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cityweekend

Don’t Miss the Boat

The Boat floated in the Liangma River, serving up cheap whiskeys for a small hip-hop crowd for years before DJs Alan and BB realized its potential. These new owners have worked religiously the past few months to transform the dilapidated cabin of The Boat into what may become the nightlife spot this summer for local clubbers. Crossing over the small bridge onto the deck, one knows he has escaped the Sanlitun frat pack and set sail on much chiller waters. There are two floors in The Boat, and each has a bar and dance floor, where clubbers can groove to cool, local DJs, who spin everything from breakbeat to techno. Mixed drinks start at RMB30, and specialty drinks are RMB45. We particularly recommend the sweet and sour Zombie on the Boat. As the summer warms, there is little doubt that sipping a cocktail on The Boat’s deck will be one of the coolest way to chill in The ‘Jing.

Blake Stone-Banks

 

atlas

“Boat… eh?” our cabbie scoffed - in a way that only a seasoned Beijingren “shifu” could muster up - as I told him about Beijing’s freshest addition to the bar scene. “There’s no boat bar here.”

Right, buddy. You just haven’t yet had the pleasure of carting around carloads of inebriated laowai slurring out the address. Planted in a not-so-fresh canal at Liangmahe – a ten minute walk from the San Li Tun bar street – the place packs quite the unique punch.

Ahoy. You’ve got your pick of two floors – the aptly-named Upper and Lower Decks: the latter housing a DJ who, on the night when I checked the place out last weekend, spun everything from downtempo to neo-soul to post-punk; depending on the psyche of the predominantly homegrown crowd.

And apparently, according to their Myspace page, The Boat will be a venue for live music as well - echoing their mantra of “where music matters.” No doubt: According to CW, the folks behind the project are DJ @llen, DJane BB - both from Taiwan - and experienced bar manager Geliang.

In addition to the club’s owners, renowned beatsmiths DJ Wordy, Mickey Zhang and Patrick Yu – among even more others – will provide the sonic landscape for the official opening party on Friday, April 11th.

This joint has some serious aesthetic flair – some quite innovative signage denotes the bathrooms, for example – and the amicable waitstaff don sailor-themed uniforms. Drinks are moderately-priced – we downed a slew of flaming Sambuca shots for 20 RMB – and the layout is comfy; in the cavernous Lower Deck, the couches offer a comfortable and intimate atmosphere.

These guys know exactly what they’re doing. If my experience was indicative of what The Boat is trying to cultivate, this tide will stay out for a long time and this floating musical compound will inevitably become the capital city’s next hallowed institution.

 

3 months, 3 weeks ago

rachels

Well spoken. I've already done an extensive review (http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/beijing/articles/blogs-beijing/the-beat/whatever-floats-your-boat/) of The Boat's soft opening two weeks ago, but there's even more to like after a few more visits.

In addition to the fantastic location on Liangmahe, The Boat's interior layout makes it the perfect place for a gathering. I should know: I held my own birthday celebration there last week.

The management runs, excuse the pun, a really tight ship in terms of the bar service, with frosty Tsingtaos coming out immmediately upon order, and a dizzing array of reasonably-priced cocktails. My favorite, which I'm sure many others will enjoy come the sweltering days of summer, is the frozen mojito, which many a conoisseur of refreshments have agreed might just be the best-tasting drink they've had in the 'Jing.

The most unlikely strong point of The Boat is no doubt the cuisine. The thin-crust pizzas melt in your mouth, and the pasta that I sampled was perfectly al dente, so there's absolutely no need to miss your favorite band or DJ's set to procure some much-needed victuals after all the shots have made you woozy.

I simply can't wait for the official opening party on April 11th.

3 months, 2 weeks ago

leemack

If you combined Kokomo with White Rabbit you'd get The Boat. THE party spot of the summer. Makes north Sanlitun relevant again. BB and @llen are geniuses. Congrats!

 

3 months, 2 weeks ago Updated See leemack's latest review »

rasmus

Sweet place! The boat is first and foremost a boat, which in and by itself makes it worth a visit. Furthermore, this place host two nice areas of very different style, as have been mentioned by others.

The music played while I was here was great (techno), and even though we were nearly alone me and my friend had a lot of fun at the dancefloor.

Only two things would prevent me from giving the boat a full score; Super-expensive water (25Q) and ventilation that barely support two active dancers.

Since I am a kind fellow though, I will give a full score and hope for my two points to get fixed before summer gets us and the need becomes dire.

 

3 months, 1 week ago

leemack

Oh yeah, by the way, they make an excellent pizza. The place is equipped with a real pizza oven, so the thin crust specialty comes out crispy and cheesy. Word on the street is that BB, one of the owner/managers, is a pizza freak and so anything less than the best pie would be unthinkable.

 

3 months ago Updated See leemack's latest review »

elsiecakes

ehhh, I don't know why I wasn't as excited about The Boat as everyone else. I was there on opening night and to me, the only thing it had going for it was that it's a boat. I didn't hate it, but I certainly didn't think there was much atmosphere. Admittedly, I'm not really a fan of electronic music, so I was happy about the live band upstairs (not sure if that's a regular gig). I also have never tried the food here, so I can't judge that. I think I would have to come back to get a second opinion, now the only problem is convincing myself to spend some of my precious weekend here instead of somewhere I like better...

 

3 months ago

leemack

You should spend some time here, but yeah if you're not an electronic fan, it may not be the best bet. They are running regular live music gigs though, so stay tuned to CW listings to find out who and when.

 

3 months ago

dj_bb

Hi,

We actually also have djs play not only electronic music, for example Thursdays are our Alternative music nights, and Friday nights we play a mix of all kinds of music. Come check it out when you have time !!

BB :)

3 months ago

intensebreeze

You know I had always thought it would be a hot and uncomfortable small place, it's actually got a nice little flavor to it. Drop on by and see what it is all about for yourself.

 

1 month, 3 weeks ago

liminalspace

Phone number for directions to The Boat is: 64605512

1 month ago