Hookah Pipes and Caipirinhas Take to the Terrace at Paris Lounge

Reed Russell | Sep 22, 2014 4:30 pm | Add a comment | 4947 reads

A Paris lounge brings to mind warm lights, fancy plats du jour, high fashion, and conversations between famous authors and artists. It does not, however, evoke a yurt, a hookah, and a patio on the rooftop of The Place.

This Paris Lounge is a partnership between a KTV owner, a DJ, and an American television host/party animal. It was the party animal who led me along the rooftop, through a bamboo forest, past an ivy-covered wall, and around the fabulous progeny of Beijing’s nouveau riche to the bar. It’s sheltered under a camouflaged yurt, pitched over an oasis of top-shelf spirits and old bar hands of the Chaoyang Park nightclubs.

If a mojito has a standard, these bartenders met it, but their Caipirinha was outstanding. The sugarcane base of the cachaça is charmed into a tart cocktail when spliced with lime halves and rock sugar. It goes great with an umbrella and a summer breeze passing through the surrounding towers. If you’re a beer type of person, though, they promise to have the best deals in the area.

Then there’s the view. To the north, one notices the acute tip of Parkview Green; to the west, the tops of the trees lining embassy row; to the east, some of the most expensive real estate in Beijing. And to the south you are eye level with the third largest LED screen in the world.

The three owners each have their own idea of a night out, which so far delivers confusing, although entertaining, results. We can’t wait to see what other plans they have for this lounge, but with September’s weather, location might be all that matters.