Comfort Food and One of the Best Sunset Spots at Wangufjing's Jazz-Ya, Beijing APM

People tend to neglect the familiar things in life while anything new, different, or unusual is bound to catch our eye; a new phone, a new job, a new restaurant, and new clothes … I could go on. Don’t feel guilty, it’s human nature. By saying so, we're really just trying to lessen our guilt about not returning to Jazz-Ya more often.

As a venerable elder statesman in the Beijing food and beverage scene, Jazz-Ya opened its first venue in Sanlitun in 1995 and built a loyal fanbase for its izakaya-style pub grub and a decent cocktail list. Now onto its fifth branch in the city, Jazz-Ya's newest restaurant takes it to the sixth floor of Beijing APM (formerly Xindong’an) in Wangfujing. We dropped by to see what, if anything, has changed when compared to its original outlet.

Our dinner started with the less-than-photogenic garlic tuna toast, six pieces of baguette topped with a mixture of tuna and mayonnaise that made for a filling, reasonably priced (RMB 35), and surprisingly tasty starter. If you're looking for a low-carb option, try the avocado salad (RMB 48), a generous helping of avocado, cucumber, mango, arugula, cashew, and cherry tomatoes, with a vinaigrette dressing.

A healthy and sizable main that's good for sharing is the beef sukiyaki (RMB 260), Japanese-style iron hot pot, in which you dip and simmer slices of beef, mushrooms, tofu, and vegetables into a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, and mirin (sweet rice wine). The sukiyaki broth comes bursting with flavor and the ingredients were fresh and of good quality.

Of course, no meal would be complete without dessert. The frozen cheesecake (RMB 25) was light in texture but heavy in flavor thanks to the yogurt they use, so that you wouldn’t feel guilty. The tiramisu, made with mascarpone, cream, espresso, and chocolate powder, was served in a huge jar that was more than worth its RMB 42 cost.

All in all, don't expect to be blown away by Jazz-Ya's range of simple izakaya food but the reasonable prices and convivial atmosphere has us coming back. One benefit of this new mall location is that it faces west, providing one of the best views of the sunset in the Wangfujing area and a vantage point to sit and watch the bustling shoppers down below. Old bottle, new wine, same tasty.

Jazz-Ya
Daily 10am-10pm. 621-623, 6/F, Beijing APM, 138 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District (6524 4189)
爵士屋：东城区王府井大街138号APM6层621-623号

More stories by this author here.

Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @flyingfigure
Instagram: @flyingfigure

Photos: Tracy Wang