Just as along many other backstreets in China, Diaoyutai (钓鱼台; fishing stage) plays host to an uneasy truce between pedestrians, cyclists and the occasional motorist wishing they had not been tempted by an apparent shortcut.
Under ordinary circumstances I would likely not have bothered to participate in the street’s delicate dance between yielding, standing my ground, pretending not to notice and genuinely not noticing the frustrated motorists attempting to force their way past one group of disinterested pedestrians or another.
However, whilst Diaoyutai was once a backstreet that would be of little interest to anyone except its residents, things have more-recently changed.
Within several metres, yards or for those who prefer sporting analogies over units of distance, the toss of any sort of ball, there are four establishments which are worthy of your patronage.
First to arrive on the scene was Walden, which is a rather smart bar which instantly won my approval on account of the fact it is open for much of the afternoon and Le Bonheur, which has rapidly become a vogue coffee shop. Following in their wake are two craft beer bars, one which specialises in imported draft craft beer, “Latte Coffee and Craft Beer” and another, “Oasis Space” offering more modestly priced local beer.
There is also a rather smart gentlemen’s hairdresser amidst this cornucopia of delight, but I am not sure why I have mentioned it, and the editor may well take his pen to this unnecessary embellishment.
The trick is to start at Walden which opens at 15:00 and, confusingly, has different cocktail menus for the afternoon and the evening. There are plenty of unique creations, some on an afternoon “happy hour” deal, making the consumption of at least two essential. The owner will also rustle up any classic cocktail you fancy. You could do worse than to ask him for a “Li Mat Yu”. You may need to remind him that this is a 1:1 mix of Fernet Branca and Campari, with a little syrup to taste, a few drops of vanilla essence, served straight up in a glass rinsed with Absinthe and garnished with orange zest. This is one of the unsung greats (unless you are neither a fan of Fernet nor Campari).
After this, Le Bonheur will fill the classic Nanjing time-warp beer void whilst the bars get their act together and consider opening.
The actual opening hour for Latte seems to vary between 17:00 and 18:00. The crafty gambit at Le Bonheur is to grab a window seat and sup your dark roast Dirty Coffee whilst keenly watching the door opposite. At just the right moment, you can descend upon Latte, looking at your watch with studied confusion, suggesting that the hour at which they deign to open is not without consequence (despite the fact that for them, it clearly is).
You will find a dozen imported draft beers in this tiny bar, which also dabbles in coffee and chocolate cake, which is bold considering their neighbour opposite. The place is hopelessly small, but the windows pull back to create a lovely open street-bar so this is the ideal time of year to visit. (Now I remember why I had mentioned the hairdresser next door. It is a potential distraction should Latte still not be open once you have had your fill of coffee at Le Bonheur).
Once any combination of your wallet, liver and tastebuds have taken a suitable hit it is time to move on to Oasis, which is diagonally opposite. In common with a number of Nanjing venues, the theme here is camping, with interior gravel, fold-up chairs from which you think you may never rise and a large number of potted plants: garden centre meets beer meets indoor camping, but it doesn’t really matter. After your Walden cocktails and strong imports at Latte you will likely look benevolently upon this curious folly.
Unlike Latte, the staff here have little English and, save for the sight of “IPA” on the menu you will have no idea what to choose. This is part of the fun of course, and my advice is to have a random beer or two before heading back out into Diaoyutai. Now you can safely (or more likely not) fall into the category of “genuinely not noticing the frustrated motorists” as you wend your way through the street without a care in the world along with your fellow Nanjingers, pondering where you might head for a bite to eat.
Talking of food, Walden is due to open a kitchen any time now. I don’t know what they will serve, but I did my best to convince the owner that what Nanjing needs is a civilised place like his serving decent bread, plenty of imported cheese and a good selection of Italian ham (or Spanish, I am not fussy). There is a restaurant directly above Walden and, of course, plenty on offer nearby in the heart of Laomendong, which has the added bonus of more craft beer on draft at Table Space. Cheers!
Diaoyutai 钓鱼台 is located off Zhongshan Nan Lu 中山南路 and Jiqing Lu 集庆路, intersecting the two in a northwest-southeast direction.
