Food and drinks

My favorite pizza in Beijing?

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

There are for sure some other good places but right now my preference goes to La Pizza, in the back of 3.3 in Sanlitun. Prices reasonable.
Another great Italian I discovered is Bottega, in front of 3.3 in the hidden alley of Sanlitun Street. Another class, also pizzas but rather special dishes. La Pizza is the “normal” pizza.

 

Sorry for The Tree, you come second as for now for pizza.
Both restaurant are usually packed, so better arrive early.

And taking a funny picture in the supermarket under Taikooli…

Legend Beer: new kid on the block, Gongti Xi Lu

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

I had been wondering what was going on with all the construction at the Thai restaurant at the West Gate of Workers Stadium. Well, now I know… Thanks to my old friend Adam who now works there.
The former building is now split into the Thai Restaurant (name I can never remember) and the new Beer Pub German style, Legend Beer.

I went over with chef Renaat Morel for an “inspection” just before its official opening. We were impressed by the facilities. A Chinese brew master with over 20 years experience runs the microbrewery (sparling brewery installation) that serves some great beers. Also all that is needed for an excellent German crispy pork knuckle: I tried it on Father’s Day, fully approved.

They have a snooker corner, private room and large outdoor area with TV screens (next to Babyface, currently AGAIN under renovation).
As I am currently on an “alcohol-free diet” I will explore more the beers later on. I like the “Workers Stadium West”, tasty, not too strong, nice flavor.
Reasonable prices indeed. See some of their dishes.

Rotaract Sanlitun at Smokeyard Restaurant

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

On 16 May we tried for the first time a new location in Sanlitun Nan Lu: the Smokeyard.

My evaluation: nice and cozy interior, nice decoration, quiet corner on 2fl for us to meet. Surprisingly with a decoration that looks like a knockoff of the Rotary sign!
As for the food, not convinced yet. I tried the baby ribs, the meat was not tender while the taste was OK. Much better in other locations such as HomePlate BBQ and D-One Sports Bar where the meat falls from the bones and is so tender. Here, a lot of fork and knife work to do. The pizza looked nice, so did some of the hamburgers but I need to try. Prices are very reasonable. They quickly ran out of their home-brewed beer, did we drink so much?

One more good meeting for the Rotaract Sanlitun and we will come back here for sure.
Sadly, some of the Rotaractors shown will be leaving us soon.

Exploring new food in De Refter (Sanlitun)

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

I was already a couple of times in De Refter, the new Belgian Café in Sanlitun (close to The Bookworm). The first De Refter is in operation since several years in Shanghai (in the former French Concession).
See: Belgian Beer Culture Week in China

Belgian Beer Culture Week in China

The bar has an extensive choice of Belgian beers.
On 22 April I was invited to try the new business lunch, a tasty experience! Also, value for money.
Thanks to Steve Devos of Vandergeeten (right) and the chef (Dutch) Jorin de Hoon (left).

The weather was nice so we could enjoy sitting outside. We were pretty spoiled with the food. For me… pretty large lunch plus the nice beer (Keizerrijk Van Bree).
Experience successfully repeated on Friday 29 April!.

RIP The Den, now with a new version

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

As it happened with Tim’s BBQ, The Den was also forced to close, as “the military cannot run that type of leases”. Who knows what they will do with that prime location, the corner of Gongti bei Lu and Gongti Dong Lu.
The Den was probably the oldest and most famous sports bar in Beijing, with a diverse crowd of older expats, young and noisy Chinese football fans, and in the past ladies of the night looking for business. A real landmark for Beijing’s bar and restaurant life.
Before 2008 on the second floor there was a disco that was open till daylight and with a “special” crowd.
The Den was open 24/24 and had the reputation of being a rough place. I never met any riots there, on the contrary it was a fun place with reasonable food, friendly waiters and many TV screens to watch sports, including F1. Many of the clients were regulars who nearly were there daily. Also families and Nordic Rugby players made it their home. Many memories…

It was one of my favorite “pit stops”.
See some pics I took on 13 December before it closed.

It seems that The Den will not reopen as such. But its former manager Lisa and some of the staff now can be found in a new version: D-One Sports Bar, on the “Gongti Strip”, next to Bellagio. See the pics I took on 9 April. I already met there some of the regulars of The Den…
Right now soft opening. Pretty large, modern (unlike The Den…), nice bar, many screens to show sport (football, rugby, soccer, F1, …).

Let’s hope they can recreate the The Den atmosphere!