Mexican-Korean Fusion Restaurant Palms LA to Close Gulou Branch
Sad news of yet another hutong closure came this weekend when everyone's favorite Korean-Mexican fusion restaurant (okay, perhaps the only Korean-Mexican fusion restaurant) Palms LA Kitchen and Bar announced that their Gulou branch will close on Jan 27.
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The notice came via owner Michael Tsai's WeChat on Sunday, in which he wrote:
Palms @ Gulou, our little slice of LA sunshine in the hutongs, will be closing it’s doors forever on Jan 27 due to the Great Brickening. Our first store opened almost exactly four years ago! We are so honored to have had the support of the community, made so many friends, and been part of so many of your celebrations, first dates, holidays, engagements, good days and bad. Until our next project opens, we hope to see you all at Palms @ Liangmaqiao!
Please stop by for a special celebration on closing day, Jan 27, midday-late.
We first visited Palms when it opened back in March 2014 and were impressed by its reasonable prices, innovative (for Beijing) ingredient combos, and its strong and tasty cocktails. Anyone who frequented the original venue is also likely to miss its cozy-to-the-point-of-cramped dining, which gave it a special, romantic atmosphere (who hasn't been on a date to Palms?), as well as the restaurant's friendly and receptive staff.
Sadly, another brick in the wall means one less nook of warmth in the quickly-depleting hutongs, but luckily for us, Palms had the foresight to expand to Liangmaqiao well before Beijing's bricking began.
Upon finding out the news, we asked owner Michael Tsai about the details of the closure, what's next for Palms, as well as his opinion on what has been happening in the hutongs over the past 16 months.
When did you first find out that you’d have to close? Did you know that the day would come eventually?
Initially, we did not think that the Great Brickening would ever reach us. We have heard so many stories and versions of its motives, some from local authorities and others from the hutong rumor mill, but nothing is conclusive. At first, these various stories led us to believe that the demolitions and closures were focused on other hutongs east of us. Zhangwang Hutong sits just at the border of Dongcheng and Xicheng, so for a while we thought we might have been a happy administrative oversight. In the end, we heard from a helpful older neighbor that the bricks were coming our way come springtime. Our landlord later confirmed it’s happening for sure.
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Is the current lot of bricking billed to affect any of the other restaurants or businesses around you?
We didn’t ask that far, but we hope not! The current bricking won’t stop us – Palms is very much staying in Beijing. I think that’s the message for everyone getting bricked up: get back up. I’m sure our fallen comrades-in-bricks from Fangjia and many other hutongs share that sentiment. If there were a safe space to reopen in the hutongs (with things like, you know, a door...), we’d probably do it in a heartbeat, and even now we are looking at a few collaborations to keep our spirit alive in the alleyways where Palms all started. In the meantime, Palms at Liangmaqiao will also be in full swing and we are going to finish the projects we started before the bricking notice reached us – so stay tuned for more Palms.
What’s your personal opinion on what’s happening to the hutongs and further afield in Beijing?
We have mixed feelings. On one hand, the country’s shift to regularity and rule of law isn’t a bad thing in principle. Anywhere, business benefits from predictability and consistency. There’s obviously a concerted effort to make Beijing feel more polished. We can only speculate at whether that has to do with the upcoming Olympics or important political happenings (or neither). Still, every day I hope that powerful Beijingers somewhere will stop what’s going on. The hutongs are the Trastevere or Left Bank of Beijing, that bastion of authenticity that artists and musicians, expat hipsters, original Beijingers, and local micro-entrepreneurs flock to for inspiration and culture. I’m proud to be numbered among them. It’s foolish to think that a global city can thrive without authenticity and the hutongs, we would argue, are Beijing’s main source of authenticity. My deepest fear is that it someday becomes the vast empty spaces east of Qianmen or the abandoned redevelopment at Shichahai – sterile and devoid of residents.
What were some of your favorite memories of running Palms LA in the hutongs?
Watching a community grow and thrive. When we first opened, we had no idea how many big moments in our customers’ lives would happen at Palms … dates, engagements, birthdays, celebrations of all kinds. The mayor and city council of Los Angeles even came to eat once! I love that Palms’ brand has come to mean “happy times.” On so many summer weekends I’d watch an afternoon roll into evening through our open windows. A first date happening at table one, their eyes looking at each other for signs of interest. At the next table, friends bemoaning a recent breakup and toasting to the next great conquests. At the high table, a new arrival to Beijing introduces herself to the guests sitting next to her. Locals and expats rubbing shoulders and making friends. Happy birthdays being sung, going away parties being held. Someone sitting at the bar for a strong drink and conversation. People are at the heart of our first space and why we still want to keep expanding our brand. Without a doubt, our Liangmaqiao location has inherited this community building spirit.
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In your WeChat post, you hint at a new project. Can you tell us anything about what that might entail? Will everything continue as usual at Palms LA Liangmaqiao?
Palms at Liangmaqiao is totally unaffected. We are looking forward to the patio opening as soon as the weather warms up. Bring your dogs and come have some margaritas! Despite the closure of little Palms we’re cheerful and we’re very busy. We are looking at more collaborations with some of your local favorites, a new express concept by Palms is coming to Chaoyang Joy City … and after all that has settled, we will probably start looking for a replacement location for what is now little Palms! In sum, the bricking is bittersweet, but we’re unfazed and we’re moving forward. It was a great run at Zhangwang Hutong! And if it makes you feel any better, find a friend with a scooter because from little Palms to big Palms is just about 15 minutes door to door.
Head by Palms on Jan 27, midday-late, for what will surely be a cocktail-laden and hazy blowout for one of Gulou's favorite hutong enclaves.
Photo courtesy of Michael Tsai
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