2011 Mar 29 Start to Finnish: My Life
It seems ever more clear that the CBD was planned by a complete sociopath. All those apartment complexes and office buildings, but hardly any sign of life after 8pm. No taxis. So much commercial space, so much of it seemingly willfully hidden away from view. None of this makes it easy to run a bar in the CBD. Indeed, few have succeeded.
Owned by a Finnish businessman, My Life is the latest bar to take up the challenge. On a quiet night, the heavily white space looks rather forlorn and sterile. However, picture the bar even half full, and you can see the design’s “woodland” touches – streams of running water and leaves draped overhead – coming alive.
With the right tweaks, it’s possible to imagine My Life drawing a healthy after-work crowd. A good value happy hour is the key. A livelier soundtrack than the soft-rock balladry playing when I visited would also help matters. But there are definite positives. The service was much better than is normal for a new bar. The management is clearly engaged in making things work, and drinks like the martini (RMB 50) show promise.
Import beers like Asahi and Corona (both RMB 22) are actually cheaper than the local brews (RMB 26). For something more distinctive, try the handful of Finnish drinks. The Kiinaviina (RMB 50) is a sickly-sweet mint liqueur; for the British among you, it’s like a liquidized Fox’s Glacier Mint. Maybe a Finnish bar is just what the CBD needs.
Good for: After-work drinks
My Life. Daily 10am-2am. Unit 27, Bldg C, The Office Park, 10 Jintong Xilu (east of The Place), Chaoyang District (8590 6488) 朝阳区金桐西路10号远洋光华国际大厦C座27单元(世贸天阶东侧)
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