At Home

Bar owner drinks in the luxury lifestyle

By Liu YuJie (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-08-09 08:12

Bar owner and DJ El-Mar Bengal relaxes with his cats on his comfy sofa. [Photos by Zou Hong / China Daily]

Some men treat a good bar like their home and are reluctant to leave, so it's no surprise that someone who owns six popular watering holes would need a pretty special apartment to lure him home each night.

And "special" is what El-Mar Bengal's apartment certainly is.

The successful entrepreneur, who has been living in Beijing for almost a decade, owns his six bars in different cities throughout China.

El-Mar, 29, born in Hamburg and who came to China by way of Germany, Italy and Australia, speaks fluent Chinese and says he loves Beijing more than any other city in the world.

He bought his two-story apartment six years ago and spruced it up with his own style.

"Beijing is now a very international city. I enjoy the company of so many friends from different countries in downtown Beijing," he said.

"It is my parents who travel all the way to see me each year. Beijing is my home. After so many years being here, I don't feel like moving anywhere else," he said from the comfort of his large sofa in front of his 52-inch TV set.

Next to the TV is a set of nine Harman Cardon loudspeakers that were brought to Beijing from Europe by nine of his good friends.

"I asked each of them to take one speaker for me. That's quite a scene at the airport, isn't it?" El-Mar said with a laugh.

He is a big fan of digital technology and has installed an advanced home entertainment system in his 20-sq-m living room. Six remote controls lay in a row on the sofa.

"There are too many remote controls. I plan to computerize all my audio-video devices," he said holding a new Mac Mini that he bought that morning.

El-Mar was eager to show off the model of an aircraft carrier standing on the shelf above the TV set. It helps tell the story of his success as organizer of an annual beach party.

He said hundreds of people spent a crazy night, singing and dancing on an aircraft carrier in Tianjin in the summer of 2009 and at the foot of the Shanhaiguan section of the Great Wall in 2010. El-Mar was the DJ at the events as well as their organizer.

But it's not all fun and games in his life; he is also a dedicated businessman who works hard.

Once a month, he jets out of Beijing for a while, not only to escape from the familiar, but also to take care of his business in southern cities.

On a clear day, he likes to hop on his Harley Davidson and drive to the suburbs with his motorcycle-loving friends. He likes the bike so much he has even named his twin cats Harley and Davidson.

His cats - there are three in all - all came unwanted. One was a street cat that was almost dead when he found her on a rainy day. The other two were twins whose owner asked El-Mar to take care of them when she went back to America, but she never came back.

"I'm stuck with these cats, but luckily I love them," he said while caressing "fluffy".

Cooking is El-Mar's favorite form of relaxation. He extended the kitchen in his home to facilitate his passion.

And, so he can get the freshest ingredients, he grows his own herbs on his balcony, harvesting peppermint, lemon peppermint, thyme and basil for his dishes.

"This is authentic Italian basil," said El-Mar, picking a leaf and smelling its strong scent.

Being an expert in Thai cuisine, El-Mar has a strong affection for Thai culture as well. He is fond of using pictures and figures of Thai style Buddha heads as decoration, all items he has picked up on his trips to Thailand.

The music lover has had the cabinet in the living room upstairs made to order so it can accommodate rows of LP records. In the center of the unit, a platform can be drawn out so he can get at his DJ turntables.

"With these, I can play music at home. The cats don't care if I go too loud," said El-Mar.

Perhaps the corner of his home that he is most proud of is the large roof balcony with its wooden floor that is guarded by two stone lions. It is open on three sides, which presents a perfect all-around view of the mountains in the distance.

To the south, you can see CCTV tower and to the north and east is a bird's-eye view of Chaoyang Park and, in the distance, Beijing Capital International Airport.

"All my cats love the sunshine and the smell of flowers on the balcony and spend a lot of time playing

here. This is my favorite place too. I often sunbathe or hold barbecue parties here."

China Daily

The view from the kitchen window looks out across Chaoyang Park. [Photos by Zou Hong / China Daily]

(China Daily 08/09/2010)