This is a review for By the Tree(couldn't find it in the directory). Went there a week or so ago and played pool with a couple of friends. After maybe two hours of play, I bounced the cue off the table on the break. The barman came to the table and asked for five quai. I told him to get lost. He persisted. I told him after spending hundreds at the bar and playing peacefully for many games there was no way he was getting five quai for a cue ball off the table. He told me spending hundreds and not paying a five-quai penalty were not related. I roundly and loudly berated him and the policy. Didn't pay the five quai. Who would? Normally I don't care about service, but this service wallowed in an egregious abyss. Crumb bum joint.

I went to NTT on a Friday to appreciate their newly installed pool table on the 2nd floor. The service was just rude the whole way through. Firstly the waitress who took my order made a sly comment about how I'm choosing the cheapest beer on tap (15 yuan Tsingdao draft, good value if you don't care about 'face'). I was willing to overlook that when the pool game started up. But the aggression didn't end. The chefs hovered around the table, warning my friend to keep his cigarette away from the table, and then telling me to "stop sitting" on a table I was merely leaning against, slightly.

But the coup-de-gras came as we were leaving. One arrogant chef accused my friend of stealing the board chalk, you know, the little piece of chalk worth 5 fen that is used to write your name on the board for playing pool. He followed us as we were leaving, saying we stole the chalk, and a manager even came over and got involved. Unbelievable. Not only had he not stolen the chalk, but even if he had pocketed a piece of chalk in an inebriated state (as sponsored by them), was it truly such a valuable thing as to require calling my friend a chalk thief in front of an avid 2nd floor audience, disturbed from their banter and focused exclusively on this scene?

I love pool, and they have a good pool table and it's not too crowded. Too bad the chefs and manager are ridiculously rude.

Nearby The Tree is conveniently located nearby by The Tree, and actually easier to find.

This is a place for BEER.

The DeKonick (sp?) on tap is a real treat, but like to go in and sample a variety of the imported belgian beers, They're more expensive than TsingTao, sure, but also much stronger. I'm really feeling the buzz after just a few. And the gastronomic options are just as appealing. Nothing beats that tang of bleu cheese on Tree pizzas.

I've suffered no snafus or spacey indifference from the competent and attentive waitstaff. And if the young punks at the clubs are giving you a screaming migraine, you'll be pleased to find the patrons here are of the civilized sort. The live performances alone make it worth a visit.

Nearby The Tree kicks ass. Cheap draft beer, excellent selection of nicer beers, and GREAT pizza. The waitstaff are quick and friendly, and I don't think I've ever been charged for something I didn't order, and always received exactly what I ordered. Special mention goes out to the bartender Jane, she is a sweet lady. If you go on the weekends, you can hear some good jams too - this is one of my favorite spots in the whole city.