The Little Easy: A New Orleans Bar on SLT Bar Strip

This Friday, the 13th of April will be the official opening of a new bar in town called The Little Easy, a New Orleans bar with quality cocktails, craft beers, southern comfort food and live music.

This is Chad Lager‘s newest project, who is also known as the man behind Fubar, Grinders, Tun Bar and The Rickshaw (closed in 2010).

Teaming up with the guys from Slow Boat Brewery, he’ll be exclusively serving three of their craft beers (American Pale Ale, Citra Mango IPA & Amber Ale) on tap for RMB 40 for one or RMB 100 for three.

“The Little Easy is your place for Slow Boat craft beers, Hurricane cocktails, Cajun food and po’ boy sandwiches. Live New Orleans Jazz, Zydeco, and Blues. At the Little Easy, although the clock may say 2am, it’s all a matter of mind, body and spirit.” 

A New Orleans bar like the ones on the legendary Bourbon Street in New Orleans seems quite the change from the cozy, hidden speakeasy that is Fubar with its little “Dizzy Buddha” cocktails (click here for my previous “Buddha-licious” article on Fubar).

But the most fascinating part to me is the choice of location. From the secretive, under-cover location of Fubar, a speak-easy behind the front of Stadium Dog in Gongti, The Little Easy will be smack-dab on the cheesy, touristy Sanlitun bar strip right across from Sanlitun South Village.

This is renowned to be one of the worst parts of Sanlitun, with awful pop music blasting out and girls pole dancing in the windows.  This is the area I fear many clueless tourists accidentally end up while trying to find the infamous “Sanlitun Bar Street” of Beijing they read about in their travel books. I intentionally refuse to walk on this side of the street to avoid all the annoying hawkers shamelessly trying to lure people into their bars that are really nothing but over-priced tourist traps.  All that being said, perhaps The Little Easy will be the pivotal point that will change this hopeless strip into a new, better Sanlitun bar street.

“Centrally located on Sanlitun’s premier bar street – just look for the wrought iron railings and brick interior.”

Fingers crossed this marks the beginning of the end of that forsaken strip of tourist trap-bars-from-hell into a strip of quality bars with legit drinks, food and music.

The Little Easy Details:

• Address: 北京市朝阳区三里屯酒吧街54号 Beijing, Chaoyang district, Sanlitun Bar Street #54 

• Opening Hours: 11AM-late

Grinders’ Great Ginormous Sandwiches

Sandwiches are one of the greatest food creations of all time. Such a simple idea – two slices of bread with fillings, and yet the possibilities are endless. Everything from the ingredients you select to the type of bread, to whether you make it hot or cold, to the sauces you either spread on or place on the side for a dip, yada yada, you get the idea.

But in spite of the fact that sandwich possibilities are infinite, that does not ensure that all sandwiches are good.  It may be simple, but certainly not easy.  A good sandwich, a really good sandwich is still not easy to come by in Beijing.  Often it’s because the ingredients used are not fresh enough or quality is not up to par, or it’s not hot enough.  But that is certainly not the case with Grinders, who’s really shown the rest of Beijing how proper sandwiches are meant to be made.

A Western bar/restaurant in Shuangjing, Grinders is home to some of the most giant, delicious sandwiches I’ve tasted in Beijing. While they are very much a sports bar as much as they are a restaurant, I came for the food. Surprise Surprise 

But as you can see from these photos, many people hanging out were either just watching whatever game was playing on their TV screens or hanging out and drinking Grinder’s fine selection of imported beers. For the many foreigners based south of Guomao, Grinders has got to be a haven for them and is clearly a choice destination for the local community to hang out and return on a regular basis.

LumDimSum Snapshots of Grinders: 

Run by owners Canadian Trevor Metz and American Chad Lager, also owner of Fubar and previously The Rickshaw (closed in 2010), Grinders is all about doing the basics right.  From salads, burgers, and sandwiches, each item was created with care and thought. For all you Canadians out there, they are also one of the few places in Beijing to have poutine on their menu! Here’s a quick snapshot of a piece of their menu so you can get an idea of their sandwich selection and with prices at only RMB 50-60, their value is incredible.

It took me awhile to pick my sandwich of choice, but I went with the Slow Roast Pork Sandwich (RMB 55) with mushrooms, onions, peppers, melted Mozzarella cheese and their homemade BBQ sauce. As you can see from this photo below, this sandwich is more like two sandwiches and certainly big enough for two to share.  If I didn’t have such a monster of an appetite, I maybe would have suggested to share with my foodie friend and just eat one of the two giant halves on my plate, but I managed to eat my way through both and then felt like I was going to fall over.  But I certainly could not have kept going if the sandwich was not that tasty.  I couldn’t stop it was so good! The Mozzarella cheese melted over the top of the slow roast pork and veggies was delicious. But mental note for myself: *next time I will just eat half as half would have been entirely sufficient to satisfy my appetite.  As usual, I went a little overboard.

Grinders’ Slow Roast Pork Sandwich (RMB 55)

My friend ordered the Spicy Sanchez Sandwich (RMB 55) with slow roasted beef, sharp Cheddar cheese, jalapeños, and their “secret Sanchez sauce”. A regular customer at Grinders, the Spicy Sanchez is his favorite go-to sandwich on the Grinders’ menu.

Grinders’ Spicy Sanchez Sandwich (RMB 55)

As you can see from these photos, the sandwiches at Grinders’ are ginormous, but not all their portions are equally as large.  It’s not like I’m complaining about not being satisfied, but their “complimentary sides of potato salad and garden salad” are tiny little spoonfuls and just disproportionately small next to their heaping sandwich portions.  Of course I’d prefer a bigger sandwich and smaller sides than the other way around, but just seemed a bit extreme. In any case, it’s not a big deal, but just an observation I had and hopefully next time their Garden Salad will be more than bitesize.

We didn’t come to drink, but after glancing over their drink list, we decided to order two of their cocktails, which were also pretty giant in size. I recommend trying their various specially-infused cocktails, but they also have a wide selection of imported beers and an equally long wine list to match with some bottles going for as low as RMB 200.

Review of Grinders’ Bar & Restaurant: Near The Brick in Shuangjing, Unit 3-02, Bldg 2, Tianzhi Jiaozi, 31 Guangqu Lu (northeast corner of Shuangjing Qiao),
朝阳区双井桥东北角广渠路31号院天之骄子2号楼底商3-02; Tel: 8775-1847

Best Part:

• Grinders’ giant sandwiches big enough for two to share are great value at RMB 50-60 per order
• The specially-infused cocktails are equally as large and very tasty.  Try their Moscow Mule
• They have a long imported beer and wine list
• Chilled out atmosphere is generally bustling with foreigners happy to eat hearty Western food and enjoy a few drinks
• Sports fans will be happy to know that this is a good alternative to Beijing’s other sports bars 
• They’re open 7 days a week! (correction from previous statement of Grinders being closed on Mondays)

Comments:

• I didn’t order it, but saw that Grinders’ is one of the few venues in Beijing that has poutine!  Will have to try this next time around. 
• Big eaters will love Grinders’ giant portions, but if you’re not one with a big appetite, I recommend sharing one order with a friend or take the second half home because I swear finishing the entire two halves was enough food to last me two days. 
• The side of potato salad and Garden Salad that comes with your sandwich order was disproportionately small.  Like two bites small.  Not complaining, just not consistent with their other portions. 
• Service was OK, but they weren’t so good at handling questions or recommending dishes or drinks. 
• Washrooms were a bit messy and not looked after well. 
• The menu says loud and clear “Sandwiches take 20 minutes, all our Grinders’ are homemade and baked fresh”. Be prepared to sometimes wait longer than 20 minutes, but here’s just an excuse to start off with one of their delicious, specially infused cocktails or have a beer while you wait for your sandwich to arrive. It’ll be worth the wait and, in any case, you should thank them for allowing you extra time to build up your appetite for your monster sandwich to arrive in front of you.

Rating: (on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best)

• Food: 8
• Atmosphere: 8
• Service: 7
• Overall Experience: 7

A New Revolution: A Hidden Gem of a Bar by Yashow

Revolution in words: The cover of Revolution Bar’s Drink List

The Revolution I speak of is not an act of change in power, but rather a hidden little gem of a bar in the alleyway just west of Yashow Market that is covered head to toe in a red hue and communist decor and a drink menu full of cocktails with personalized, quirky names.

LumDimSum Snapshots of Revolution Bar:

The owner and main bartender Xiao Ming used to work at Fubar and I believe this bar is also affiliated with Chad Lager (owner of Fubar). This being said, the drinks are all legit. Like Fubar, they also offer Hendrick’s Gin (hooray!), Captain Morgan’s Private Stock and a bunch of other quality whiskeys in stock.

Although I was tempted to order a Hendrick’s Gin and Tonic, but I was curious to try one of their more creative concoctions and considering I was freezing this evening, I ordered one of the special hot drinks: a Hot Apple Toddy (RMB 50).  The drink tasted a bit more of lemon than it did apple, but it definitely hit the spot and made me feel all warm and toasty in minutes.

Revolution Bar’s Hot Apple Toddy (RMB 50)

After a few drinks, it’s natural to start craving junk food right? We asked Xiao Ming what food they offered and although they only serve French Fries, they were absolutely delicious (even a food as basic as French fries can be delicious, right?!) and an extra bonus is that they encourage hungry drinkers to feel free and order in GungHo! Pizza delivery!  A pepperoni pizza and an order of French fries was exactly what we needed and a great compliment to the drinks we were chugging down at Revolution Bar.

GungHo! Pepperoni Pizza Delivered Straight to Revolution Bar

With such a big inventory of good bottles and even Tiger Beer on tap, it’s no wonder Revolution Bar was full of happy drinkers Friday night and so busy, there was hardly room to make your way around. If you haven’t done so already, I highly recommend Revolution Bar for early night drinks to kick off the night or a chill place to hang out all night with friends.

Review of Revolution Bar: West side of Yashow, Gongti North Road,
工体北路雅秀市场西侧; Tel: 6415-8776

Best Part:

• The drinks are legit – not only is the alcohol definitely real, the drinks are as delicious as they are unique and well-made. 
• The bartenders are both friendly and very professional. Clearly trained well with a background at Fubar, these guys are personable and really make an effort to know their customers and accommodate their needs.
• They have drink specials and seasonal drinks (I recommend to try their hot drinks during the cold winter months!)
• They are open 12PM-late (get your drink on early!)
• They let their hungry customers order in GungHo! Pizza Delivery! (they also serve some pretty awesome fries) 

Comments:

• It won’t be hidden for long, but this is a great little gem in the Sanlitun area that is a much better option than any bar on Tongli Studio (gross). 
• It’s nothing fancy and certainly not swanky. Quite the opposite actually. It’s down-to-earth and really low key. A good place for a few drinks with friends or a chilled out night in the Sanlitun area. I like the low-key vibe even when it’s packed out. 
• Drinks aren’t cheap, but they are worth their price – ranging from about RMB 40-50 per drink. 
• It’s not hard to find – just go down the alley on the west side of Yashow, just north of Nearby the Tree.  

Rating: (on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best)

• Drinks: 9
• Atmosphere: 8
• Service: 9
• Overall Experience: 8

Don’t Judge a Bar by its Cover: Stadium Dog & Fubar

Last night, Dan Goodman, Wokai Beijing Chapter President, hosted a casual get-together at Fubar for their Beijing chapter’s volunteers for good drink deals and holiday cheer.

This year, I encourage everyone to give a gift that keeps on giving and purchase a Wokai Gift Card.

I have a thing for secret doors and I love that Fubar is hidden behind Stadium Dog hot dog joint, down the stairs to the bathroom, where you will find a grey brick wall that slides open with the click of a button, leading you into a cozy, speakeasy bar serving find cocktails for great prices -1/2 off drinks from 6-9pm.

Hats off to Chad Lager, previous manager of Rickshaw and Tun Bar for serving up a great bar concept alongside quality hot dogs.

Review of Stadium Dogs: Gongti Dongmen 10-11, Gongti 工体东门10-11   Tel: 6546-8364 (65-HOTDOG)

Best Part:

• Choice of classic 100% beef American-style hot dog, Italian sausage, German Bratwurst, or Veggie Soy dogs for only RMB 20 each. Combo orders of 2 or 3 dogs, includes complimentary beer or drink
• Choice of white or wheat buns (which were a little hard)
• Add do-it-yourself toppings: cheese, sauerkraut, olives, onions, coleslaw, mustard, pickles, tomatoes, ketchup, etc.

Comments:

• Buns were a bit tough
• Tomatoes were icy cold
• They were out of a lot of things: no soy dogs, Italian sausage or German Bratwurst, only American dogs

Review of Fubar: Gongti Dongmen 10-11, Gongti  Behind a secret door inside of Stadium Dog. 工体东门10-11 Stadium Dog里面 Tel:  6546-8364

Best Part:

• The grey faux brick wall that slides open with the click of a button
• Cozy, welcoming interior with high ceilings and jazz music
• Pretty much half-off drinks happy hour from 6-9pm (Mixed drinks of Bombay or 42 Below at 30RMB is a real bargain)
• Easy access to great hot dogs

Comments:

• Unpleasant positioning of a big fan that hits you right after you walk in.
• Wokai’s group aside, not many other customers from 7-9pm