Food

Hidden gems, quiet havens

By Eric Jou (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-07-15 10:39

Bartender Yosuke prepares to mix drinks at Twilight. [Photos by Wang Jing / China Daily]

 

Wall decorations at Twilight. [China Daily]

In the aftermath of World Cup celebrations that packed out many of the city's bars and restaurants in recent weeks, those longing for a bar hidden away from the hustle and bustle where patrons can drink and relax in peace will be interested to know the whereabouts of Beijing's jing bars, or quiet bars. Styled after Japanese cocktail and whiskey bars, the Beijing jing bar is a statement in Japanese sophistication and simplicity. These bars, which are popular in Japan as hangouts for businessmen to relax in after work, have been in Beijing for about half a decade and now are slowly becoming a well-known secret.

"In Japan, there are a lot of these bars, all hole-in-the-wall types, littered all over," said Daisuke Onishi, owner of Twilight and Apothecary, two local jing bars. "We wanted to make a bar like that; a bar that served really good cocktails, like the bars in Japan."

Often hidden from plain sight, they have gained popularity by word of mouth because of the superb attention to detail that their bartenders take in mixing drinks and cutting ice.

Offering silence, privacy, and lots of alcohol, these watering holes for beleaguered businessmen are filled with an easygoing atmosphere, jazzy music and dim lighting make them ideal for drinking away the blues.

"It's so hard to find a place like this," said Sean Zhang, 22, a student from California. "Have you ever been to Nanluoguxiang? None of those bars compare to this."

Zhang, a patron of Hanabi, is drawn to the quiet bars because of how relaxing they are. With Hanabi's wall lined with an alcohol selection that could make any avid drinker drool with envy, the bar has booze but much more.

Everything from the dim lighting, high back leather bar chairs, to the bartender himself, oozes with a sense of class and refinement. However, all of this is nearly unseen because bars like Hanabi are tucked away in the most obscure locations, like Twilight, which is situated above Starbucks in Jianwai SOHO.

Bartenders of Twilight relax before the evening rush. [China Daily]