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 ... and going with strange girls who want to practice their English to coffee shops is STILL a bad idea, folks.
Yet another chump ??? this time a Swedish guy on a business trip ??? has fallen for the time-honoured
scam by following a pair of temptresses who were "dressed like university students" (so wearing mortar boards, presumably) to the Manabe coffee shop on the 3rd floor of the Brilliance Shimao Plaza, Shanghai Daily reported
yesterday. He was then duly fleeced for 4,966 RMB after his coquettish companions managed to neck twelve RMB 400 whiskies and a few coffees between them, before high-tailing it to leave our sap with the bill, WHICH HE PAID.
The guy said he left Shanghai feeling "disappointed". Damn straight ??? if those girls could still walk after six RMB 400 whiskeys each, then we'd feel screwed over too.
Okay, so we understand how situations can spiral out of control pretty quickly, and the mode turned a bit sinister once the bill was presented. And that he was a stranger in a strange land. But surely this is all the more reason to be aware of stranger danger, kids.
Apparently the police issued a suitably vague warning for foreigners to "be careful taking tea or coffee". We can only assume they're preparing to spring into action do stamp this kind of thing out. Again.
Picture from The Fun Times Guide.
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 BLUES ROOM GRAND OPENING: Tonight (Wednesday Dec 12TH), 8-11pm, FREE vodka cocktails and snacks. Live jazz. Be there!
RUBY RED WHITE BORDEAUX TASTING: Something special for wine aficionados this Friday (Dec 14th, 7.30pm): Ruby Red is holding a tasting of 6 Bordeaux white wines - 3 dry whites and 3 Sauternes, including Chateau D'Yquem and Lafaurie Peyrageuy!! A fantastic opportunity to taste these famous wines. Given the wine quality to be offered, the cost is a reasonable RMB350 per head. For bookings and other information, please call Ruby Red on 6234 3031, or e-mail: info@rubyred.co.nz
40 SHANGHAI BARS IN BRIEF
Which ones will you visit this weekend?
Avenue (101 Wuning South Rd): Relaxing bar in Jing An that opened this year, ideal for local drinkers. Happy Hour Carlsberg just RMB15.
Aquarium Bar (2F, 6 on The Bund): Sit at a table next to the large aquarium and discuss pertinent, piscine points with your pals. Quite fantastic! That's why the draft beer costs RMB58.
Be-Bop: Winopete's favourite watering hole on the Hongmei entertainment street. Low key and friendly staff. Music requests accepted. Pool table upstairs.
Big Bamboo (132 Nanyang Rd): Bustling bar with 2-8pm happy hour, several TV screens for watching sports, average food, service sometimes scatty. Overrated, much like Facebook, but reliable.
Blarney Stone (5 Dongping Rd): Great food, friendy and efficient service, cosy atmosphere, sports broadcasts and traditional Celtic music performed by 'Big Paul' and 'Harry'. The only thing missing is a happy hour. One of Winopete's favourite spots.
Blue Frog (several locations): Spawning itself all over Shanghai and beyond, generally quite a reliable establishment for eating and drinking. Good happy hour and Tuesday all-day RMB25 drinks.
Blues Room (Tongren/Nanjing West Rds): For jazz-starved drinkers, this new place is for you. Live music nearly all nights until late.
British Bulldog (Wulumuqi Sth/Dongping Rds): This place offers nothing different from nearby bars apart from occasional very late night sports broadcasts and accompanying snacks.
Bubbas (2262 Hongqiao Rd): Very Texan, with great food and several American beers. Holds popular chilli cooking competitions. I'd go there more often if it were closer to home. One of the rarer success stories in recent years.
Castle Oktober (39 Taojiang Rd): Sometimes it's amazing what money can't buy. This is one of those times.
Champions (Marriott Hongqiao): After Bubbas, stumble into Champions next door at the Marriott and listen to the underwhelming Filipino band while drinking 5-star hotel-priced drinks. Just don't make a habit of it.
Constellation Bar (86 Xinle Rd): Excellent, small cocktail bar that does not need to advertise. Good range of whiskeys too. For discerning drinkers, not loud partying types.
Cottons (cnr Jianguo West, Anting Rds): Run-of-the-mill range of drinks, but a fabulous setting.
De Ja Vu (Tongren Rd, near Yan'an West Rd): One of the most blatant rip-off bars on Tongren Rd. Their goal seems to be to shaft every customer who comes through the door. Avoid it.
DR Bar: Slightly pricey bar in Xintiandi, but check out the very special wall design.
El Cubano (3896 Hong Mei Rd): The original one in Gubei makes the best mojitos in town, and has busy Latino nights late Fri/Sat. The food is so-so.
Face (Bldg 4, Ruijin Guesthouse, 114 Ruijin Er Lu): Come during the warmer months and sit next to the large lawn. Expect Jeeves to prepare the G&Ts and cucumber sandwiches. All jolly good. Anyone been to the Face in Pudong?
Flashback (Julu Rd bar strip): Probably the worst bar among the justifyingly,decaying Julu Rd bar strip. Avoid.
Flying Fox (cnr Xinjinqiao and Hongfeng Rds): Started off well last year, but has lost popularity after some management changes. New bars nearby will test its mettle.
Free Soul (1221 Changle Rd): A no-frills, cheap dive bar worth visiting.
Glamour Bar (6F, 5 on The Bund): Used to be nice, but now panders to the 'look at me', want to be 'in' set and plastic expats. Occasionally holds some decent live music events though.
Hamilton House (137 Fuzhou Rd): New venue near the Bund with a nice bar, good range of drinks but limited food menu. Feedback to date is that the drinks are good, but the food needs improvement. No happy hour.
Jean-Georges Bar (4F, 3 on The Bund): Very posh, with very professional service. Ideal for a splurge. A popular hang-out for F&B industry big wigs.
Jenny's Blue Bar (7 Donghu Rd): OK for one or two drinks, popular with Teutonic tipplers.
Joy Bar and Cafe (345 Wuning Sth Rd): A respectable, small bar with friendly staff. Food quality has deteriorated though. Opened this year.
Koala Bar (280 Huaihai West Rd): A friendly, little bar cluttered up with a large pool table. Cheap drinks. Skip the food.
Martini Bar (1F, 6 on The Bund): Excellent martinis, cocktails and truffle cheese. Bund prices. Does have a week day happy hour (6-8pm) worth noting. Music sometimes played too damn loud, even when there's a paucity of clientele.
Nancy's: Another of the few reasonable bars on the Hongmei entertainment street.
Noah's (6F, 37 Fuzhou Rd): Inside Captain Hostel. Cheapest beer on the Bund! Decent view too!
Old Manhattan (231 Huashan Rd): No-frills bar opposite the Hilton with good happy hour. Popular with late night drinkers who are used to beating off belligerent beggars and hoary hookers.
O'Malleys (42 Taojiang Rd): Still trundling along after 11 years, but needs a new lease of life to capitalise fully on its reputation and location.
Penthouse Bar (Hilton): One of Winopete's favourite hotel bars. Go mid to late evening, sink into one of the lounges, sip a wine and enjoy the soft live music and fine city night time views. Pleasantly dark. Leave the shades at home.
Real Shanghai Cafe (253 Huashan Rd): Winopete's pick of the bars opposite the Hilton. Serves up some decent Teppanyaki tucker. 2-4-1 happy hour from 4-8pm.
Sasha's (cnr Hengshan, Dongping Rds): Good food, good pizzas, great wine buffet and extensive wine list, friendly and efficient service. Nice garden for the warmer months. Another of Winopete's regular hangouts.
Tara (2F, 57 Fuxing West Rd): Overrated cocktail lounge with ghastly red decore.
The Hut (385 Yongjia Rd): I have yet to visit here, but some reliable drinking buddies recommend it for a relaxing ale.
The Shed (off Lane 210, Taikang Rd): Aussie beers available at almost cost price. Wowsers not welcome. Invitation initially needed via Justbeer.cn due to the bar's closet-sized space.
Three Sisters (Fenyang Rd, just a little north from Paulaner): A place for the lads. Watch the bill though. Leave the wife or g/f at home.
Trader Vics (cnr Fengyang and Datian Rds): Wonderful tropical cocktails, spectacular decore, good food, friendly and efficient service. Just needs many more customers to fill the ridiculously large space. A barrel of Tortuga has led this scribe to sleep on their sofa more than once.
Woodstock: One of the safer bars on Tongren that plays good 'ol rock n' roll videos.
... with stacks more to come!
HAPPY DRINKING!
Winopete is Shanghaiist's resident drunkard. Email tips, recommendations, news and gossip about Shanghai's bar scene to drink at shanghaiist dot com.
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BLUES ROOM GRAND OPENING: Tonight (Wednesday Dec 12TH), 8-11pm, FREE vodka cocktails and snacks. Live jazz. Be there!
RUBY RED WHITE BORDEAUX TASTING: Something special for wine aficionados this Friday (Dec 14th, 7.30pm): Ruby Red is holding a tasting of 6 Bordeaux white wines - 3 dry whites and 3 Sauternes, including Chateau D'Yquem and Lafaurie Peyrageuy!! A fantastic opportunity to taste these famous wines. Given the wine quality to be offered, the cost is a reasonable RMB350 per head. For bookings and other information, please call Ruby Red on 6234 3031, or e-mail: info@rubyred.co.nz
40 SHANGHAI BARS IN BRIEF
Which ones will you visit this weekend?
Avenue (101 Wuning South Rd): Relaxing bar in Jing An that opened this year, ideal for local drinkers. Happy Hour Carlsberg just RMB15.
Aquarium Bar (2F, 6 on The Bund): Sit at a table next to the large aquarium and discuss pertinent, piscine points with your pals. Quite fantastic! That's why the draft beer costs RMB58.
Be-Bop: Winopete's favourite watering hole on the Hongmei entertainment street. Low key and friendly staff. Music requests accepted. Pool table upstairs.
Big Bamboo (132 Nanyang Rd): Bustling bar with 2-8pm happy hour, several TV screens for watching sports, average food, service sometimes scatty. Overrated, much like Facebook, but reliable.
Blarney Stone (5 Dongping Rd): Great food, friendy and efficient service, cosy atmosphere, sports broadcasts and traditional Celtic music performed by 'Big Paul' and 'Harry'. The only thing missing is a happy hour. One of Winopete's favourite spots.
Blue Frog (several locations): Spawning itself all over Shanghai and beyond, generally quite a reliable establishment for eating and drinking. Good happy hour and Tuesday all-day RMB25 drinks.
Blues Room (Tongren/Nanjing West Rds): For jazz-starved drinkers, this new place is for you. Live music nearly all nights until late.
British Bulldog (Wulumuqi Sth/Dongping Rds): This place offers nothing different from nearby bars apart from occasional very late night sports broadcasts and accompanying snacks.
Bubbas (2262 Hongqiao Rd): Very Texan, with great food and several American beers. Holds popular chilli cooking competitions. I'd go there more often if it were closer to home. One of the rarer success stories in recent years.
Castle Oktober (39 Taojiang Rd): Sometimes it's amazing what money can't buy. This is one of those times.
Champions (Marriott Hongqiao): After Bubbas, stumble into Champions next door at the Marriott and listen to the underwhelming Filipino band while drinking 5-star hotel-priced drinks. Just don't make a habit of it.
Constellation Bar (86 Xinle Rd): Excellent, small cocktail bar that does not need to advertise. Good range of whiskeys too. For discerning drinkers, not loud partying types.
Cottons (cnr Jianguo West, Anting Rds): Run-of-the-mill range of drinks, but a fabulous setting.
De Ja Vu (Tongren Rd, near Yan'an West Rd): One of the most blatant rip-off bars on Tongren Rd. Their goal seems to be to shaft every customer who comes through the door. Avoid it.
DR Bar: Slightly pricey bar in Xintiandi, but check out the very special wall design.
El Cubano (3896 Hong Mei Rd): The original one in Gubei makes the best mojitos in town, and has busy Latino nights late Fri/Sat. The food is so-so.
Face (Bldg 4, Ruijin Guesthouse, 114 Ruijin Er Lu): Come during the warmer months and sit next to the large lawn. Expect Jeeves to prepare the G&Ts and cucumber sandwiches. All jolly good. Anyone been to the Face in Pudong?
Flashback (Julu Rd bar strip): Probably the worst bar among the justifyingly,decaying Julu Rd bar strip. Avoid.
Flying Fox (cnr Xinjinqiao and Hongfeng Rds): Started off well last year, but has lost popularity after some management changes. New bars nearby will test its mettle.
Free Soul (1221 Changle Rd): A no-frills, cheap dive bar worth visiting.
Glamour Bar (6F, 5 on The Bund): Used to be nice, but now panders to the 'look at me', want to be 'in' set and plastic expats. Occasionally holds some decent live music events though.
Hamilton House (137 Fuzhou Rd): New venue near the Bund with a nice bar, good range of drinks but limited food menu. Feedback to date is that the drinks are good, but the food needs improvement. No happy hour.
Jean-Georges Bar (4F, 3 on The Bund): Very posh, with very professional service. Ideal for a splurge. A popular hang-out for F&B industry big wigs.
Jenny's Blue Bar (7 Donghu Rd): OK for one or two drinks, popular with Teutonic tipplers.
Joy Bar and Cafe (345 Wuning Sth Rd): A respectable, small bar with friendly staff. Food quality has deteriorated though. Opened this year.
Koala Bar (280 Huaihai West Rd): A friendly, little bar cluttered up with a large pool table. Cheap drinks. Skip the food.
Martini Bar (1F, 6 on The Bund): Excellent martinis, cocktails and truffle cheese. Bund prices. Does have a week day happy hour (6-8pm) worth noting. Music sometimes played too damn loud, even when there's a paucity of clientele.
Nancy's: Another of the few reasonable bars on the Hongmei entertainment street.
Noah's (6F, 37 Fuzhou Rd): Inside Captain Hostel. Cheapest beer on the Bund! Decent view too!
Old Manhattan (231 Huashan Rd): No-frills bar opposite the Hilton with good happy hour. Popular with late night drinkers who are used to beating off belligerent beggars and hoary hookers.
O'Malleys (42 Taojiang Rd): Still trundling along after 11 years, but needs a new lease of life to capitalise fully on its reputation and location.
Penthouse Bar (Hilton): One of Winopete's favourite hotel bars. Go mid to late evening, sink into one of the lounges, sip a wine and enjoy the soft live music and fine city night time views. Pleasantly dark. Leave the shades at home.
Real Shanghai Cafe (253 Huashan Rd): Winopete's pick of the bars opposite the Hilton. Serves up some decent Teppanyaki tucker. 2-4-1 happy hour from 4-8pm.
Sasha's (cnr Hengshan, Dongping Rds): Good food, good pizzas, great wine buffet and extensive wine list, friendly and efficient service. Nice garden for the warmer months. Another of Winopete's regular hangouts.
Tara (2F, 57 Fuxing West Rd): Overrated cocktail lounge with ghastly red decore.
The Hut (385 Yongjia Rd): I have yet to visit here, but some reliable drinking buddies recommend it for a relaxing ale.
The Shed (off Lane 210, Taikang Rd): Aussie beers available at almost cost price. Wowsers not welcome. Invitation initially needed via Justbeer.cn due to the bar's closet-sized space.
Three Sisters (Fenyang Rd, just a little north from Paulaner): A place for the lads. Watch the bill though. Leave the wife or g/f at home.
Trader Vics (cnr Fengyang and Datian Rds): Wonderful tropical cocktails, spectacular decore, good food, friendly and efficient service. Just needs many more customers to fill the ridiculously large space. A barrel of Tortuga has led this scribe to sleep on their sofa more than once.
Woodstock: One of the safer bars on Tongren that plays good 'ol rock n' roll videos.
... with stacks more to come!
HAPPY DRINKING!
Winopete is Shanghaiist's resident drunkard. Email tips, recommendations, news and gossip about Shanghai's bar scene to drink at shanghaiist dot com.
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 WHAT TYPE OF DRUNK ARE YOU? When you get pissed out of your mind, are you a harmless drunk? A violent drunk? A poetic drunk or what? We all prefer not to meet a violent drunk because that's just trouble, and it's then up to somebody like a Zapatas bouncer to take him out. Loquacious drunks, like a German acquaintance, are pains in the backside, but it's usually easy to make a quiet exit. Then there are also the obnoxious squeeze me-kiss me drunks, the super grouch drunks, the "I'm-the-best-and-everybody-should-love-me drunks", the hyper-giggly drunks and the teary, tree-hugging-love-everybody drunks. With lots of Christmas drinking coming up, be sure to stay in control as much as possible. Whatever type of drunk you are, just remember if you irritate the wrong fella at the wrong moment, you're likely to get your lights punched out...and you might actually deserve it.
AVENUE BAR (101 Wuning South Road 武宁南路101号) Avenue is quite a new bar located on the north-west corner of the Wuning-Wuding Road intersection, a few blocks north of Jing An temple. Predominantly of the dark wood look, there are some sofas in the area inside the entrance, a decent length bar with solid wooden bar stools and dim lighting. The range of beers and spirits is very standard, with bottled Hoegaarden at RMB40 the most eye-catching item on the menu. Draft Carlsberg is a good deal at just RMB30 for a pint, or 2-4-1 during happy hour which goes till 10pm. Other drinks are all buy two, get one free anytime. Wine drinkers will be disappointed, as there are no wines by the glass and only a few bottles of nondescript French wine priced from RMB280 a throw. Food is not available here. Avenue is managed by Ellen, a local chick with good English and who is responsible for keeping the MP3 music ticking over (a very good and wide selection here, with requests gladly taken). The other bar girls are young and shy, but easy on the eye. Apparently, Avenue has a very swish bathroom, but we've never stayed long enough to need it. This neighbourhood bar is suitable for nearby residents looking for a few drinks before either heading home or seeking somewhere with more action. Each time we've been there, there have always been a few foreigners downing a pint. For you 'non-Jing An-ers' though, it‘s probably not worth the time and taxi fare.
INTRODUCTORY COCKTAIL WORKSHOP Ruby Red will host an introductory cocktail work shop this Saturday (December 8th) with 'hands on' tuition. Coaching will be given by an instructor from Xiegaoshan, the local experts in cocktail making who also import a range of fine and rare liquors. The class will begin at 7.30pm. Cost is RMB60. For further information and bookings, please contact Ruby Red on 6234 3031, or e-mail: info@rubyred.co.nz. Sounds interesting.
ODDS AND ENDS
- Malones has taken over space in Thumb Plaza in Pudong, and is due to be operational there in early 2008.
- Enoteca is planning to open a second wine bar and restaurant on Taicang Road.
- Paolo, former bar manager at Trader Vics, is now at Club Mao.
- Ayuka, Martini Bar's star bartenderess, is back in the saddle after a break due to a swimming pool accident. Welcome back, Ayuka! Winopete and LB missed you.
- Tim Allen and Sean McIlroy, CEO and Operations Manager respectively for Theme Pub Company (Sasha's, Zapatas, O'Malleys), will leave Shanghai and Theme Pub Company at the end of this week to set up a chain of Thai fast food restaurants in Australia. The first store will be in the Melbourne CBD.
- Napa Wine Bar, an ASC-supported venture, had its soft opening last week. It is located near the JW Marriott. As soon as we media minnows are officially informed of the fine print, I'll bring you all the gory details and exact address. Unofficially, we heard it'll stock about 400 of ASC's wines, with about another 200 wines from other importers. We also heard that they intend pushing the food a lot. Let's hope they are not too aggressive with this, otherwise Napa will very quickly go the way of the dodo when it has barely hatched.
- An Australian-themed restaurant and bar called Kakadu is due to open soon in Luwan district. Another Outback clone?
- An industry source has whispered in our ears that the whole Moon River Diner chain is up for sale. Apparently internal bickering and slow sales at some venues were catalysts behind the decision to seek a buyer.
- Need booze and need food too? For something simple, go for beer and pizza at New York Style Pizza. Ideal for take away as well. A reasonable priced range of beers is available to go with that Hell's Kitchen pizza we like so much. New York Style Pizza recently opened up in Bangkok (on Soi Thonglor, we believe).
- Over in Taipei, Bob Marshall will leave Carnegies next month after a very successful 6-year stint as its first GM.
HAPPY DRINKING!!!!
Picture of a Shanghai drunk from 2 dogs
Winopete is Shanghaiist's resident drunkard. Email tips, recommendations, news and gossip about Shanghai's bar scene to drink at shanghaiist dot com.
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 DONGPING ROAD: DOOMED OR REDISCOVERED? As some readers may know, the strip of Dongping Road on the south side from Hengshan to Yueyang Roads is leased to the bars, restaurants, tailors etc by the music college behind them. Most of the leases are coming up for renewal over the next 2-12 months.There has been some concern that the music college may decide to reclaim their land for their own expansion purposes, rather than renew the leases. The Blarney Stone's current 5-year lease is due for renewal at the end of this year. At this stage, the Blarney looks like getting a renewed lease for 3 years at triple the current rent level. This augurs well for Sasha's, which occupies one of Shanghai's choicest pieces of real estate and for which the lease expires in October 2008. If the Blarney does succeed in clinching a 3 year deal, then Sasha's management may be able to achieve the same, also at triple the current rent, so long as there are no puritans among the music school's top administration who wish to reclaim the property merely for political reasons. For the moment though, the future is still unclear for the hordes of entrenched epicureans and wanderlust-less winos who call Sashas and the Blarney Stone home.
Despite these Damoclean lease concerns overhanging the tenants on Dongping Road's south side, prospects are brighter on the north side. The Simply Life/Simply Thai group is developing a complex called The Village opposite the Blarney Stone, and this is supposed to house retailers including a wine shop and a bread shop, Paul. No doubt this new shopping complex will bring new consumers into the area which will have a positive effect on all the current Dongping Road businesses. Watch this space for developments.
AMERICAN STEAK AND EGGS BOOZE BARGAINS: A couple of weeks ago we told you about the cheap, quaffable Argentinian wine (RMB65/bottle) available at American Steak and Eggs on Xikang Lu. Well, that's not all for you booze bargain hunters. During Cocktail Hour, that runs from 4-7pm, Mon-Fri, all mixed drinks are 2 for RMB22. Usually the cocktails are RMB22 each, and they have a list of about 30 of them. Back to wine, they also have another 10 reds and 5 whites by the bottle (some French, Chilean, Australian and Italian), all priced at RMB135, which is still an excellent price for Shanghai. From the wine list, Winopete's picks would be the Peter Lehmann Weighbridge Chardonnay or Shiraz, or the Redbank 'Long Paddock' Chardonnay or Shiraz. For beer drinkers, there's bottled Carlsberg and Corona at RMB23, Qingdao at RMB15 (or was it 13? Must check again), and Erdinger at RMB35 - possibly the cheapest in Shanghai. From their grog pricing, it is evident they want to make their money on the food, so this is why when I go in for some cheap wine or a bottomless coffee, they always place the food menu in front of me and hang around till we tell them we'll order food later. Our only problem with the place is it seems somewhat strange to drink wine or cocktails in a coffee shop atmosphere while staring at shelves of HP and A1 sauce. However, so far we have overcome that problem remarkably easily and we're sure you will too.
O'MALLEYS RUGBY SEVENS...O'Malleys will again be organising a tour to the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens Tournament in March. Trip dates are 28-31 March 2008. As before, the cost will cover all transfers, taxes, flight, shared accommodation, tour shirt, breakfasts and most importantly, the entrance ticket to the Sevens! Of course, the odd drink here and there will be covered as well as a few vouchers for some of Wanchai's best spots! Flights will be with Dragonair, and accommodation will be split between the Cosmo Hotel and Rosedale on the Park. Both hotels are on Hong Kong Island and are within walking distance to the stadium. Spaces are limited so reserve your spot now. Cost is RMB7400 (add RMB2700 for single supplement). Spaces are limited so it's best to reserve your spot now. E-mail: sevenstour@o-malleys-shanghai.com, or call Sean on 13817666694.
DROPS AND DREGS(Snippets from our snouts, tidbits and trivia from the trough and juicy 'goss' hot off the rumour mill) - Trader Vics might be closed down in January. However, rumour has it that the Dubai-based franchise backing the Shanghai op is still considering setting up in Beijing.
- Cotton, of Cotton's, is apparently looking for a second venue, with Gubei among the preferred locations.
- Emma, ex Blarney Stone, is now at Malone's. Snow, ex Real Shanghai Cafe and Blue Angel is now full time at school.
- Brendan (ex Dublin Exchange) and Declan (ex O'Malleys, Blarney Stone and Viscaya Club) are still scouring Pudong for a suitable new pub location.
- Revenue at M2, the club in Plaza 66 that only opened a couple of months ago replacing the defunct Wynn Wynn, is reportedly now half what it was when it opened.
WISHING ALL OUR AMERICAN READERS A HAPPY THANKSGIVING, AND THANKS TO ALL THE TURKEYS WHO ARE SUPPORTING THEM. HAPPY DRINKING!
Artist's impression of The Village from theSimply Life website
Winopete is Shanghaiist's resident drunkard. Email tips, recommendations, news and gossip about Shanghai's bar scene to drink at shanghaiist dot com.
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 This week's Shanghai pub news
HAMILTON HOUSE: Hamilton House Restaurant and Bar (137 Fuzhou Road 福州路137号) opened last week and is located at the corner of Fuzhou and Jiangxi Roads, opposite the Metropole Hotel and a couple of blocks back from the Bund. Hamilton House is a 1930s art deco building with nice high ceilings and reminds me of many bars in Melbourne. On the ground floor (i.e. first floor for you North American readers) there's a large bar (horse-shoe-style), a spacious dining area and the kitchen. Upstairs is a lounge area with seating for 20+ people, plus the bathrooms. Staff are dressed in professional, black uniforms, with the expat managers in suits. Even though this establishment is new, it was very busy when we visited about 10pm on Saturday night. A good sign for the owners.
The restaurant and bar are both open from 9am. The bar has no happy hour and no draft beer. Prices are okay as far as Bund venues go, but still a tad high compared to many other middle level Shanghai venues. Beers include Asahi, Heineken and Hoegaarden (RMB45); Chimay Blue and Duvel (RMB60). An extensive wine list of almost 50 wines will please wine drinkers, with 12 wines (6 reds and 6 whites) available by the glass starting from RMB50. Cheaper labels by the glass include Robert Skalli, Wolf Blass and Brown Brothers. There's also something called 'Hamilton House' at RMB30 which is likely to be a nasty Nelly. House pours are RMB45, with several martinis available at RMB60, including the rather nice Breakfast Martini (Bombay sapphire gin, Grand Marnier, New Zealand marmalade and lemon peel twist). Other liquors noticed include some 42 Below vodkas, Tanqueray Ten gin (RMB80) and Hendrick's gin (RMB60). Champagne drinkers will be pleased with a decent range of bubbly ranging from Laurent Perrier, all the way up to a premium Krug at RMB2480. The staff will ask you to pay for each drink after the drink is delivered. There's also a cheese platter at RMB100. For further information,including full menu details and some photos, visit see their website at www.hamiltonhouse.com.cn.
DUTCH NIGHT AT JOY BAR AND CAFE: Joy Bar and Cafe (345 Wuning South Rd, just north of Kangding Rd 武宁南路345弄，靠近康定路) will hold a Dutch night next Friday (Nov 16th) from 6.30 to 10.30. They're offering all-you-can-drink Heineken and Dutch vodka mixed drinks, plus all-you-can-eat Dutch food for RMB180. Everyone is invited. If you haven't been to Joy's Bar before, it's probably one of the friendliest and cosiest bars in all of Jing An. Don't worry, it's not a 'talking bar,' and it already attracts many expats from several residential complexes nearby.
THE JUST BEER STORY: Some readers may be familiar with Just Beer, a beer importer set up in Shanghai early this year by two Aussie blokes, one an ex-brewer from Fosters, and one previously in the wine game. They decided that after Fosters pulled out of the market, the market was ripe for some great tasting Australian beers, especially as there were also some quality issues with the locally brewed beers. This led to the establishment of Just Beer. In addition to an exclusive range of imported Australian beers for F&B outlets and home delivery (including Crown Lager - Winopete's favourite), the recently expanded product range also includes Aussie meat pies, wine and coffee, so in fact, they're not just about beer at all.
The Just Beer fellas occasionally organise functions, usually focusing on major Australian sports events such as Grand Final Day and the Melbourne Cup. There's also The Shed, a small and homely, true blue Aussie 'hangabout' place where special customers are welcome. For details of all products and events, check out www.justbeer.cn.
For the benefit of all you thirsty readers out there, Just Beer is extending a special offer to all readers of this column (and aren't you glad you read this?). Sign up on their website and with your first order of ANYTHING, you will receive a case of Cascade Light beer FREE (value RMB180). A case contains 24 x 375ml bottles. Order 3 or more cases of beer on your first order, and they'll give you 2 free cases of Cascade Light. To qualify for this, you need to include the code "Peter's Pub News" in the comments section. Thanks very much to Mat and Frank at Just Beer.
TREAD CAUTIOUSLY ON TONGREN LU: Yet another mugging incident on Tongren Lu has been brought to our attention where the foreigner involved had a knife put to his throat and his valuables taken. If drinking by yourself, our advice is to leave the area as soon as you have a moderate buzz. Don't push yourself any further otherwise you may attract the attention of would-be muggers. If you do wish to frequent the Tongren Lu bar strip near Yan'an Xi Lu, we strongly recommend going with a few friends so you can look after each other. Ignore any taunts from locals. Prevent altercations over inflated bar bills at the 'talking bars' by paying for each round as you go and do not use credit cards. M-Zone, previously a safe, 'regular' bar, changed ownership in September and is already cheating customers with inflated, sky-high bills. Or so we heard.
UPCOMING WINE EVENTS: Lots of events for Shanghai's wine lovers coming up. Over the next week the main events are:
Nov 14: Wine Australia Day at the F&B Expo, Shanghai New International Exhibition Centre in Pudong, Go to Hall E1, booths 1ABO1 - BB22.
Nov 14: Vega-Sicilia (Spain) wine dinner (includes 6 wines), 7pm at the Gui Hua Lou restaurant, Shangri-La Hotel, Pudong. Cost RMB1088 (ouch!). RSVP to events@torres.com.cn
Nov 15: E.Guigal Rhone Valley tasting (5 wines), 7pm at Roosevelt Prime Steak House (160 Taiyuan Rd - Marshall Mansions). Cost RMB188.
Reservations: e-mail: susanchen@asc-wines.com
Nov 15: Joseph Drouhin Beaujolais Nouveau party, 8-10pm at Barbarossa
(231 Nanjing West Rd, inside People's Park). RMB98 for free flow Beaujolais, plus finger food and DJ.
Nov 16: Summergate Cross-Cultural Wine Dinner, 7-11pm. Start with appetizers and wine at Ambrosia (150 Fenyang Rd), then have some beer next door at Paulaner. Afterwards be taken by limo to The Binjiang One on the Pudong waterfront for a posh dinner and more wine. Cost is RMB838. E-mail reservations to: bl123@bln.com.cn
HAPPY DRINKING!
Photo from Hamilton House
Winopete is Shanghaiist's resident drunkard. Email tips, recommendations, news and gossip about Shanghai's bar scene to drink at shanghaiist dot com.
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 RUSSIAN STANDARD VODKA: At a recent vodka blind tasting event at Sashas (corner of Hengshan and Dongping Rds 衡山路/东平路), the winning vodka out of the field of 23 was something called Russian Standard. A few days ago we were invited to partake in consuming a bottle of this drink. Very neutral and smooth, it ended up going down particularly well when served on ice with some crushed basil stirred in. Sashas hasn't confirmed a definite price for a bottle of Russian Standard at time of writing, but we paid RMB450 after some hard bargaining. Winning the competition at Sashas will no doubt spur the local sales rep into ensuring that Russian Standard will be seen on more bar shelves around town before too long. Vodka aficionados, take note.
CARREFOUR AUTUMN WINE FAIR - OCTOBER 26TH: The Gubei Carrefour store (268 Shuicheng Nan Lu 水城南路268号) will hold its annual autumn wine fair this Friday (October 26th) from 5.30pm to midnight. To get an invitation, e-mail regis_duval@carrefour.com. All wines by the bottle will be discounted by 20%, with tasting of lots of lower end wines FREE. Winopete went last year and withstood the heaving masses who acted like locals wanting to board the day's last bus. If you have not been, give it a try, but take an umbrella with sharpened point to clear your way.
CARMEN RESTAURANT: Carmen Restaurant recently materialised on Xikang Lu, near the even newer Steak and Eggs. Passing by, what caught our eye was their blackboard promotion for all you can drink: 50RMB for chicks and 80RMB for blokes. Went inside and discovered the deal was just for draught beer (Carlsberg) and cocktails. OK, could be acceptable, but decided we'd better try their cocktails first before committing to an all-out drink fest. Winopete chose a G&T that was actually quite decent. A friend opted for vodka and tonic which was also quite satisfactory. What was not so good was being hurried into deciding did we want the all-u-can-drink deal or single drinks, and also being asked to pay before a sip of alcohol had passed our lips. Furthermore, this night a bunch of rowdy German card players to descended around us which led to the staff cranking up the music to a very conversation-unfriendly level. The timing of both these events led to us upping and leaving. The mouldy-looking furniture for a brand new venue is never going to earn brownie points with me, but a decent all-you-can-drink deal grabs our attention, especially given the dwindling reputation of Bon Bon. The bottom line is we'll try Carmen again.
AMERICAN BEERS NOW AVAILABLE FROM SHERPA'S: Until American Craft Beer Partners started importing some stronger tasting micro-brewery beers from the US early this year, we were among the bunch of sceptics who thought US beer drinkers couldn't stomach anything stronger than Coors or Budweiser. The beers imported by American Craft Beer Partners include Dead Guy Ale, Brooklyn Lager, Brooklyn East India Pale Ale, Acme California Pale Ale and American Amber. Since a tasting and launch at Bubba's (2262 Hongqiao Rd), the beers have been eagerly sought after by various pubs around town and are now available at popular watering holes and eateries such as Eager Beaver, Big Bamboo, Kommune, Gourmet Cafe, The Naked Cow and Azul/Viva. Even better news is that for those craving one of these brews, yet can't escape from the office or house, three of these beers (Dead Guy Ale, Acme California Pale Ale and Brooklyn Lager) can now be delivered to you by Sherpa's in 6-packs costing just RMB99 a throw (plus delivery charge). This'll have you rushing to the phone faster than Speedy Gonzalez! Visit www.sherpa.com.cn.
TIPPLER TIDBITS
- Most fancy, schmancy Sunday champagne brunches opt for Moet et Chandon , which is dreadful fizz, IMHO. Should you concur, then check out the spread at Cafe Studio in the Four Seasons Hotel (500 Weihai Rd), where they serve Pierre Jouet, a much smoother bubbly, plus buffet brunch for RMB398+15%. Don't be daft and use your own coin, find someone else to pay (tell them it's your birthday or something).
- For those poor Pudongers who are subjected to almost enforced teetotallery, I bring some good news. The Jala Bar in the Eton Hotel (535 Pudong Avenue) has a 2-4-1 happy hour for standard drinks from 5-8pm, Monday-Saturday. Worth trying if you're on that side of the river.
- The Blue Frog Group is seeking an Executive Chef. Recently, they were also seeking a GM.
- Kiki, ex Real Shanghai Cafe, is now at Joy Bar and Cafe. Sissi (RSC) has gone AWOL.
- Alan, a.k.a. Harry, has resumed his musical duties at the Blarney Stone
- Zapatas, in Suzhou, is apparently doing better food business than clubbing business. Do all Suzhou party animals come to Shanghai?
Until next time, Happy Drinking!
Photo from theshanghaieye
Winopete is Shanghaiist's resident drinker. Email tips, recommendations, news and gossip about Shanghai's bar scene to drink at shanghaiist.com.
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 Spearheaded by drummer Al Gordon, this new club is the latest addition to the Shanghai live jazz and blues scene. It’s a funky little club, literally one room, but it’s a great space and the band is solid. As the name implies, the place is not trying to be another jazz venue; rather they are concentrating on blues, funk, and soul music–and are starting and ending much later than most other venues. Most nights the club will have live music starting around 11pm, with sets running through till 4am. Al has joining him on guitar Eddie Goltz, who also is a great singer, and Peter Phillips from New York on the keyboards. They are encouraging musicians to join them for jam sessions, which is why they intentionally start the gig so late.
The place is serving down-home Southern style soul food, from chitlins to collard greens. They also have a pretty full selection of bottled and draft beers, and of course a full standard bar. Come down and check it out, by the time I write this the new sign should be up outside. It’s located in the same building as the City Diner, on the ground floor (where Eat Drink Man Woman, the Taiwanese restaurant was). That’s just on the corner of Tongren lu and Nanjing lu.
The Blues Room. 146 Tongren Lu. 铜仁路146号
Live music from 11pm to 4am most nights.
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 Our Shanghai champions that went to the finals of the Cocktail World Cup held in Queensland, New Zealand, have come back and done us proud! Unshaken by an itinerary that included some really extreme cocktail shaking via bungy-jumping, on top of a mountain and on a jet boat, Cross from Vault and Alex from Volar (together with Johnsen from Aria in Beijing) emerged fourth after Teams Vegas, New Zealand and England. Okay, so they weren't tops but it appears they did manage to wow some of the biggest mixologists around like New York cocktail king Dale DeGroff.
Here's what we got from their press release:
Team China rounded out the top teams in forth place, and the intrepid threesome of Johnson, Cross and Alex impressed the world with the continuing rapid rise of Chinese mixology. Their “chuan chao” (mandarin for “spice of life”) brought together vanilla and clove infused 42 BELOW Pure Vodka with a mix of lemon, vanilla, ginger, lemongrass and pineapple, topped with a sichuan pepper and vanilla foam to form a uniquely Chinese flavoured concoction served in an ancient zun (樽).
Team China’s performance earned the team high praise. Judge Dale DeGroff described their cocktail as ‘really amazing, beautiful and the tie of the spice and vessel were great. Asia is on the up.’ While 42 BELOW Vodka Professor Jacob Briars said “China has come on leaps and bounds since last year’s contest. Their drink was off the hook. Kudos.”
Sounds like pretty high praise to us! Now that they're back in Shanghai, we hear from one of the organisers that:
... I guess Alex and Cross are now very good names to know if you are out drinking at Volar or Vault. If they are working and you mention the 42 BELOW Cocktail World Cup in the next couple of weeks you are guaranteed to get good cocktail treatment.
Photo of Alex and Cross shaking it up in Queensland at the 42 Below World Cup
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 Like half of the population of Shanghai, we attended the launch of the Bund Brewery last Friday. Free flow beer, bring it on. Consequently, like half of the population of Shanghai, we were sweating more than the scantily clad men in last Thursday's photo of the day. But, again, free flow beer, bring it on.
The Bund Brewery is your beer-hall-about-town, complete with park-style benches, large copper kettles and wood galore. Certain Shanghai loyalists might remember it as Fest Brewhouse, established back in 1998, but due to new management (Frank Steffen, the man behind a Future Perfect, Arch and syzygy) it's undergone a face-lift, most noticeable in new pictures on the walls and of course, a new name. (Actually, we're not exactly sure what is new other than the paintings. Friends who had been there before said the place looked pretty similar. Indeed, the old Fest sign is still outside and we were drinking from mugs that read "Shanghai Bund Brewage Co.")
The food — if you were lucky enough to grab any on Friday — is an interesting mixture of international pub grub, ranging from figure friendly "Roasted Codfish" to clog your arteries "German Sausage Sandwich." The beers — the venue's raison d'etre — represent the most noticeable relic of its past, and are the same German brews that have been made on location since it first opened nine years ago. Reviews of the brews have historically been mixed: from "very disappointing" to "unexceptional" to "decent." We didn't hear many rave reviews on Friday, either (except about the price). We sampled both varieties: Bundlander Dawn and Bundlander Dusk, aka light and dark. For us, Dawn was a tad average on the tongue, but Dusk was much more punchy and wholesome.
The Bund Brewery is not free flow forever unfortunately, and the prices are what you might expect from the Bund area (no views, however): 48RMB for 0.5l pint and 88RMB for a liter. This is not your local (does anyone live near there?) but still more affordable than some other German brewhouses around town.
We plan on returning and checking out the Bund Brewery when it's not packed with people looking for free beer. We think we'll like the feel of the place ... and maybe the beer will taste better second time around?
Dan Washburn contributed to this story.
The Bund Brewery, The Custom House, 11 Hankou Road, Shanghai
上海市汉口路11号. Tel: 6321 8447; weekdays 11.30am-1.00am, weekends 11.30am-4am.
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 There have recently been whispers all across town that Enoteca is the hottest place for wine connoisseurs right now. We were willing to give hearsay a run for its money. So we turned up, yesterday to be precise.
Indeed, Enoteca, Italian for "place where you store wine," did not disappoint. Its design is simple, sultry - with a colour palette of dark mahogany and rich red. Bottles line the walls, headed under cute captions, such as "playful and evocative," "sensualist" and "hedonist," turning the place into a library of grapes. And all this vino is incredibly reasonably priced too. As the inspired creation of two wine importers, one Argentinean, and the other French, bottle prices are kept down by cutting out the middleman. What is more, there is no discrepancy between how much you pay to drink in, versus how much to take away (although bulk buying does come with its rewards, we have been informed). In short, it's an oenophile's dream.
Upon the advice of the very friendly personnel (this Shanghaiist is definitely no wine expert), we sampled a trio: two whites for 98RMB, one entitled Ampakama Viognier, which was fruity and flagrantly sweet, without being sickly; the other Ampakama Chardonnay, still fruity, but less saccharine. The red (Cabernet Sauvignon) was a little pricier at 170RMB, but it was again smoothly delicious.
In between swirling our glasses, we spent the better half of the night consumed by food envy, dashing green looks at the platters of cured meats and cheeses that were going past, not to mention the chocolate cake, which was visibly sticky. In case you hadn't guessed it, we're massive fans of Enoteca. Expect to see us at their next wine tasting event... or really any night of the forthcoming week.
53-57 Anfu Lu, near Changshu lu and Wulumuqi lu, 安福路, 近乌鲁木齐路和华山路
Tel: 54040050, daily 9am-11:30pm
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 Wonderful as living in an egalitarian utopia may be, it’s sometimes nice to get away from it all and enjoy a little taste of luxury.
Now, we’re not talking about the plebeian pleasures of foot massages or fine dining here; such extravagances will do in a pinch, but fail to deliver in moments of truly-deserved immoderation. No, we’re talking about the pinnacle of class and sophistication, the very essence of luxury itself: a swim-up bar.
Not to sound like we’ve re-invented the wheel, but is there any greater self-indulgence than floating lazily in a pool while sipping on a cocktail? If there is, we haven’t found it yet. (We’ll keep looking though.)
Located in the heart of the swanky 'Mandarine City' [sic] service apartments in GuBei, this large pool and its attendant bar are relatively unknown, and thus not afflicted with the over-crowding that usually typifies Shanghai’s more eminent locations. Deckchairs are everywhere, so you can stretch out and get a tan, and if you’re hungry, they serve up some of the best French fries to be had in the city. Best of all, the prices are extremely reasonable; access to the pool is only 60 kuai and drinks won’t set you back more than 20 to 30 RMB.
Now if only it would stop raining all the time…
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 We found this really odd ad in the latest issue of the SH magazine, and apparently it has been there for some time already. Well it looks like Windows Tembo at 66 Shanxi Bei Lu has been offering RMB30 open bars every Thursday. Can someone enlighten us please -- how on earth can bars offer RMB30 drink-all-you-can and actually make a profit? Has any Shanghaiist been there before? If anyone has been there and NOT had a hangover the next day, tell us please cos that is where you will find the entire Shanghaiist team this Thursday!
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 If you've never heard of Volar, it's probably because you're not in, or you just don't have it, or, like most people, you probably just don't care. The club, which supposedly always has quite the queue at its Hong Kong location (no line in Shanghai), boasts to be a member's only exclusive venue (Memberships are at RMB10,000 and tables are at RMB5,000 each according to Smart Shanghai). Of course if you're not a member, you can always decide to part with RMB150 to get in, but you still get to tell people you went to a member's only club.
We made sure to call ahead and arrange a table under our name. When we arrived, we were asked what our reservation was under, and after mentioning it, the door *** by the name of V*lla (censored to protect her identity) quickly glanced at the list and told us we weren't on it. Hmmm, strange. We asked her to check again but she refused to look at the list. We continued to try to reason with her and then asked if we could talk with someone else associated with the club. We were told no, but luckily, after a few minutes, another door girl came out and asked us if we were under the name we reserved under. We said yes, and they said that we were on the list and we can enter right away (Volar, if you happen to ever grace our presence by visiting this humble site, may we suggest paying for reading lessons for your door staff?).
Upon entering the graffiti-adorned interior (designed by Philippe Starck no less), we were promptly and without-hassle given our table and drinks. We'd say there were maybe thirty or so people on the first floor (Does nobody party at 1am on a Saturday night in this city anymore?). Talk about exclusive! We're no techno/electronic/house expert, so we couldn't tell you if the music was particularly good or not. On the plus side, though, most of the RMB 68 cocktails were exceptionally well-made. Tips: if you don't like the taste of cough syrup, though, avoid the grape flavored drink (Flaming Moe's anyone?). Also, if you are like us and don't want to spend thirty minutes trying to figure out the bathroom that looks like it came straight from Hostel, the sink turns on through a tiny button on the floor. They also seem to have a strict dress code, but they had no problem with my drenched-in-sweat-from-Go!-Team plain white t-shirt.
VOLAR. No 99, Yan Dang Road, (by Nan Chang Road) 卢湾区雁荡路99号, 近南昌路.
134 8223 9390; reservations@volar.com.cn
Image from Independent Critics
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