Yesterday afternoon I recieved a text message the merely said.

"Dear Friends, please come to Cotton Club this Friday.  Raiko's exhibition.  Paintings.  Time: 17:00 - 2:00.  Thank you."

Though I had the number saved in my phone as Raiko, I must have met this person whilst blacked out, as I had no idea who this mystery artist actually was.  Interested to find out if the exhibition would be worth going to/writing about, I gave Raiko a call to see if he could send me  some pictures of his work to put up on this here website.  Being that he was busy putting some finishing touches on the exhibit, he pointed me toward his personal website, where I was happily surprised to find that yes, the exhibit is definitely worth checking out.  His works vary in mediums from sculpture and video, to painitng and graffiti, and all contain a vibrant, urban aesthetic.  Now, I'm no art critic, so I'll let the pictures do the talking, but if you like what you see, make sure to make it out to Cotton Club sometime in the next week.  

The European Championship is upon us, and with a number of places to watch it CQSCENE took it upon ourselves to highlight a few good spots to take in all the action.  

1. Li Dan Bar(not real name) on Hanyu Lu(just up the hill a bit from the traffic light) in Shapingba.  With good AC, comfortable seating, and plenty of TVs and a projector, this lesser known spot is a great place to watch England lose to France! 

2.  Just down the road from Li Dan, Da Rasta will be showing all matches live on a projector, and replays of the previous night's matches starting at 19:00

3.  The JW Marriot in Jefangbei is offering ¥98 for free-flow beer during all live matches.

4.  If you're made fo gold, then The Harp Irish pub in HongYaDong will gladly take your first-born for a beer.  And they might even show the football.

5.  And for a less traditional route, True Color club will be showing the matches too a soundtrack of blaring electro-house!

So, I recently heard about Chongqing's latest independent Pizza restaurant, and how it is 'the best in Chongqing.'  I've previously heard similar statements about both Nova and the new high-end Italian restaurant Xixili(Sicily/西西里), both in Nanping.  Now, I'm poor, and Nan Ping is far, so I've yet to try Xixili, and my only experience with Nova was when a friend dropped a couple cold slices off at my place(though I must say, even that was delicious), so I'm not fit to declare Sam's Chongqing's best pizza, but if you're in or around Jeifangbei it is most definitely worth the trip.  Like it's predecessor Suzie's, Sam's Pizza is housed in an apartment, which can be strange if its something you're not accustom to, but gives it a relaxed, homey feel if you can get used to it.  

The tone was well set as I was presented with a complimentary basket of bread sticks(more like twigs), and a glass of water as soon as I was seated(its the little things...).  And more points were scored when the waitress placed a cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a bottle of tabasco shortly before my first pizza arrived.   Wanting to try as many of the menu options as possible without breaking my belly or the bank, I asked if I could have them make me a split pizza, which they were more than happy to do.  So my first course was a 10 inch, half bacon and sausage, half bacon and potato(¥48).  Both were quite good, though I give the edge to the bacon and potato.  What impressed me most was the amount of toppings Sam put on the pizza.  Every inch was covered in meat, vegetables, and a thick layer of cheese.  So much so that at times the crust had a difficult time of holding up.  

I also had to try the parma ham pizza(¥28 6 inch), as prosciutto is a personal weakness of mine.  The prosciutto on this pizza is typically accompanied with arugula, but being as arugula is not too common in China, it was substituted with shredded romaine lettuce, which wasn't bad, but unnecessary. 

My final course was the spaghetti Bolognese(¥22).  The portion was a good size, the noodles cooked to perfection, the bolognese sauce was thick and tasty, though it could of used a tad bit more salt and pepper for my liking.   



Address: Jiaochangkou, Riyueguang Plaza R1 block, 4405       渝中区民权路日月光解放碑1号R1栋4405