesecake, RMB 25

Toast
Original hummus, RMB 28
Classic hummus, RMB 32
Hummus with roasted eggplant, garlic and pine nuts, RMB 35
Hummus with wild mushrooms, RMB 35
Pita, RMB 8

Soloist
Espresso, RMB 30
Caffe Americano, RMB 30
Pour over, RMB 120
Caffe Latte, RMB 40
Caffee Mocha, RMB 45
Cold Fat Americano, RMB 40
Black Square Latte, RMB 50
Cold Brew, RMB 40
Draft Latte, RMB 45
Signature Cold Brew, RMB 50
Cold Brew Gin and Tonic, RMB 65 (w/ alcohol)
Espresso Martini, RMB 70 (w/ alcohol)
Espresso Old Fashioned, RMB 65
Tiramisu, RMB 35

Peiping Machine
Peiping Wheat, RMB 39
Chocolate Stout, RMB 45
Strawberry Wheat Ale, RMB 45
Machine Pilsner, RMB 45
Apple Cider, RMB 45

A list of all the vendors:

• Teasoon
• Soloist
• Cannon's Burger
• Ramo
• Taco Stop
• Toast
• NomNom
• Hanimi
• Malt Dog
• 5 Dollars Mix
• Bab Truck
• 北平机器
• 有肉食堂
• 南厨
• 小红花大牛王
• 见面喜
• 土了个豆
• 本宫

Woodstage
Daily, 10am-10pm. B1, Joy City, 101 Chaoyang Beilu
朝阳北路101号朝阳大悦城

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Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
Twitter: @MulKyle
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Photos courtesy of Taco Stop, Kyle Mullin