Take Refuge With Sanctuary's Playful Cocktails and Creative Southeast Asian-Inspired Bites

[UPDATE, May 11, 4pm] Tan announced in Sanctuary’s WeChat group today that the bar and eatery will soon be shutting down. She will host a closing party on May 26, and Tan consoled followers by adding that she is looking for a new space and “working on improving the concept, cocktails and food selection, to make Sanctuary 2.0 even better.”

Life in Beijing has for better or for worse often been enough to drive many an expat to drink, but as of late, a compounding factor of life in the capital has been just how many of our favorite local watering holes have been shut down. Thankfully, Caroline Tan is providing a bit of refuge from the tumult with her aptly titled Sanctuary bar and restaurant, nestled in a nook just off of Xingfu'ercun. From it, she and her team run the sort of street-level grub and booze joint that used to be more commonplace in Beijing but is quickly becoming a rarity in our shopping mall dominated metropolis.

And just like the ever-mercurial F&B scene that it is a part of, this spot has undergone more than a few changes since its opening in 2016. Tan started by debuting the spot as InVino, a wine bar with elegant yet down-to-earth bistro fare like steak tartar and hand-cut fries. A year later, friends Kara Brouillette and Jo Wee opened a pop-up sandwich shop in the space called Constellation. However, in recent months, Tan has revamped the space yet again around Chinese New Year, adopting its current Sanctuary moniker, and puts a focus on Southeast Asian-style fare that she grew up with.

The curry and flatbread, the latter fried up on a griddle, is positioned as a subtly spicy late night munchy. Other creative snacks include Viet-style chicken jerky (RMB 35 for 50g or RMB 60 for 100g), made with chili, lemongrass, galangal, basil and lime leaf, and a house spice blend, as well as a charcuterie and cheeseboard complete with a selection of cold cuts, cheese, fruit, nuts, and bread.

Other highlights include their parmesan and fontina cheese melt grilled in sage butter (RMB 48) with a tomato and smoked pepper soup on the side, along with gherkins and pickled white pearl onions. There's also the heartier barbecue Pork Sammich, made with pork neck char siu marinated in a Thai-style spice blend alongside a Southeast Asian pickle mix (known as achaar) of pineapple, cucumber, cabbage, carrots, garlic, sesame, and peanuts. Even Sanctuary's hot dog, which you might assume to be a simple American staple, has Southeast Asian gourmet flourishes like pickled white pearl onion and gherkins alongside a hefty red bean chili and crispy bacon. This is truly food to wake up the taste buds after a night out.  

But of course, Sanctuary's midnight hours also make it the perfect haven to get the party started or to have one or two more to finish you off. In order to do jus that, Tan has a roster of top-notch vermouths on hand, with which she makes some of the most tantalizing dry Negronis in town. Highlights include the cheekily titled RMB 80 BItter Old Man. Made with Hayman's gin, Campari, Dolin Rouge, and finished off with house bitters blend and citrus zest, it's was enough to make this old curmudgeon feel tipsy and spry. On the other end of the spectrum sits Sanctuary's Wild Child Negroni, which features a fun and creative Dolin de Chambery dry vermouth, Aperol, and a dash of house bitters.  

Some of the other potent, reasonably priced and oh-so-playful cocktails on offer include the RMB 65 Old Maria, made with 1800 Tequila Old Fashioned and rounded out with house black pepper tincture, some plum bitters, and calamansi zest. Let's just say the Old Maria more than earns its menu descriptor: "a horse like no other." The RMB 75 Not So Sweet Caroline is also a winner, thanks to its teaming of Bulleit rye, PX Sherry, Bittermen's orange cream citrate bitters, a dash of house spices and lemon zest, and Absinthe mist for good measure. Then there's the RMB 70 Spicy Cherry, which featured in the Beijinger's recent Spicy themed issue.

The cozy, softly-lit atmosphere and just off the beaten path location of this bar and eatery all certainly add to its appeal, but what really sets Sanctuary apart is the creative combination of its wares, and the personal touch that its Singaporean owner brings to the handmade bitters, chutneys, and other ingredients that give each of the drinks and bites a mouthwatering twist. All that and more has made Sanctuary one of our new favorite spots to munch and booze away the wee hours.

Sanctuary
Daily 7pm-late. Xianhuayuan, 103, Bldg 6, Xingfuyicun Xili, Chaoyang District
朝阳区幸福一村西里甲六楼103室 鲜花园

Photos: Uni You