Is It a Café, Bar, or Snack Spot? Andingmen Newbie Liaoliao Tries to Be Everything for Everyone
Be it beans, booze and or a bite to eat, Liaoliao Coffee Can Bar (了了咖啡餐bar) has a wide-ranging menu to quell just about any of your hankerings. But can any establishment, much less a humble new hutong joint, satisfy on all those eclectic fronts without spreading itself too thin?
We were curious enough to find out for ourselves, especially after seeing the lamb chop photos and enthusiastic reviews of both its coffee and cocktails on Dianping. And while we were intrigued, we knew that review platform isn’t always reliable (to say the least), so it was hard not to be a little skeptical. Liaoliao (which neighbors Modernista) at least made a sturdy enough impression when we first stepped inside and took stock of the décor. Tasteful, uniquely spindly golden sun ornaments lined one wall, while empty beer bottles, a colorful motorcycle portrait, and cutesy paintings of animals in ties adorned the others, giving it a vibe that was above the average of, yet nevertheless reminiscent of, countless other hutong cafes we’ve popped into over the years, especially those that dotted the Nanluogu Xiang area.
Beneath those trappings, we clearly saw bricks that were darker than we’re used to having in the hutongs, a hallmark of the freshly refurbished exterior and the overall revamp that has caused so much turmoil in the hutongs throughout 2017. It struck us as a place that harkened back to our allies' glory days, yet had clearly emerged from the dust of the neighborhood’s extensive shakeup.
A glance at the menu was also promising. To be sure, the classification of Hoegaarden and other generic brews in the “craft beer” section gave us pause, and many of the cocktails seemed generic (Sazeracs, Manhattans, whiskey sours and others, all priced between RMB 50-60). But when we got to the end of that list, some interesting options caught our eye, from the RMB 50 Lady Sichuan (made with Sichuan pepper and chili-infused Luzhou Chinese liqueur, passion fruit syrup, and fresh lemon juice); the Hawthorn Sour (made with hawthorn whiskey that was infused in-house, lemon juice, and a simple syrup); and Dark and Old Fashioned (comprised of coffee bean-infused rum, homemade cinnamon syrup, chartreuse green, and chocolate bitters).
The coffee cocktail will delight those with bitter palates, stiffening your upper lip at the first sip, tingling your tastebuds, and leaving your innards awash in soothing whiskey and coffee warmth (sweet-toothed patrons take heed of the strength of this one, though). We’re not sure about the claims of infusion; make no mistake, it lacks the textured complexity of coffee cocktails we’ve tried at On Emotions, Infusion Room or even Hoper and other hutong bars, though the low price at Liaoliao makes up for that. This is a sturdy, satisfying and affordable cocktail, but not nearly as memorable or innovative as those on offer at spiffier venues.
From there, we knocked back the Sichuan pepper cocktail, an even greater success than its coffee counterpart thanks to its smoldering consistency, unabashedly sour aftertaste, and lingering mouthfeel that’ll leave you craving another sip. It’s another cocktail for firmly asserted tastes (fans of sour drinks; again, anyone partial to sugary or mild cocktails should order something else), which is bold and interesting and memorable, skirting the ultimate sin: being boring, of course.
There was also a sturdy offering of dishes, though we were disappointed at how many of them came in measley snack sizes. A RMB 16 lamb chop, for instance, was wholesome, juicy and warming, but only amounted to half a dozen bites on the drafty, hunger pain-inducing November evening we stopped by. A side of veggies and potatoes for twice the price would’ve gone a long way.
So there are certainly some tweaks to work out, but at the very least Liaoliao serves as a comfortable, easy-on-the-eyes spot for an afternoon of hammering out work away from the office on your laptop (thanks to the cozy atmosphere and half-dozen coffees on offer, which are quite good and averagely priced, if unacceptable in flavor or bean origin). And as day stretches on and the sun sets, the venue’s cocktails will suit adventurous types who will also gobble up the affordable, nourishing Western-style snacks, even though they were scrumptious enough to leave us pining for bigger portions. The flaws add to the overall quirks of the place,m though, making it an eyebrow-raising oddity like many of the other eccentric hutong holes in the wall we’d frequent before the "Great Brickeing of 2017,” giving us hope for the rough-hewn Beijing we’ve always adored, one that thankfully hasn’t been entirely smoothed over by bricklaying and chai-ing yet.
Liaoliao Coffee Can Bar
Daily, 11am-midnight. 35, 10-11 Liulisi Hutong (across from Modernista) (186 0039 9997)
了了咖啡餐bar：琉璃寺胡同35号10-11
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Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
Twitter: @MulKyle
Photos: Kyle Mullin
