I had a nasty experience with a couple of meatballs in Stockholm once so I entered Sanlitun's W Bar, the only Swedish watering hole in Beijing, apart from Ikea's canteen, with trepidation.

Ping pong in an alcoholic environment is a rarity and this is what the bar is all about. The owner happens to be the legendary - in table tennis circles - Jan-Ove Waldner, former Olympic and World Champion, which explains most of the wall decoration and the free signed orange ball on arrival. Photos, personalised shirts and signed bats (200 yuan by the way) don't so much smack of a pat on the back as a hearty slap. But then I suppose he was pretty good. If you go at a quiet time, which is most afternoons, barman Guo Fei will be happy to serve up some wicked slice shots.
The high ceilings and light wood furniture give the bar a standard sports bar feel and a pub game crawl complements a pint of draught Carlsberg (30 yuan). Darts, table football and an electric ice hockey game are the options while there are two large screens and three other TVs for World Cup viewing.

Music can be a problem. The soft rock that inhabits the lower rungs of the Scandinavian music scene is in large supply. But if you are familiar with Roxette, a band that haunts my music cassette collection from 1990, then it can be a nice bit of tongue-in-cheek nostalgia.

More importantly my meatball phobia is now in the past thanks to a bargain 48 yuan price tag and a dollop of mash. The Brazilian BBQ, at 58 yuan per person, also looks a good option for all you can eat.

W bar may not be the 'Joyride' the spiky singer from Roxette banged on about but gravadlax, ping pong and beer are a good combination.

W bar
Location: 120 Sanlitun Nan Lu, Chaoyang District
Opening time: Saily 11am-2am
Tel: 010-65856945
Website: www.wbar-beijing.com.