By: Douglas Querl

Some good beer. Good music. Good music. Sandwiches are nice.

2021-06-07 15:32

By: bulbinchina

Love this place. Small, hidden with a hint of disorder and tat. Great skewers and a big drinks menu to lead you astray. The venue is located in a nondescript shopfront on Xiaoyun lu, up the steep stairs and turn right past the communal restrooms. The smell of burning fat and the blue smoke haze are a give away, as are the Japanese baseball posters. As a measure of their popularity, my success rate at getting a seat as a solo walk-in is around 30%. Definitely book ahead, or come after midnight if you want a place at the bar. Most seating is at a wooden bar surrounding the cook at his electric grill. The cook is Japanese, supported by local staff who are efficient, albeit curt. The hygiene is on par with a street food cart, which is just fine by me. There’s a side room with tatami mats and sunken tables for a group which also seems popular. The food is great, never had a bad skewer here. My only complaint is that the popular items (chicken tail, salt skin, meatball, liver etc) are all out of stock by late evening. I guess that’s another reason to book! Highballs are a bit flat and lack ice, but very strong. The blackberry shochu is sweet and deadly, as I’ve seen more than once. My go-to place whenever in Beijing.

2021-06-06 21:52

By: bulbinchina

Best jianbing in town. Worth the wander into the hutongs to find and enjoy. I came across this place via a couple of English language magazines that independently listed this place as a source of killer jianbing. Not only are the Jianbing good, the prices are amazing and the lady making them is friendly and charming to a fault. The jianbing wrap is light and eggy, with a special coating of chopped spring onions that are only lightly cooked. This seems to lift any heaviness in the crepe. The crunchy wafer inside holds its crunch for a long time, making this a good takeaway option. I always go the ‘double’, which is the size of a paperback but infinitely tastier.

2021-06-06 21:40