Be bright and eat in the sunshine
For nine-to-fivers, the only time to enjoy sunny al fresco dining or drinks may be at the weekend or during lunch breaks during the week. For those who are not lucky enough to work close to Sanlitun, where a lot of the city's al fresco dining areas are located, there are also some nice outdoor eateries in areas including the Central Business District and Jinbao Street area, Grace Su finds.
Beer Garden
Opened for the first time ever, the outdoor patio of the Regent Hotel on Jinbao Street is a tranquil place to chill out with a smoothie during the hot afternoons or watch the World Cup in the evening on the outdoor projection screen.
The Beer Garden features several made-to-order smoothies, including the Pick Me Up (PMU, 70 yuan), made with blended bananas, oranges, granny smith apples, yogurt and Australian honey.
Other smoothies available include the Mango Mango Mango (70 yuan) made with fresh mangos, mango juice, sherbet and mango yogurt.
The Crescent Lounge Garden Sampler (120 yuan) includes a mix of sausages incorporating authentic-tasting white Bavarian sausages.
Although the sausages come already cut up for the guest in a non-traditional way and the Beer Garden is opened 5 pm to 11 pm (in theory, we are not supposed to eat Bavarian sausages in the afternoon because they are for breakfast), we are in China, so some rules don't really have to apply all the time.
The sausages come with three kinds of mustard - regular, Dijon and a sweet and whole seed mustard dip.
The sampler also includes a chicken and zucchini shish kabob - the three pieces of chicken breast were tender and grilled perfectly.
The Beer Garden features a Happy Hour which lasts from 5 pm to 8 pm every day, when most drinks are buy-one-get-one-free.
Although an order of any food item on the Beer Garden's menu is supposed to come with complimentary pretzel bread, you may have to remind the staff to bring it to you.
Other goodies include a Tantori Oven that offers wholesome items as corn on a cob with butter (30 yuan), baked potato with bacon, chives, sour cream (30 yuan), and Yakitori Live BBQ of lamb, beef and chicken (120 yuan).
Havana
Located in the Grand Millennium Hotel in the Fortune Plaza, Havana offers a relaxed outdoor (or indoor) and Wi-Fi environment with international food.
The menu consists of a few Beijing favorites, such as dumpling (56 yuan) and pot stickers (56 yuan), as well as Western-style fish and chips that are fried in a light and crispy batter and that come with white vinegar and tartar sauce.
The Tianjin-style pot stickers were especially delicious, served upside down in a thin crust of crispy-laced dough.
If you are feeling especially hungry, you will love the large portion of delicious grilled pork chops (116 yuan for 250 g) that come with a refreshing applesauce dip or the back ribs (116 yuan). Juicy and topped with plenty of BBQ sauce, they come with sides of baked beans and fries.
If the items on the Havana menu seem a bit short-listed, you can always ask the staff to bring you the CBD menu they have on hand - the hotel's other restaurant shares the same kitchen.
From CBD's tick-off menu, you can make your own sandwich (starting at 56 yuan) as well as get your hands on a few Asian comfort foods, such as Laksa (106 yuan) and Hainan chicken rice (116 yuan).
Although Havana serves international food, it sticks to its Caribbean roots, not only by offering a woodsy and cozy design, but seven kinds of Mojito at only 30 yuan (net) as well.
Every night, the place becomes sexier with the Jazz and Blues tunes of Havana's own Shanghai Rose band.
Finally, as practically the whole world and Beijing's CBD area are quitting, Havana does maintain a smoker's section for its cigar- and cigarette-savoring guests.
