Unapologetically grungy, Bass Man Bar is a short strut from Holiday Plaza down Huaxia Jie, where Baishizhou’s true colors begin to come to its gritty surface. Marked by a huge sign proclaiming ‘bar’ in Chinese, the entrance is a set of dusty stairs that lead underground past dozens of empty bottles set on transparent shelves and visible from the street side.
When we visit, owner Ben Guo says he has 60 types of imported beer, mostly bottled and sitting in a glass-fronted fridge. If you've been to Coco Park’s Foam Heaven, you’re familiar with the system: snatch a bottle, pay at the counter and plunk yourself down somewhere to drink. Notably, there are eight bottled Brew Dog beers, including the fruity and sharp Punk IPA to the hop-heavy Dead Pony Club, both RMB40.
On draft are the Boulevard Pale Ale (RMB30), Vedett Extra White (RMB25) and the dark, caramel-flavored Founders Porter (RMB50), though its name is only displayed in handwritten Chinese.
Lights hang from a black ceiling and slowly change colors over a long wooden bar and five tables, which sit in between quasi-elegant paintings of a woman with a cat – leftovers from a previous owner’s attempt at turning the space into a ritzy wine cellar.
Bands sometimes play popular Chinese songs from a small stage, which is surrounded by faux Baroque red pleather couches.
The English-speaking manager is friendly, though he explains he is actually just the owner’s roommate.
Anyone who visited Rose Café will find some familiar eats on Bass Man Bar’s menu. Guo says the chicken wraps and falafel wraps (both RMB25) are exactly the same as sold at the now shuttered cafe. And he would know: he’s a former employee.
Bass Man Bar will not top the list for discerning drinkers, its stairs unswept and interior scrabbled together from a wine-cellar past, but judging by nearby Paradise Bar’s alleyway existence, there are enough people in Baishizhou who will be satisfied with its combination of simple food and decent booze.
Price: RMB50 for a beer and a snack
Who’s going: thirsty Baishizhouers
Good for: imbibing below ground, revisiting the ghost of Rose Café
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