By Erik Nilsson (Beijing Weekend)
Updated: 2007-11-15 11:39

Culture vultures swooping through the Nanlouguxiang strip would find Desert Oasis to be the perfect place to imbibe in a Xinjiang vibe. This two-storey shrine to the autonomous region, also known as Shan Mu Lan Bar (Mountain Wood Blue), is chock-a-block with knickknacks and bric-a-brac from West China.

Even the staffers hail from Xinjiang, and owner Yue Aoyu is prone to push the Sinkiang brand black beer produced in the region in her suggestive sales spiel. The place prides itself - and rightly so - on its plethora of specialty beverages, especially its Xinjiang iced yogurt. Imported brews infused with fruity and floral flourishes, such as lemonade-flavored Jolly Shandy, outnumber the commonplace beers found on the drink list. And, amazingly, this array is available for less than 18 yuan a bottle.

The establishment also proffers an eclectic mix of pub grub, including many Western favorites and fusion dishes, such as pizzas covered with Xinjiang-flavored toppings. Desert Oasis' first floor is so jam-packed with cultural curios - the largest of which is a tree-root tea table - that there isn't much room left for seating. A narrow staircase, curiously decorated with used cigarette packs stacked between the steps - a suggestion of Ye's friends, she says - leads to a cozy upstairs area and a rooftop terrace above that.

The second floor is adorned with more of the Xinjiang-styled falderal found downstairs, most of which is shelved along an arcade of decorative pointed arches, characteristic of the region. But even odder oddments are found here, such as individual, plastic leaves glued randomly along the cream-orange-colored, spackled walls. But this knickknackery stops just short of gimcrackery.

Since Desert Oasis opened in March of this year, it has worked to make West China's exotic appeal its own, and punters would agree that it's the perfect nightspot to get a taste of the spirits and soul of Xinjiang.

Desert Oasis
Location: 3 Shajing Hutong, Nanluoguxiang, Dongcheng Dist
Tel: 010-6403-7856