By Jim Boyce

The second branch of South African restaurant Pinotage is set to open in Sanlitun Soho this weekend, says partner Toby Cao. The venue is directly across from the Adidas shop in Sanlitun Village and a few meters from where the Intercontinental hotel will open. It shares the complex with venues like Argentine restaurant Che Diego and Korean restaurant Ssam.

Pinotage includes a stripped down dining room (think simple wood furniture and white brick walls), a room with “chef’s table” that adjoins the kitchen and a wine bar. The latter is managed by Johnson and can comfortably seat ~30 people, including a dozen or so at a long bar, and includes trays for flights of up to eight wines. The menu includes ~60 wines that Cao imports from a dozen or so South African producers, including Babylonstoren, KMV, Boland Cellar, Bon Courage, Rooiberg, De Meye, Sarah’s Creek, Arabella, Jacqures Bruier, Papllion and Simonsvlei. Here’s hoping Pinotage stocks other South African wines available in Beijing, such as those from Springfield Estates.

Cao also plans to soon launch a smart phone app in English and Chinese so customers can get more info on the wines and order them for delivery.

In terms of food, he says chef Amber Deetlefts will present a very different menu that at the first Pinotage and says it is “modern” South African cuisine. I’ll have more on this soon. The hours will be noon to 2 AM daily, with lunch, dinner and bar menus available.

Opening dates can be a bit tricky in Beijing, so if you plan to head over to Pinoage this weekend I suggest first giving the place a call at 5785-3538.

Grape Wall has no sponsors of advertisers: if you find the content and projects like World Marselan Day worthwhile, please help cover the costs via PayPal, WeChat or Alipay.

Sign up for the free Grape Wall newsletter here. Follow Grape Wall on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. And contact Grape Wall via grapewallofchina (at) gmail.com.