Shunyi is a neighborhood I've never related to. I have no kids, no company expat package, no car, no tolerance for malls, no nine to five, no worries about “quiet neighborhoods.” I've always imaged what bothers some who live out there is the safe routine; the sense of being inside a city but outside of it's culture. Which is exactly why a Shunyi location for new gastropub/microbrewery Charcoal, nestled amongst a car dealership and ticky-tacky villas, seems like such a boss move. Bring the Brooklyn Look® to Suburbia and it will offer residents big city “authenticity.”
Visually, this place is a feast. Dive bars are well and good for Dongcheng, but with families and paid vacation, Shunyi folks want something polished. Also, it's up upon a hill like a Bond villain fortress. It's name is up in huge individual block letters, Hollywood style. Garish, but noticeable.
Interior: Up front and center is the shiny brewing room, flanked by a long bar and tremendous, mini-van length booth seating. A massive outdoor patio and a glass enclosed barbecue “finishing room” features an impressive brick fire pit. Bushwick rustic bro vibes? Check. Rows of Edison bulbs? Check. It looks, and undoubtedly is, expensive.
Onto the beer. It's a Renaissance in Beijing for quality craft beers, and Arrow Factory Brewing is no exception, offering some real loveliness on tap. Brewing methods seem pure, with minimal tea leaves, citrus peel and other bullshit thrown in. Real beer lover's beer.
Personally, I prefer what I call “lawnmower beers,” less hoppy, refreshing, drinkable, summer-time affairs so I went for the caramel hued “Longbow Men English Session Ale” (30rmb). Dangerously drinkable and easy to knock back. I'd purchase it if sold bottled in stores. The “Seeing Double IPA” (35rmb) has a pleasing hoppy, floral bitterness. Had a couple of “Blonde on Blonde Belgian Ale” (30rmb) before it all became a blur. A+.
Food. The computer print-out soft opening menu was already ambitious, but I was assured many more options would be available by next month. Just saying, “less is more” is a great adage.
We started with the unsuccessful “Brisket Tiger Salad” (58rmb). A mediocre rendition of that classic Northern Chinese “laohucai” graced with slices of tasty, but unforgivably tough, brisket. Nice smoky taste, but you have to saw through it.
Thankfully, the pain was assuaged with the “Macho Nachos” (68rmb). Although the Brisket was back in this dish, it was mercifully minced and paired with black beans, pico de gallo, guacamole and a mysteriously hummus-esque “cumin cream.”
Brought to our table, it elicited giggles. So gargantuan, it's like a fucking optical illusion. Other high points included the monumental “Four Cheese Macaroni” (48rmb), which had us scraping the corners of the cast iron pan it's served in.
Some other menu items needed ironing out. The “Jamaican Style Smoked Jerk half Chicken” (88rmb) was misleading, in that was it lacking in several key “jerk” components like scotch bonnet & thyme. Could have been renamed “perfectly reasonable, slightly bland chicken.” Also the “Charcoal 250 Burger” (88rmb) was passable, but both bun and fries were soggy.
So, the takeaway: Charcoal is a highly ambitious, mostly successful, bar and restaurant. City dwellers might not make the trek too often, but for those living in a neighborhood decidedly lacking in polished gastropubs, it's a godsend.
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Charcoal is at the west end of Qingyuan Sanjie, Houshayu (后沙峪罄园三街西口)
