Rumors are seeping through the traffic fumes of Guomao that Beijing's first reggae bar could be about to fall victim to the latest swing of the capital's wrecking ball. Set up one and a half years ago, Together Bar has quietly developed a reputation as a haven of friendliness, guaranteed good music and incredibly generous (both in price and portion) drinks. But its location, near the roar of the Third Ring Road and in the shadow of Jianwai Soho, is unfortunately slap bang in the middle of prime real estate.

For the time being it is just neighborhood gossip so it would seem Together has at least another summer to whip out the Jamaican barbecue a homemade and very effective contraption bought from the local rag and bone man and serve up its Bob Marley punch. Which is all the more important following the closure of Upsetter Bar, the city's other reggae bar in Houhai.

Together is tiny, with no more than 20 seats, but as the weather warms up, people spill out onto the veranda and into the quiet street outside. Over a year on, a small DJ booth has added to the corner and the drinks menu has expanded to include Pisco Sours although availability depends on another friend going on the Inca Trail in the near future. The price of Tsingtao has actually been reduced to 10 yuan and cocktails hover around the 25-yuan mark. The walls are no longer monopolised with pictures of Bob Marley although fighting for wall space with the great man is still futile. Stylish photographs of Together's regulars punctuate the musician theme.

The true highlight, though, is owner, and former IT engineer, Robin Liao's musings on the correlation between reggae and life in China. He has written a small tome on reggae in China for next month's issue of Rolling Stone magazine.

Together Bar
Time: Daily 2pm-midnight, Together,
Address:2 Changpocun (700 meters south of Guomao), East side of East Third Ring Road, Chaoyang District.
Tel: 010-8771-4865.