Scrumptious sandwiches and feature films make Seven Star Caf a stellar one-stop spot for dinner and a movie. Tucked in the heart of the 798 Art District in Dashanzi, this Bohemian bastion is a large canopied porch proffering food, drinks and cinema to provide a relaxing reprieve from gallery gallivanting.

Wicker chairs and a board-slat bar stay true to the deck-furniture theme. A plank railing framing the caf's perimeter provides patrons a place to put their feet up while they watch movies shown on a projection screen located on a nearby street corner. Films are usually shown in English with Chinese subtitles and, if no other customers are present, the owner will let you select a DVD of your choice from Seven Star's massive movie library. Visitors don't have to worry about missing the featured flick if they show up late, because the movies run until the wee hours of the morning.

However, the projector doesn't fire up until after the sun goes down so, before dusk, patrons have to make due with the mood-setting reverberations of classic jazz music.

The crowd is an almost even mix of foreigners and Chinese, although it's rare to see more than three tables occupied at the same time. Art aficionados make up the bulk of the patrons, and most of the cross-table conversations concern cross-cultural comparisons of Chinese and Western art.

Beer and coffee drink prices range from 15-30 yuan, while Seven Star's signature bagel sandwiches run from 27-35 yuan. The eatery also dishes out other types of Western fare including pizza, pasta and even corn flakes.

Those questing for a quiet night of fun, food and film will thank their lucky astral objects seven times over for the affable ambience of Seven Star Caf.

Seven Star Caf, 798 Art Dictrict in Dashanzi, Chaoyang District

(China Daily 10/19/2006 page10)