Face the Muse

The popular nightspot Face is decorated with a collection of antiques from the Silk Road and beyond. Unique furniture pieces, statues and some odder oddments - birdcages, wooden dragon puppets and tribal masks - all give the watering hole a distinctive pan-Asian feel.

"The whole place is a journey, and one where the traveler can rest," a manager says. The 50-sq-m tavern is equipped with two bars and pool tables.

If you're hungry, the main tavern area is ringed by three small ethnic restaurants, manned by Chinese, Thai, Indian, Nepalese, Singaporean and Indonesian chefs.

Face also offers some of the city's only remaining outdoor seating. Visitors can plunk down in a courtyard garden flanked by bamboo groves.

The bar features a number of specialty drinks, including the Beijing Blues, a mix of vodka and cranberries fermented for a week. Ten varieties of beer are also available, as well as some very pricey wines.

During happy hour, from 5-8 pm, some drinks are offered half-price.

There is also a screened-off section for sports fans to watch the Olympic Games on TV, without disturbing those who don't join in the cheering.

Erik Nilsson

Address: 26 Dongcaoyuan, Gongti Nanlu, Chaoyang district 朝阳区工体南路东草园26号

Bar open: noon-2am

Restaurants: noon-2:20pm, 5:30-10:30 pm

Tel: 6551-6738

(China Daily 08/11/2008 page10)