Wangfujing Restaurant Brand Blufish Makes Surprising Left Turn In Sanlitun

Having opened a flash restaurant at Wangfujing’s equally glitzy APM mall earlier this year, Blufish seems to be speedily swimming along. Yes just a few short months after that central neighborhood opening, we were surprised to see their logo at a branch location in Sanlitun Century Pacific mall. And as we stepped inside we were even more surprised to see the new spot was not another restaurant branch. No, instead, Blufish has branched out all the more into the café game. 

This is especially unexpected given the original spot was focused on seafood and light and delectable dishes. We could see a restaurant known for serving quality java breaching the café scene, but the Wangfujing Blufish is by no means renowned for its beans. 

Less surprising is the café’s extravagant design, at least for anyone who’s been to its stylish predecessor. The uninitiated, however, will be caught off guard by the rippled rock-face-like bumps in its white walls, evoking a plaster mold of a cave wall in a lagoon, along with a big mirror that evokes the surface of a placid lake. That sentiment is furthered by the counter and the floor, which are covered in a rough and rocky, beach sand-like finish.

Diving right into the menu, we ordered up the only unique item to plum the proverbial depths of what this new spot is all about. This menu option, the RMB 28 fizzy soda Americano, came chilled and suitably carbonated but lacked the sweetness needed to balance it out, which was enticingly bitter at first but left my palate all too sour before I reached the bottom of my glass.

Aside from that more offbeat bubbly option, Blufish also serves up a variety of standard coffees, most of which are more expensive cold (ice ain't cheap in the capital, apparently). Highlights include Americanos (RMB 24 hot or RMB 27 cold) espressos (RMB 22/RMB 25) along with a flat white at RMB 26 or flavored lattes (RMB 33 for a standard or RMB 36 for vanilla, hazelnut, rose, or caramel). 

If the café can balance out the flavor of its signature soda coffee, along with adding a few more specialty coffees to entice caffeine fiends to stop by, then it could compete with many counterparts in Beijing’s highly intense barista scene. For now, Blufish stands out for its reasonable prices, convenient location, and unique ambiance that’ll appeal to the selfie-taking set. But for now, this little guppy needs to keep on swimming before it’s upstream with the big fish like Metal Hands, Soloist, or even fellow dark horses like 17 Café, which does its offbeat futuristic cold coffees with more panache, variety, and successful flavor balance.

Blufish Café
Daily, 10am-6pm. 1/F Building C, Pacific Century Place, Jia 2, Gongti Beilu (at the back of the building)
朝阳 区工体北路甲2号盈科中心C栋5号门1/F 

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Photos: Kyle Mullin