The capital's second branch of the Babyface clubbing empire has opened in the wild west of the city, down the road from the zoo. Babyface West is poised to raise the profile of Xizhimen as the setting for a night out. It is certainly an infinitely more alluring prospect than its garish neighbours that boast waiters dressed in Brazilian football strips heckling human traffic passing by.

Over at Babyface, shirts are likely to be so-like-last-season before one's Yashow tailor closes for the day.

The dcor is similar to the club in Sanlitun, though perhaps not quite as flashy. The security is eagled-eyed as ever taking journalists' photographic equipment into care. But as long as the sound system still rocks, who cares what it looks like?

A bottle of imported beer is 40 yuan (US$5), while a respectable range of cocktails go for 50 or 60 yuan (US$6.25-7.5) each. More to the point, the all-important large fruit plate is a reassuringly extortionate 138 yuan (US$17.25).

The magic formula has been applied for the tenth time, and by now we know what to expect. Even so, the club chain's name continues to raise eyebrows among the few uninitiated.

Babyface West
Location: Triumph Plaza, A143 Xizhimenwai Dajie, Xicheng District
Tel: 010-88016848