Union Bar
The Opposite House – which opened in 2008 to an appreciative crowd in Beijing’s buzzy Sanlitun neighbourhood – has just reimagined its resident bar.
Set on the ground floor of the 99-room hotel, the lofty space is the work of New York-based AvroKO’s Bangkok office – the inspiration, apparently, coming from the modernist studio of ceramicist, Lucie Rie. Certainly, the room has an element of grand Gatsby-esque fantasy, the eye drawn along by the long linear lines of a central communal table that’s flanked by a spice wall, metal mesh panels and copper trim; and furnished with giant chandeliers, and leather club chairs from AvroKO and Stellar Work’s Brightliner collection.
All this serves as a suitably soigné setting for a whimsical drinks menu dreamed up around the Silk Road. Which explains the Genghis Khan Martini spiked with Mongolian kumis (or fermented mare’s milk) and sea salt, and a Canton Mule of wheat vodka and kumquat. A late afternoon service brings an exuberantly stocked drinks trolley at which non-shaken cocktails are prepared tableside.
And should the munchies strike, the kitchen sends out Wagyu sliders, aged San Daniele prosciutto, and Norwegian salmon poke bowls, though, if you ask us, it makes more sense to hightail it for the Peking Duck at in-house restaurant Jing Yaa Tang, and swan back for a post-prandial drink and music.
INFORMATION
Address
The Opposite House
Sanlitun
Beijing
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.
-
GlasWerks DMV debuts the Elevato, a radically revised Ferrari designed for off-road adventuresThe GlasWerks DMV Elevato started life as a GTC4 Lusso but has been transformed into an all-terrain performance machine with a V12 at its heart
-
Visual artists and musicians pair up to create unique artworks for charityMusic Shaped, an initiative by In Place Of War, invites visual and musical artists to collaborate on one-off artworks
-
The Eagle Lightweight GTR is a minimalist expression of racing car aestheticsEagle E-Types is renowned for its stewardship of Jaguar’s iconic 1960s sports car. With this one-off Lightweight GTR version, the company has pushed its ethos to the limit
-
A discreet bolthole adds historic charm to Chongqing’s skyscraper jumbleWith a landscape bristling with gleaming towers, Sunyata Ren’ai Hall Hotel quietly emerges as the Chinese city’s most design-forward stay
-
Discover a futuristic bar in Shanghai with mad-scientist energyPenicillin opens in Shanghai with a clinical steel and concrete design by LC Studio alongside trailblazing, sustainable cocktails
-
A colossal ‘ship’ in Shanghai honours Louis Vuitton’s travel legacyLouis Vuitton’s The Louis is an OMA-designed hub combining retail, culture and dining in the heart of Nanjing West Road
-
Tour the best contemporary tea houses around the worldCelebrate the world’s most unique tea houses, from Melbourne to Stockholm, with a new book by Wallpaper’s Léa Teuscher
-
Prada and Wong Kar-wai dream up a cinematic restaurant in ShanghaiPrada partners with Wong Kar-wai to bring Mi Shang Rong Zhai to life, a dining experience influenced by the arthouse director’s seminal oeuvre
-
Enjoy heritage views and contemporary brews at a new Beijing caféJM Café, White Pagoda Temple by B.L.U.E. Architecture Studio nods to the history of the Xicheng District while injecting a shot of vitality
-
Must-visit cinemas with award-worthy designThere’s more magic to the movies at these design-led cinemas, from Busan Cinema Centre’s ‘flying’ roof to The Gem Cinema Jaipur’s art deco allure
-
China’s Alila Shanghai hotel is a stylish hub of idle tranquillityAlila Shanghai, the brand's first urban resort in Greater China, is a serene bolthole amidst the pulse of the Jing'an district