Beijing has played host to scant
few self-styled wine bars – ranging
widely and wildly in quality, expertise
and general authenticity. While we
understand wine as a beverage and
cultural focal point can be tricky to
sell, serve and master, wine bars
as we have experienced in Beijing
tend to go one way; devolving into
a colour-coded universe, piloted by
vacant-faced automatons, caring
not for the vino in your glass, the
juice in the bottle or the fact that
only one of the by-the-glass options
is available at any one time. On this
rather dismal field, punctuated by
occasional flares of promise that
fade into sour, tannic regret, we
stumble into Buona Bocca.
A new Italian wine bar and
small-plates concept from
a pair of semi-first time
restaurateurs with a
background in food,
wine and design,
Buona Bocca is
shaking things up
in the Beijing wine
bar scene.Translated
literally from Italian
as 'beautiful mouth',
Buona Bocca is
focused squarely
on just that: making
beautiful things
happen in your mouth
with its modern selection of curated
pours and tasty bites.
Set just off Xindong Lu on a small
street connecting the back side of
Sanlitun’s bar street to the more
residential enclave of Xingfucun,
what Buona Bocca lacks in vista and
kerb appeal, it makes up for with a
rather remarkable interior design
and covered patio. The digs are
styled after the brick-and-mortar
cellars of Italy – with a few modern
touches, like high-concept lighting
and comfortable seating, of course.
From behind the bar that runs
most of the length of the narrow
space, suitable for about 25 seated
patrons and roughly as many
standing, we gratefully accept
fishbowl-sized goblets of half-Aperol
half-Campari spritz (50RMB) and
slowly work our way through more
than a handful of Italian wines on
offer by the glass. You can leave the
big-ticket bottles at the door please,
this isn’t your party cadre’s Lafite-pounding
sort of joint. A surprisingly
popular tipple is the lambrusco
(glasses from 50RMB). Long
shunned as a tacky '70s novelty,
this sparkling red variety is regaining
popularity among those looking for a
cooling, fuller-bodied alternative to
summer rosé.
Dishes range from small
assortimenti of sliced parma ham,
salami, mortadella and capicola
to massive platters suitable for
groups (88/188RMB). Freshly
baked flatbreads are a nice touch.
The house-made cured pork spread,
topped with parmesan cheese,
melts into the dough still hot from
the grill. While the cold cuts are more
of a snack than a meal, with a glass
of fruity, effervescent lambrusco
it’s quite the summer treat – and
more room for wine was never
a bad thing. Buona Bocca is
a comfortable, well-priced
hybrid of substance and
style, you’ll find us on
the terrace until the
first snows.
By Nick Gollner
