The hallway of Tongli Studios on Sanlitun ‘Dirty’ Bar Street doesn’t smell good. It doesn’t look good either, to be honest. It’s not a building complex known for chic eateries or high-end boutiques (at least not anymore), nor does it have the draw of its better-lit, better-kept neighbors. Rather, its hallway plays host to a set of stairs you probably only ever stumble down after a sloppy night out at Kokomo.
This being the epicenter of late-night boozy pandemonium, we’re pleasantly surprised to discover DAFA. The new Korean restaurant’s entrance sits adjacent to eye-roll-worthy Cheers Bar, but once safely inside the confines of its slick, whitewashed rooms, we forget the atrocities witnessed outside.
DAFA offers solid Korean fare in a space that might fit better in a more upscale complex. What was once depressingly dank brick concrete on the walls outside DAFA has been painted white inside. The owner has created a chic space to the tune of hippified grunge, painting street-art style messages on the walls himself. (Our favorite? One that reads: “WE LOVE THIS FUCKING DIRTY TOWN.”)
That said, it’s not too classy, as evidenced by the massive “Open 24 Hours” sign on one of the windows. While we’re merely visiting for after-work dinner, we see evidence of a party spot to come: a stage outfitted with DJ equipment, liquor bottles on the shelf and a wide-open space for hoodlums to hang out by the bar. Owner Lu Shao, who’s promoted bar and club in the past, has bigger plans than feeding drunk revelers at 3am – he plans on throwing parties.
Until then, we’re here for the food: good-value Korean classics like barbecued pork (RMB48-58), kimchi soup (RMB32) and four flavors of fried chicken (RMB68, yes, fried chicken is in the “Korean classics” category now). The fried chicken could use some more work, and the fries are flavorless. But we genuinely enjoy our massive Korean hot pot (RMB128) with slabs of melting cheese on top – and we’re sober. That means it’s even better when drunk, right?
In its Tongli Studios context, we predict DAFA’s walls won’t be pristinely white for long. But as anyone who’s ever driven a new sports car in the rain (not us) could tell you, that shit’s gonna get beat up anyway. And that’s OK, because, otherwise, what’s the point of having it in the first place?
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