"With a name like Club Camp, it has to be a gay-friendly restaurant," I said to myself as I got out of a taxi, just by Destination. After crossing the road, taking the glass elevator to the sixth floor, and stepping out into the flamboyant lobby, the place seemed to be living up to its name - it was, dare I say, a little "effeminate". There was, therefore, a mixture of disappointment and relief when the manager answered my most burning question: "Why the name?"
Think more homophones than homosexuals. I was told that the name was chosen simply because the word "camp" sounds like the Chinese name "kanpu", which means" a place for people to chat together". While this restaurant may have a slightly misleading title, Club Camp is far more than just a good location for a chinwag; it is an affordable place to eat some of Beijing's best Yunnan cuisine.
There was nothing camp about the interior – I must have been imagining it. A rough-and-ready floor, an unfinished ceiling, Chinese screens dotted about and pieces of antique furniture give the place a character that would be trendy enough for, but not unique to, a gay bar. "Look at the menu", said my friend, as she slid a box of cards across the table, "isn't it cute?" Since I found rifling through the unattached pieces of cardboard a little irritating, it was with relief that I discovered that our supper was to be chosen for us. We were to get the best of Club Camp's modified Yunnan cuisine - classics from the southern Chinese province, combined with twists of South East Asian flavors.
As we waited for our food, we sipped mijiu - a weak alcoholic drink made using fermented rice. This Yunnan speciality is served on ice and looks like an alco-pop. For me, this sweet but delicate wine was a first, and probably one of the highlights of the meal.
