Food and drinks

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!

Tim’s BBQ closed and now reopened

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Beijing has recently seen several bars and restaurants being closed, to the sadness of its regulars (like me). The story behind it is typically “Beijing”. Tenants have few rights, it’s the Far West here. Another victim is The Den, more about that later.
The former Tim’s BBQ was on Dongdaqiao Lu, at the corner of the former “Silk Street 2” (Guanghua Lu). It was a great place, interesting decoration with a soul. Two floors and pretty busy. See the pics I shot on 17 December 2015 before it was forced to close.

I just heard they had reopened and on 10 April I went to discover the new location in Central Park (close to The Place), in that semi circle with all the bars and restaurants, where you also find Swiss Taste.

A bit disappointing as the size is like 20% of its former self. I wonder how the many groups who used it (quiz evenings and other) will be able to use it.
Now there is an outdoor terrace but that will disappear in winter.
I need to try their food again, they were famous for their American BBQ, huge portions, often a bit too sweet and heavy, but a worthwhile experience. But I doubt we will have the same cozy atmosphere of the former one.