the Beijinger Directory Reviews

Diminishing Returns

Jerry — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:29:16 +0800

Review of Panino Giusto
2 out of 5 stars

Ate their with some friends today - only my third time, while my friends are both regulars. Three things:

1. My sandwich arrived burnt - the bread that is. That and the disappointingly tiny size (a little larger than a doughnut) made for an unsatisfying lunch.

2. My friend, whose sandwich arrived last and well after ours, had a look at the two measly slices of meat inside and miniscule amount of cheese and was miffed, commenting that their portions keep getting smaller and smaller - especially when compared to the decent portions they used to serve (which I can recall from my previous visits) in less stingy times.

3. Our waitress was perhaps new on the job - it took her and her supervisor a bit of back-and-forth to figure out our order. Not a big deal in and of itself, but combined with the disappointing portions and less-than-ample fillings, it didn't help make our meal any more enjoyable.

Still good to see it in the neighborhood (my old hood of three-plus years), but I hope they don't keep sliding.

Bowls of Fun

CapitalVisions — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:50:59 +0800

Review of Gongti 100
4 out of 5 stars

First of all there are not 100 lanes. Luckily I don't have 99 friends that like bowling and are too selfish to wait their turn to bowl so it was OK. Other than that this place is fine, provided that you like bowling and you don't mind that at some point you will have to move lanes as your lane is broken. They sell beer but more importantly they don't care if you bring your own. Strike.

Proper Buona

CapitalVisions — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:34:07 +0800

Review of Pizza Buona
4 out of 5 stars

The pizza here is big. It's like a plate-to-mouth missile that explodes with flavour. Well done. It's better as takeaway but only for the reason that it comes out of the oven so hot that you'll burn your mouth if you don't wait to tuck in. And you won't wait. Stay safe and get it delivered.

Best Duck to be, Best Duck to find

scottwang — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:35:50 +0800

Review of Duck de Chine
5 out of 5 stars

The duck meat. The balance of fat and lean meat is right in the middle of Quanjude and Dadong. As a cholesterol lover, I wouldn't mind Quanjude's fatness although it does spoil my stomach a little after a while. But I do mind Dadong's thinness. How do they expect someone to chew on something hard like that?

The duck taste. When the meat is just perfect, it's hard to be disappointed unless the cooking and the sauce are terribly bad, which they are not. Besides the traditional dipping sauce and stuff, they also offer a Cantonese style sauce to eat with. It's a interesting touch, esp for people who are not used to the baldness of North Chinese cuisine.

The atmosphere. Unlike Dadong's swanky and Quanjude's touristy. Duck De Chine is very mysterious, artistic and elegant. From the paintings on the wall to the beautiful duck decoration on the table, it simply makes you feel like having a good appetite. Another reason I like here more than DaDong and Quanjude.

The others. Besides duck, the restaurant also serves dim sum, lamb feast and a few western dishes... no comments on them.

When Lobster And Paella Are Not Enough

scottwang — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:07:08 +0800

Review of Taverna
4 out of 5 stars

http://www.thebeijinger.com/reviews/2010/02/05/Gone-with-the-Sweetness

Since the close of Sugar Bar, La Taverna has inherited its delicious, yummy desserts and freezer(maybe only freezer, they used to steal desserts from sugar bar anyways), which makes me like Taverna even more. So do more and more people it seems. There are more people eating at the restaurant each time I visit. My recent visit even suggests that no table next to the window without reservation...

When lobster and paella are not enough, to attract more customers, to be more down to earth, to be more versatile, La Taverna started to serve BURGER(surprise)! A very cute looking burger with a big round meat ball in the middle and three onion rings might not certainly be the selling point at a restaurant like Taverna, but it certainly makes the place a choice for more people.

Still prefer Lily's home style hearty burger near Shuangjiang subway on line 10.

For the whiskey drinker

Melissa M — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:06:38 +0800

Review of Mesh
4 out of 5 stars

Really nice low-key lounge at the Opposite House. This place doesn't really fill up that often but its a good place to go after work for a few drinks. They've good a pretty good whiskey selection and wide variety of other mixed drinks. Expect to pay about 70-80 kuai per drink.

Amazing drinks!!

Melissa M — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:01:37 +0800

Review of Fubar
5 out of 5 stars

No need to rehash the other reviews because all the positive things people have said about Fubar are dead on. If you're actually looking for a place with good drinks and you want something unique that can't be found elsewhere...go to Fubar.

Not my first choice but would come here again

Melissa M — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:55:06 +0800

Review of Destination
3 out of 5 stars

Sometimes its nice to go to a gay bar and just have a good time with your girlfriends without getting bothered by guys. The place doesn't seem to garner that large of a crowd on a regular basis but the house/electro music they spin there is pretty decent. Only caveat is that it gets WAY too smokey in the bar room.

Always a good time

Melissa M — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:52:11 +0800

Review of Club LA
4 out of 5 stars

While I'm not a huge fan of hiphop/mainstream pop as I used to be, I give props to LA for their consistency of good music. The resident DJ never disappoints and the resident cover band seems to always know how to get the crowd pumping. Another good thing is that its connected to Coco Banana so in one night you can get both house and hiphop. So why 4 and not 5 stars? Too many tables, not enough dance space at LA.

So ridiculous you must check it out

Melissa M — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:45:44 +0800

Review of Chocolate
2 out of 5 stars

No club should be allowed to have so much gold-plated crap everywhere. Gaudy doesn't even begin to describe the decor. The performances were entertaining simply because they were so horrible but I do give credit to the ladies dancing half naked to a huge crowd of stoic patrons, thumbs up to them for doing that every night. If I'm ever in the mood to punish my friends, here is where I would drag them.