Beijing Bids Farewell to One of Its Most Prominent Expats Badr Benjelloun

Ringing in of 2020 will be bittersweet for more ways than one: as most of us say farewell to the digital shitstorm that was the 2010s, a portion of Beijing's community will also be preparing to bid farewell to one of the city's longest-serving and notable expats: Badr Benjelloun.

Prior to settling in at the Brazilian Embassy-adjacent Moroccan eatery and bar Caravan, Benjelloun had a long and storied history with Beijing. First arriving in the mid-2000s, Benjelloun's IT know-how led him to work for two as Chief Technology Officer at this very publication before turning to leave his mark on the city's F&B scene. His run of niche hutong bars, which included (rum-centric) Cuju and (vermouth-centric) Gulu Bazz, soon earned him a small and devoted following, especially among sports fans who could rely on Benjelloun to be whipping up rum drinks at the crack of dawn. Unfortunately, their deep-in-the-Dongcheng-hutongs locations also made both venues vulnerable to opportunistic landlords and brick-happy authorities.

Perhaps in pining for a more stable home, Benjelloun eventually opened (the ironically named) Caravan on Guanghua Lu in early 2015. An ode to Benjelloun's Moroccan roots and the culmination of the knowledge that he had accrued running the smaller bars in the hutongs, Caravan's robust menu food runs the gamut from chicken tagine to spicy merguez, as well as couscous made according to his mother's own recipe. Caravan's additional space also allowed him to house some of his numerous side interests, including live music (previously documented via his blog Beijing Daze) and the Afro-Brazilian martial art of capoeira. Gulu Bazz, meanwhile, finally bit the dust in September 2017, allowing Benjelloun to put all his efforts into Caravan, growing an even bigger fanbase in the personality starved old embassy district.

I will personally miss Benjelloun's gloves-off approach to spice, unabashedly laying the chili on thick in his fiery chicken harissa sandwich, or the hallucination-inducing Carolina reaper burger that he debuted at our Hot & Spicy Festival. He's also about the only contact you need if you're looking to get some quality rum in the capital.

While Caravan itself is not closing, and Benjelloun intends to make frequent trips back to the city, his departure does herald some changes at the cozy spot, notably the end of their live performances. Therefore, their New Year's Eve blowout is not only a celebration of the venue's fifth anniversary but also marks their final live gig. Diners are invited to join in from 6.30-9.30pm for a free-flow buffet (RMB 298) and stick around for live music by The Mantras, Chanel, Mr. Nick, The Slow Blade, and thruoutin deep into the first morning of 2020.

Ahead of the festivities, we picked Benjelloun's brain as to some of his favorite Beijing memories and what he'll miss.

You’ve been in Beijing a quick minute –  how has the city changed over the 15 years? Which have been for the better, and which for the worse?
I came here pre-Olympics and post-SARS; Beijing was a very different animal back then. Sometimes I do joke that despite the changes, it’s the same ole pig, just with different lipstick.

Joking aside, the infrastructure side has improved exponentially from roads, subways, the convenience of transportation etc. Living here is also a little easier with the digital world and apps to deal with all kinds of paperwork.

Let’s not forget blue skies. There was a time we counted the number of blue skies every year; now we count the number of polluted days.

Now of course, with all the progress, there is a price to pay. Life is definitely more expensive and that has directly affected a lot of the parts I  care about especially in the arts and food communities. While Beijing still has more culture, music, and diverse cuisine than any other city in mainland China, it’s definitely not what it used to be.

That said, I’d rather look at the positives than dwell on the negatives at this point.

Speaking of which, what are some of your fondest memories of Beijing from over the years?
Nothing like a trip down memory lane to bring out the sensitive side in me! Here are a few things that stand out in no particular order:

• Being stuck on Gongti West on Halloween night about 10 years ago all dressed up in costumes under the first big snow of the year and no taxis in sight. Where was Didi when we needed it? Bellagio came to the rescue with 24-hour dim sum and a warm space until we could get some form of transportation.
• 2008 Olympics opening ceremony hanging out in Nanluogu Xiang and not knowing if this was the best or worst thing to hit Beijing. (Still no answer to that question.)
• Hanging out on the grass at 2 Kolegas till the wee hours of the morning just talking life away without a care in the world.
• Any random 4am chuan'r and 7/11 wine on a sidewalk in Gulou.

When you're not munching on street chuan'r, what are some of the restaurants that you’ll be saddest to leave behind? Any hidden gems you’d like to share with us?
I’m not leaving anything behind as I’ll be in and out of Beijing. And I’ll have plenty of "Western" food around, but I’m probably gonna miss access to all the wonderful Chinese culinary delights the city has spoiled me with. Here are a few:

• Xiao Yu Shan on Guijie for over a decade of supplying me with the most consistent Chinese food, day in and out. The best damn laziji in Beijing.
• Traktirr Pushkin near Dongzhimen. Consistently solid restaurant with a team I’ve seen grow over a decade. Comfort food, cheap vodka, reasonable corkage, and less mayonnaise than any other Russian in town.
• Yunteng Shifu: The restaurant of the provincial Yunnan bureau near Jianguomen.
• Haidilao: Proving that you can implement great service standards in China regardless of what people say. Almost too friendly.
• Manfu Lou: Manchurian style hot pot. I was sad to see them close and move to a mall.
• Invincible Ramen (Wudijia): Best damn ramen I’ve had outside of Tokyo anywhere. I gain a kilo just thinking about the broth.
• Najia Xiaoguan: Again, Manchu cuisine unlike anything else offered in Beijing. The venison stew is one of a kind.
• Kong Yiji: Zhejiang food. Clean, amazing, and the Sichahai branch used to have this amazing deck overlooking the lake. I loved it so much that I even held one of my wedding receptions there.

You’ve always excelled at finding a gap in the market – first with running one of the few Beijing sports bars Cuju (later as Gulu Bazz), as well as whipping up some of the best, and only, Moroccan fare in the city. If you were to impart words of wisdom to an aspiring Beijing restaurateur, what would they be?
To be honest, I never set up to do that. A lot of what I did was out of personal need. Just me being selfish. I wanted a place to watch sports and drink rum and I figured I wouldn’t be the only one. So I opened one. Caravan was a culmination of everything I learned from Cuju and I remain humbled at all it has accomplished through the years. Words of wisdom? Don’t freaking open a restaurant or bar... that’s the best advice one will get and won’t follow.

Joking aside again: Look at your landlord and look at your rent. Most places that end up having issues, with a few exceptions, will find the reason is either rent or landlords. Choose them carefully.

You’re a man of many talents and interests: capoeira practitioner, musician, rum enthusiast, IT nerd, and general foodie, just to name a few. Any tips for Beijingers who are struggling to maintain the interests that they had at home, or want to foster new interests?
Get out there and try things out! It's very simple. Beijing has all these amazing opportunities and a very supportive community to make things happen. So just go at it.

Remember that one day, someone in a meeting room said “Let’s make a movie with a moving tornado full of sharks”… ‘nuff said.

You’ve seen many an early morning as your time as a sports bar purveyor – what’s your ultimate secret to getting a head start on a pre-dawn match? What about the best hangover cure?
You gotta have a lot of alarms going and a supportive spouse that will kick your ass out of bed if nothing else but to turn off those damn alarms. If you’re passionate about the game, you’ll find a way to get up.

Additionally, the hair of the dog is real. Got a hangover? Get some water in you, grab some Yakult to fix the flora in your stomach and finish it off with something light like a mimosa, vodka cranberry, or a white Russian. I actually serve a drink called 'The Hangover' just for that purpose.

Finally, what does the future hold for Caravan and yourself? Will there be a leaving party to end all leaving parties?
Caravan is here to stay! I’m blessed with an amazing team that has been with me for the most part since day one and they can turn on a dime. As we’re celebrating five years of business, of course there are natural changes that will happen in terms of new focus for the space and sadly some of those changes will hurt more than others: NYE is the last night of the stage so we’re removing the live music element and changing it.

As for me, personal reasons dictate that I need to spend a lot of time over the next 12 months dealing with paperwork outside of China but I’ll be checking in and managing everything remotely. No big leaving party is required – it would be too freaking sad and emotional. Not to mention inaccurate.

My watch as a Beijinger is ending but my connection to the city will require visits on a regular basis to deal with music, the tea industry, TV shows, and other various commitments that I have here. I’m not done yet leaving a beautiful scar on the face of Beijing.

Join Benjelloun and friends for a final whirl of the stage tonight plus free-flow grub 6-9.30pm. Read more about that here.

READ: Usher in the Next Decade With These Beijing 2020 NYE Dinners and Parties

Images courtesy of Badr Benjelloun